The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-03-01
WAR STORIES.
3 "reminiscences Of the War---Refugeeing in
Anderson.

Anderson.

'heoS eoiuicIe were OF great e0c0ur-
agement to me, and with renewed
ardor l set to work again, only re-
gretting that my supply had been so
email.
From 1862, with the refugee life
began the struggle for food, and neces-
saries, the up-country towns from the
influx Of owcountry refugees became
over-crowdcd, provisions scarce, prices
exorbitant; the men being away in the
army, there were but few to work the
crops, the negroes in the upper ;oun-
ties being comparatively few, the work
On the farms was done by the farmers
themselves, and this class having but
little confidence in Confederate mon
ey, remembering the story of Cont
mental money, refused most of them
the Confederate currency at any price
In exchange for their produce. Thus
in some instances untold were the
sutferings of the refugees for the
actual necessaries of life, -four, bacon,
wood, etc.
Household goods, clothing, in fact
anything but money, was of market.
able value, and thus through neces-
sity our stores of such were reduced
to the lowest ebb.
Our refugee home was at Anderson,
q. H., in the northwestern part of the
State, q point which was selected by
about seventy families of refugees as
probable place of safety. Although
80 far away from the seat of war, it
proved most convenient point for
cavalry passing to and from the army
Of the West. The Confederate States
had here one Of it's largest commissary
depots, thus we often had the oppor.
tunity OF meeting some of the most
distinguished soldiers.
In the dark days of 81 when every
thing seemed against us, and even
rumor Of foreign recognition failed to
cheer, President Davis appointed q
day of humiliation and prayer. Just
at that time Martins division of Ala
bama cavalry was passing through
Anderson, and the little Episcopal
Church was filled with soldiers on that
day. Our rector, the Rev. john q.
Elliott, now D. d., s. T. D., Of Wash.
ingtoD, D. G., like ourselves refu-
gee, preached 9 most eloquent and
touching sermon, dwelling on the
clouds that threatened to burst over
US rs nation, our individual priys.
tions, and pictured in burning words
the desolation Of the homes from
which we had besn driven. At the
conclusion OF the sermon the Psalm
then in the Episcopal prayer book
was sung:
when we our weary limbs to rest,
Sat down by proud Euphrates stream,
We wept, with doleful thoughts op-
pressed,
And Sion was our mournful theme.n
These weary looking, ill.clad, ill.fed
men took up the singing, and in the
mournful droniDg way peculiar to
them, sung the Psalm, tho choir beem-
ed soon to drop out, it was too much
for the eelf.oontrol Of the congrega-
tion, and in o few moments sobs were
audible on oil sides. / am sure that
among those present it has been q
lasting memory.
think it was during the winter Of
81, that John Morgan's men seemed
to find it most convenient to make
Anderson their headquarters for some
apparently unknown reason, until one
day quiet looking man appeared in
their midst, was greeted by them with
wild enthusiasm, it was the great
John Morgan, who having escaped
from the Ohio Penitentiary, had ar.
ranged to meet the members of his
command at this point.
Gen. Morgan was q handsome, digni-
fed looking man with dreamy gray
eyes, very retiring in manner, by no
means courting the ovations his pres
ence seemed to invoke wherever he
went. In looking ct him one could
hardly realize the daredevil he was.
he again visited Anderson on his re.
turn to Tennessee, where he met his
death, betrayed by u womanl
Wheeler's cavalry also paid us fire.
quents visits, and although in many
places they. were as much dreaded Sas
the enemy, with us they always CON
Quoted themselves with decorum.
After these visits We were always
hearing rumors of approaching raids.
AS time went on the rumors we're not
fulfilled. Sherman having destroyed
Columbia, during his March to the