The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-02-01
WAR STORIES.
War Iimes in Ihe Piedmont.
Oar Women in The War Edition News and Courier

children OF To-Day, must depend entire
ly upon our parents and grandparents
Tor rtminis Of those trying
times.
About the first shock, in the home
life of our parents, we may date from
the 18th Of April, 1861, when Prcsi-
icnt Lincoln's proclamation closed all
our scaports by blockade, which cut
oil all our imports and also the pro,
ducts Of the manufacturing States of
the North. Immediately after the
bombardment Of For. Sumter, April
~, 1861, the martial spirit swept over
South Carolina like hot blast, and
the whole atmosphere seemed to be
but one blast Of patriotism, which
ppermcated every nook and corner of
the country and all nature from gray
haired grandsires to frail women and
Little children, for even the latter
were to be seen drilling with corn
stalks for guns and blowing pumpkin
vino horns for band music.
About the beginning Of the year
1862 the ceuntry's supplies-salt, su
gar, coffee, tea, spices and all import
ed necessarice Of life-were exhausted.
The need of these articles began to
stare people in the face, and after
awhile they began to stir themselves
and succeeded in producing many
: things.
Salt was the most costly article Of
= ~everyday life during the war. 1t cost
8 as much as sugar does now. Many of
the oid dirt 1ooEs OK smoke houses
we're dug up, and boiled down to get
out the waste salt deposited there
from many years use.
The substitutes for coffee wers
parohed wheat, rye, corn meal and
sometimes sweet potatoes. Home
zmade molasses we're used in coffee for
rsweetening, instead Of sugar. For
tea, sage leaves, wild spice wood, sas-
safras roots and blossoms. Sods was
aalso very hard to secure, so in cooking
alye from wood ashes was used.
The summer clothing Of the soldiers
zat the front were to be exchanged for
heavier woollen goods, and the Con-
efedcrate Government was not yet in
shape to manufacture them. My
2grandfather's sheep, that were usually
shorn of their coats of wool in May,
snow had to be robbed Of their winter
coats in January, and penned in warm
straw sheds. This was done in order
TO get wool to make tho Confederate
uniforms to keep my three unoles, my
father and some neighbors' boys
warm. This wool, az we'll es cotton,
was spun, dyed and wavea at home
under the suporvisicn of grandmother,
who, (as well as many o.her women of
the Confederacy) occupied position
of Importance, in that day, far supe-
rior to that Of the cotton mill annerin.
! sendents Of today. These women not
only manufactured the woollen and
~cotton dread from the crude state,
with homemade spinning wheels and
looms, but they possessed the know
Hedge enabling them to prepare the
dye stuffs for the various colors, which
were obtained from the bark, roots
and sometimes the leaves of trees,
shrubs and plants.
The eolors were generally "sot" by |
lye, made from wood ashes.
The hat worn by my father during |
Che war contained the fur from seven
fox and four raccoon skins, taken
ffom animals caught by him, and
made by christopher Whistant, q man
chat lived then near where Fort Mad
ison is located. The shoes that my |
father wore were also home made.
They were made from home tanned
hide Of calf grown on the farm.
AT the beginning of the war large
hoopskirts were worn and many
belle, With her large hoops, made OF
grape vines Of white oak splits, as
as substitute for che pliable imported
whsle-bone or thin steel, had hard
Eight 10 keep her skirts anchored
down. as she entered the marrow door
way OF church pews.
IN those days the girl that wore
homespuD dress and could sing
Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flog''
best was the leader Of the fashion,
and won the admiration Of all, aud
the "boys who wore the
grey"
tz. izz% Dnsisss .sse Assee1 second year Of the war
the Hedmontregion Of South Carolina
was flled with refugees from the large
plaptasionss and towns Of the lower
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