The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1908-04-23


beef and keep half for the slaves
still on the plantation and send the
other half to her. He sent her word
that she had no beeves, that they
belonged to the United States gov
ernment, but several days after he
thought better of it and sent the
meat. This conduct was in direct
contrast to that of Aunt Winnie,
another of our slaves who kept us
supplied with milk, butter and eggs
while we were compelled to remain
there, as we'll as taking care of
everything on the plantation until
my father was released.
When my father was captured all
of or trunks and all household
goods that were in the wagons, also
the trunk belonging to our black
nanny, were taken. We were left
without a change of raiment There
were lots of pretty dresses in those
trunks, and l have never yet for
given the Yankees for stealing them.
It was many weeks before it vas
safe for my mother and her little
children TO travel over the road late
ly dyed with the blood of the con-
tending armies and over the hills
that had so lately resounded to the
roar of battle and the groaus of the
dying-the hill road, where gall
ant Bowen and his 5000 brave
Missourians held at bay the so, 900
Federal troops under Gen. Grant
from sunrise on May /, 1868, till
the sun went down; as gallent de-
fense as any on record in the annals
ofwar, and had there not been
traitor in the telegraph Office at
Port Gibson, who sent false mess
ages to headquarters. the history of
Grants march from Magnolia
church to Jackson might be written
differently than it now is.
After the fall Of Vicksburg many
raids were sent out from the con-
quered city. On one of these to
Port Gibson a number of people
were arrested-women and non
combatants-and carried to Vicks-
burg and imprisoned in the county
Jail. They were: Mrs. Emily
Briscoe, Mrs. Laura Gordon, Mrs.
Henry, Mr.. and Mrs. George But
Ter (who had charge of the Presby-
terian school here), Miss Cora
Moore, DR.. Wharton, Mr. Forbes
and Mr.. Western. These were kept
there for months without trial and
had to suffer every deprivation.
Women who were used to every
comfort and luxury were forced to
| live in filthy and unsanitary quar-
ters and at last released without
ever being told why they had beer
arrested. All of them had their
health more or less injured by the
hardships of this imprisonment
DR.. Wharton would have diet
under them had it not been for tn,
utter fearlessness of an ex. Claiborn
county lady-Mrs. chas. Wright
This good man had been he
childhood physician, and she coul
not see him die and do nothing TO
him; so with a fearlessness charaC
teristic of the southern woman {
that time she went again and agai
!. to the Federal authorities pleadin
!, that she might take him to her hon
8 and administer to his needs, and
. last by her very importantly HI
: demands were granted and the ''b
9 loved physical" was saved and Il
= y ed many years to alleviate hum'
suffering.
r After reading the foregoing a
!. sure that all will be willing to agr
$ with Gen. Sherman when he sa
" ssWar is hell. War is bad euoul
Ig when it is waged against soldier
" bat when it is waged on helple
n woman it is worse than hell.
Il 1t will always remain myste
~ Why in this case the mother v
IN torn from her helpless children,
ur teachers from their pupils or
I'D physician from his patients. P
in haps it was just 10 crafty the
as price of some brutal officer.
: public 0inners rIust Mark cOtt