The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-12-11

Poplar Spring" and about a mile
from town. had already lost one my
shoes several times, because of having
no string in it, and my little brother in
sisted on giving me one of his, 50 we
sat down by the Reservoir feeling
very secure, but were terribly alarmed
in few moments by a ball coming
through the building and whlzzing very
close 10 our ears. No, this would not
do, 80 on we went, foot sore and weary;
sometimes we would meet a soldier who
would carry one of US a short distance.
All Of our servants, except Ca'lne,
who was only seven years old, had
taken some other direction. When we
got about two miles from town We
overlook many other refugees; some
were camping by the way, and others
pressing on, some tO country houses
which were Hospitality thrown open to
wanderers from home, and others 10
"Salem Church." about three miles
| from Fredericksburg where there was a
| large encampment. Our destination
was a house not far from "Salen
( Church" which we now call the "Refu
gee House" Exhausted we reached
the house by twilight, found there some
/ friends who had been there some
weeks, and who kindly took US into
their room and gave US every attention.
| And so great was our relief TO feel that
we had escaped from the horror Of that
day. that such small matters as hay-
ing to sleep in the room with a dozen
people, having no milk and no coffee,
our principal diet consisting of corn
] Tor Ix
slight troubles.
Next day G.. F., the two L boys and
myself walked up to the church. All
was hustle and confusion. ! suppose
there were several hundred refugees
there. Some were cooking outside in
genuine gypsy fashion, and those who
were infrm or sick were trying to get
some rest in the cold, bare church.
The leahess trees, through which the
winter wind sobbed mournfully, the
scattered groups seen through the
smoke of numerous fires, and the road,
upon which passed constantly back and
forth ambulances and wagons full of
wounded soldiers, presented a gloomy
and saddening spectacle.
To our great astonishment we beheld
Aunt B. the queen of an admiring
group, giving orders right and left, her
liyeliness and self-importance in no de-
gree abated and being waited upon by
all
We remained at the Refugee House
for three weeks, my mother in the
meantime making efforts TO get into
town; each day she would walk almost
TO the outskirts, wading thro' mud
knee deep; only to be refused by the
sentries, who could let no one pass.
The day after the battle of Freder
icksburg my mother with Miss c. did
succeed in reaching town and my
brother and myself made up our minds
we would 90 too, so followed at a re-
spectful distance to keep from being
sent back. To reach town we had to
cross the battlefield, a horrible sight
for our young eyes. My brother. picked
up bayonet. laying by dead man,
which he afterwards found avery novel
use for. The scenes and sights which
met our eyes in town were too harrow
ing to describe. Dead bodies piled up
in every direction, the houses sacked
and pillaged and everything IN the most
horrible state. One of my uncles was
an officer of high rank in the Confeder-
ate Army, and good many OF his
papers and books being at our house,
the Federals had done as much harm to
the furniture and house as they could.
One room was piled high, more than
half way to the ceiling with feathers
from the beds ripped up. Every mir
ror was run through with a bayonet,
one panel of each door cut out, altho
none of the doors were locked, and the
furniture nearly all broken up.
The confusion and dirt were appalling
and it required a stout heart TO begin
to put things straight. think my
mother had fondly hoped that she
would find something left somewhere
about the house, but of course every
thing of value was taken and all Of the
china broken into small bits. Our
house seemed to have been used as
storage house, or something of that
kind. from the amount of provisions we
found. out of course we could not use
any of it. We were very thankful to
find no dead bodies there.
Nv mother went back TO the "Refu-
gee House" that night and after sew
eral days there, having found wagon
going into town, she took us out TO the
public road and we bade adieu to refu-
geeing for time. My mother, with no
assistance but what we children could
give. succeeded in cleaning up the
house and we took up our abode in one
room, as we could barely find furniture
for that.
A stove was found and fortunately
before the sheling my mother had got
ten good supply Of wood, which was
in the cellar. That night about dark we
heard low tap on the window and my
mother asking who was there found II
was Beverley Brooks, a colored man,
who had lust heard she was in town and
came with a loaf of bread and pitcher
of milk, and every night during the
rest of that dreadful winter did he tap
on the window and hand in pitcher OF
milk and a loaf of bread. He had stald
in town during the shelllng and had
managed to keep his cow and all of his
belongings. We three children with
Call would sit around the stove every
night and toast our bread on the old
bayonet brother had found on the
battlefield. My mother through the
kindness of friends and through her
own industry managed to hnd
food during the winter, but each week
did we stay in bed all day while she
washed and ironed our clothes with her
own hands, as she had no money to buy
with. nor were there any stores IN
Fredericksburg from which she could
have bought. After some weeks she
succeeded in getting us more clothes,
which was certainly more comfortable
for US all.
In the spring, my mother, through
the kindness Of friend, was enabled
to 90 to Danville, Virginia, where we
remained until after the war was over,
but never, even if live to be very
old woman, will forget the horrors OF
the "shelling," or the different events
as they appeared to me, as child, and
though | may have forgotten other
scenes of later date, those enacted dur
ing that terrible time are as present
with me as if they had only happened
,,ootardau