Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1921-02-03
"REMINISCENCES.
Personal RscolsctIons Of 4 Trip 10 Texas
In Pioneer Days, and Some Incl.
dents In Cow Boy Life In
the West.
(By L. N. Perkins.)

When the Civil War ended in
April, 1865, was then 20 years
of age and at my fathers bone
in Grayson county, Va, having
been in the Confederate States
service about two and a h al +
year, and with me, as with most
al! returned soldiers, there was
nothing else to do but 60 to work
and try to make something to
eat and wear.
The war mad been in duration
a little over four years; most all
the able bodied men away from
home, aud those who remained
at home, were tithed by the U. S.
A. Government, one tenth Of all
they raised for the support of the
government. Yet the people had
enough to live on and clothes to
wear, and so far as l know, there
was no case of actual suffering
nywhere, but there was no mon.
ey except what silver and gold
had been hidden away, that was
worth anything. There was plen.
ty of Confederate money and a
considerable amount of State
Bank money, but was worth moth
ing more than that amount OF
brown paper, and there W S
nothing to bring money into the
country-no surplusstock, grain
or anything of the kind, and all
the farmers could do was to
work to raise something to live
on and to wear. The people then
made their own clothing from
wool, fax and cotton yarn.
I had served during the war
with a Texas Company. All but
about a dozen of the boys when
at home, were residents of Tar
rant and Dallas counties. Texas,
and several of them about my
own age, and, like most of boys
when away from home, they
seemed to think there was no
place like home, and were con
tinually singing the Praises OF
Texas. In fact that was the most
I heard for two years, so deter
mined that sooner or later Ia
see Texas for myself, but how to
get there was the problem. II
was long distance to walk, and
l had no money to travel on, and
no way of getting any for somt
time. A man by the name OF
CALLAHAN Redford, who had enlis-
ted in Gano's squadron f r o m
Plano, Collins county, Texas, was
in prison with me, and paroled &
short time after l Was, came to
my fathers home about the time
of General Lees surrender anG
decided to stop in the communi
ty for q while, at least. He secur
ed him a place to work neal
where l lived, and we agreed
that we would make a trip tt
Texas as soon as it was profitable
to do so. In the fl rst place, We
needed a little money to trave
on, and it seemed best to wal
until order could be restored II
the country, as every thing was il
q chaotic condition during the re
construction period. So we work
ed on, but kept planning to make
q start, possibly in the fall or ear
ly winter. But when that time
arrived we could not yet see ou,
way clear to start, so we post
poned our intended trip unit
spring. My friend Redford was
raised in Todd county, KY, and
he had a brother and many othe
relatives living there, so we deci
ded we would try and get to hi
relatives flrSt, and then make Ou
way farther on as circums tances
might dictate. My own famil!
and all my very near relative
were opposed to my going. M.
fat Ter wanted me to 60 to school