Year: 1870

ihoiS HNeu III cCottS SouHty, ichh',
in the year 1868, a family by the name
of Markham, which our narrative is
about.


Mr.. Markham was staunch Union
man, and living at such place and at
such time as we all remember 1863 to
be for the people of Tennessee. For
one day the Union forces would occupy
a section of the country, and the next
day the same would be occupied by Con-
federate forces, therefore if man was a
Union man he would necessarily have
to seerete himself when the section of
the country in which he lived was in the
hands of the rebels.


At the period of our narrative, which
was in the spring of '63, Mr.. Markham's
plantation was at one time the camping
ground of the rebel forces, and of course
Mr.. Markham secreted himself, leaving
his family at home, which consisted at
this time Of three daughters.


One day they observed rebel soldier
coming to the house bringing his gun
and equipments with him. He proved
to be large and powerful man. He
had been drinking, and his actions
showed that he came there for no good
purpose. He asked for something to eat !;
the girls were all frightened but dare
not show it, therefore went about getting
something for him, all the while singing
and trying to appear as though they
cared nothing for him. After having
eaten supper he asked if he could stay
all night. They told him they were
alone, and had no place for him to sleep
without giving up one of their beds, to
which he replied he did not care d-n
about tnat, he was going to stay all night
and was going to have bed too


The girls dare not refuse him further,
so July: the second daughter, girl
about sixteen, went up stairs to arrange
a place for him to sleep. While she was
at work, apparently happy, as she was
singing sketches of songs, the Reb took
his gun with the bayonet on and stag
gered up stairs. The oldest daughter,
Mary, Immediately followed him to see
what he was going to do AS she got
near the top of the stairs she heard July
scream, when she rushed on, picking up
as she ran, an old whiffietree, which was
near the head of the stairs. The rebel
seemed desperate and enraged at seeing
her, and Immediately cooked his gun
and fired at July's head, but she being a
little too quick for him, caught hold Of
the bayonet, and threw the gun away
from her head, whereby she saved her
life, but the bullet took off one Of her
fingers.


The rebel seemed possessed of the evil
one, at his having missed her head. He
rushed at her with the intention of mur.
der with the bayonet, but she caught the
bayonet with both hands and with all
her strength tried to save herself, but she
was not quite strong enough, the bayo
net went in just under one eye, splitting
off piece of the bone, then taking the
eye out and finally took out piece Of
the skull above the eye.


As soon as Mary could get into the
room, she rushed at him and struck him
on the head with the whiffietree which
knocked him down. July rushed out Of
the room all covered with blood from the
wounds she had received, but nothing
daunted, soon returned with an ak which
she Immediately sunk into the villains
head. Not satisfied with this, she con
tinued chopping him until he looked
more like mass of flesh than a dead
rebel.


After the wounds of July had been
dressed by her sisters as best they could
they blew their dinner horn which at
tracted the attention of some OF the reb
els in camp who came over to the house
and after hearing the story of the girls
and seeing July they carried of the car.
cass of the would-be-murderer.


Soon after this tragedy the Union for
ces occupied the same camp, and July's
father came back and she was properly
cared for and soon got well, but heI
plump, round face which was handsome
before was terribly disfigured, aud she
received sympathy from all, and many
valuable presents from the Union troops
one of which l remember was silver
mounted revolver, which was given hel
by Captain in the 30th Mass.


AS soon as she was able she had ar
ambrotype taken of herself and her sis
terse She sits in the center holding hel
revolver, also showing the hand with the
finger gone. Her thoughts must be sad
when she looks at it, but Others think
while they gaze at it that they are look
ing at the likeness of brave and coura
geous heroine of the war. c.