Two Diaries

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TWO DIARIES

FROMMIDDLEST. JOHNS, BERKELEY,

SOUTHCAROLINA, FEBRUARY-MAY, 1865

JOURNALS KEPT BY MISS SUSAN R. JERVEY AND MISS CHARLOTTE ST. J.

RAVENEL, AT NORTHAMPTON AND POOSHEE PLANTATIONS,

AND REMINISCENCES OF MRS. WARIN!" HENA!AN

WITH TWO CONTEMPORARY REPORTS

FROM FEDERAL OFFICIALS

###

PUBLISHED BY THE ST. JOHNS HUNTIN! CLUB

1$%1

E&'()*' +( '/ M02'/3 + '/ 1%13' A2)4 M//'0 + '/ S'. J3 H2'0

C42.

Wampee Plantation, July 4, 1921.

* * * * Prof. Yates Snowden exhiited !arefully prepared !opies of diaries "epty #iss Susan $. Jer%ey and #iss &harlotte St. J. $a%enel at 'orthampton andPooshee plantations, respe!ti%ely, durin( the months of )eruary, #ar!h and pril,1+-. ur women were then unprote!ted sa%e y a few old men and oys, and#iddle St. John/s was fre0uently raided y ro%in( ands of ne(ro soldiers, mainly

y the --th #ass. $e(iment. Professor Snowden su((ested that a !ommittee eappointed to !onsider the propriety and de%ise means for pulishin( these authenti!re!ords of the sufferin(s and fortitude of our "inswomen durin( those times, and toma"e a report at the next annual meetin(.

fter an animated dis!ussion y President . P. $a%enel, J. St. &lair White, .$. 3wi(ht and others, &apt. Sam/l . Stoney mo%ed that the !lu pro!eed to

pulish the diaries forthwith, usin( su!h funds as were a%ailale in the treasury, and

that the memers of the !lu sus!rie indi%idually enou(h to ma"e up the defi!it.he President appointed &apt. Sam/l . Stoney, J. St. &lair White and Prof.

Yates Snowden a !ommittee to edit the diaries, add explanatory foot notes, andma"e a suitale !ontra!t with some pulishin( house for 566 !opies of the

pamphlet. * * * *

7S(d.8 '$Y $. 3W:,Se!retary.

E7TRACTS FROM JOURNAL, KEPT BY MISS SUSAN R. JERVEY, AT

NORTHAMPTON PLANTATION.19
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hursday ni(ht )eruary 1th. Su!h awful news !ame to us that ;ust as thetale was laid and e%erythin( ready for us to en;oy our supper )ather (ot lost and spent thewhole of last ni(ht in the woods. hey must ha%e wandered o%er thirty miles.

uesday mornin(, 2 .#. )eruaryBB. oo usy with my oo"s to write lastni(ht. James and enry Sin"ler started after dinner for their !ompany. Startled alittle while a(o to hear some noise under my window> my head ein( full ofne(roes and Yan"ees roused up #other with the !ry, Cthe enemy is upon usDE Justas we stood listenin(, a man/s head appeared at the door. :t was an a(e of terror,

altho/ hardly a se!ond efore we re!o(niFed James. enry Sin"ler and himself!ould not find their !ompany, so !ame a!" seein( a li(ht in my window. Jameshad tried to attra!t my attention when, rememerin( a defe!ti%e shutter, he (ot in.

Gieut. GaAorde no papers> no letters. ll we "nowis pi!"ed up from soldiers passin( throu(h. hey are all mar!hin( for St. Stephens,

where the army is !on!entratin( to !ross the rid(e.William,


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Wednesday, )eruary 22nd. nna and her father old #r. &ain the enemy ha%emar!hed throu(h Pinopolis, and were at Wampee last ni(ht, others say they heard(reat whoopin( and yellin( as if some one was dri%in( a hundred of !attle.

Sunday, )eruary 2th. White all ssex says a ne(rohad !ome from ippy> the Yan"ees had shot all of #rs. White/s poultry> too" herhorses> tore up her !lothes and threw them out of the windows to the ne(roes> ro"eup her !ro!"ery> when they !ould not (et "eys, ro"e up the lo!"s. he ne(ro saysthis was only the first party. When the offi!ers !ame they stopped the wor" of

de%astation, till the rest of the army !ame.
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#onday, )eruary 2Hth. Yan"ees at 3uAois 7near Aonneau/s8 yesterday noon,four or fi%e in numer> did nothin( ut !arry off #r. ar%ey/s saddle and ridle.Aefore lea%in( they !alled up the ne(roes and told them they were free>!onse0uently none would (o to wor" this mornin(. )ather heard this from #r.ar%ey whom he met at Pooshee, where all the men left in the nei(horhood met tode!ide what to do to sa%e their property from Yan"ee spoliation. hey had 0uite afri(ht> a s0uad of !a%alry were seen !omin( up the a%enue, whi!h were ta"en forYan"ees, ut were dis!o%ered to e our own men under Gieut. Ari(ht of d(efield,deta!hed y en. Samuel W. )er(uson to !ome down to worry the enemy andsuppress disorder amon( the ne(roes. Poor old #r. &ain * * * started for home onthe first alarm, wor"in( his way around to stop here and let us "now )ather was a

prisonerE )ather ha%in( !ome home the dire!t road had told us all the news eforethe old man/s arri%al. he enemy penetrated as far as Ala!" a" last ni(ht wherethey too" prisoner one of our poor soldiers who had stopped at the #yers/ for

supper. hey returned as they !ame throu(h Wantoot. he ne(roes say the housethere %ery mu!h in;ured. : hear #rs. 7&atherine8 White eha%ed %ery ra%ely, utold #rs. Arunson, who li%ed with her, said so mu!h, the Yan"ees threatened to puther head throu(h the window and shoot it offE #rs. White wrote and e((ed #r.Gewis Simons, who li%ed near, to !ome to her aid. e !ould not lea%e his family,

ut in%ited eneral Potter 7sic8 to dinner> told him what his men were doin(. Potterinstantly sent an order for them to desist. What : most fear is not the Yan"ees, utthe ne(roes, !ut off from all help from a!ross the ri%er, and at their mer!y, what will

e!ome of usK 3isorder has already started. unt 'enna/s people ha%e all returnedto their wor", ex!ept dward> the leader, : firmly elie%e. Aram returned thismornin(, ut when unt 'enna sent him word to !ome to his wea%in(> his answerwas, he wouldn/t, that he was !uttin( wood. When she sent word he must !ome, hede!amped and has not een heard from sin!e.

sh Wednesday, #ar!h 1st. (loomy, un!omfortale day> no !hur!h to (o to>in !onstant dread of a Yan"ee in%asion. s"irmish at arin last ni(ht> our littles0uad of !a%alry under Ari(ht was there. ne(ro rou(ht the Yan"ees fromPine%ille and piloted them to where our men were !amped ta"in( them !ompletely

y surprise, !apturin( Ari(ht and "illin( two of his men. nother mortallywounded, died this mornin(. ll we !an learn of the s"irmish, the Yan"ees fired at

the a!" door, some of the alls enterin( &ousin Jane/s


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the house, (oin( throu(h the !losets, the safe, the dairy and the "it!hen, * * * ta"in(whate%er they !ould find in the way of eatales,Bha%e literally left us nothin( forsupper. ne stayed ehind and !arried off &harles/s !olt C)la%ella.D hese Yan"eesha%e po!"ets half the len(th of their le(s and there is no tellin( what they !ontri%eto stuff into them.

)riday, #ar!h 5rd. most ex!itin( ni(ht of horrorE While : was writin(yesterday afternoon another s0uad of three Yan"ees rode up in sear!h of saddlesand ridles. hey were %ery rude> said we mi(ht as well tell where thin(s were andsa%e their rumma(in(, and then rode off. unt 'enna, ha%in( found some !oldwaffles a!tually left we were 0ui!"ly seated en;oyin( 7K8 our supper thin"in( ourtrials o%er for the day, when we heard many hea%y steps in the entry, a rou(h "no!"at the door> a rude %oi!e> Chow are you this e%enin(, : say, how are you thise%enin(KD he open door re%ealed the entry full of ne(ro Yan"ees, armed to theteeth and all drun" enou(h to do mis!hief. #other, who is in !onstant dread of

$ene/s ein( seiFed on a!!ount of his a(e, altho/ so small, motioned him into thea!" room, 7unt 'enna/s !hamer8, where the !hildren had all run to hide. hene(ro ser(eant, a !oal la!" (iant of six feet, immediately demanded what the oywas after and !alled him a!". unt 'enna, with mu!h presen!e of mind went tothe door and rou(ht out &harles Ste%ens. he ser(eant was %ery insultin( in hislan(ua(e. e demanded all fire arms, whi!h were (i%en him> then he wanted wine>said he had een told we had some, and would (et it out of )ather. &alled for a ropeand ordered a s0uad of men to !arry him and strin( him up if he would not (i%e upthe li0uor. #other threw herself on her "nees pleadin( for )ather/s life. he wret!hspurned her with his foot, and told her to eha%e herself li"e a woman and hewould treat her li"e one. #other was so o%er!ome we had to (et her into unt

'enna/s room. ne of the men !ame to the door and told me? CSpea" to the ladyand ma"e yoursel%es satisfied he wouldn/t let )ather e hurtD>Bwith this small!omfort : went to #other. o add to our troules #other rememered a phial of

randy up stairs sa%ed for )ather/s use. :f the wret!hes found it, what woulde!ome of usK #other !ould not mo%e> the !hildren were !lin(in( to her> thediffi!ulties of the way> a lon( la!" entry full of drun"en de%ils> then another entryao%e full of un"nown horrors. We waited until most of the Yan"ees had left thehouse. GiF holdin( on to ea!h other we treaded on our

way, s!ar!ely darin( to thin", we rea!hed the room safely. $ose Washin(ton, the (uard were all around the house. Wewere afraid to throw the phial out, when we (ot it. $ose proposed rea"in( it in a

u!"et of water and !arryin( the u!"et down on her head. She did her part well,ad(erin( the men she met and answerin( their 0uestions. : followed with GiF so(rateful when we (ot to #other. : !an/t tell the words and doin(s of the 3e%ils, utsoon after we (ot a!", our CfriendD !ame to the door to say )ather was all ri(ht>none of us had sense to do the ri(ht thin(, ut poor little GiF who stepped up andshoo" the man/s hand than"in( him. he men had all the meat and salt !olle!tedand rou(ht into the entry and the !aptain distriuted it to the ne(roes. We ha%esome idea of ell now> su!h os!ene lan(ua(e and riald oaths fillin( our ears forthe etter part of the ni(ht. When at last, near dayrea" they all left the house, they
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demanded su(ar and !offee to ma"e a supper, at the la!" o%erseer/s 7Jimmy8, youmay ima(ine there was no sleep e%en then for us. We waited their return. mattresshad een thrown down in the middle of the room for the !hildren. he menthreatened to "ill William our

pri%ate drawers were rooted up. hey !arried off, amon(st others poorWillie/s


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uesday, #ar!h Hth. arrison they ha%e een to Pinopolis, helpin( in thesa!"in( of the houses. ne rou(ht off #r. Ste%ens/s their (unoats ha%e (one up the ri%er as far as #exi!o, one threw a shell in front of thehouse. hey went to #r. Warren Palmer/s tota"e the oath of alle(ian!e> to (i%e up his house and e put a!ross the ri%er, or elsethey would (i%e him sixty a!res 7mind you, his own landE8 whi!h he was to wor"with his own ne(roes. poor man near Gaurel ill (a%e himself up to the enemy>was !arried to &harleston and thrown into arra!"s with aout six hundred ne(roes,

with nothin( ut !ra!"ed !orn to eat.

#onday, #ar!h 12th. Plenty of rumors to !hroni!le to@ni(ht> feel so mu!hmore li(ht hearted. We are not entirely deserted. ody of our men, s!outs underyoun( 3ennis


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Yan"ees found out, or pretended to find out that the !oo" had put poison in the!offee they had demanded for rea"fast, turned her out of her home, ;ust with the!lothes she had on, distriuted e%erythin( and urnt the house. as"ed aout JohnPor!her, said it was well he had not een "illed in the war as they would ha%ewrun( eor(e/s the hardest part of ein( !ut off as weare is hearin( nothin( of those we !are for eyond the ri%er. o our deli(ht part ofthe Pooshee !olony %entured o%er this mornin(> a party of women and !hildrenheaded y &ousin enry/s that they rou(ht troule and distress where%er

they went. We heard nothin( of poor &harlie.Wednesday, 1-th #ar!h. Mate Por!her stopped here on her way to Ala!" a".

She is !ertainly ra%e, went all alone in her sul"y with only Samuel ehind, #r.dward #aFy!" was stopped on the road and had his horse ta"en from him. * * *

'ear dar" a woman rode up on a sorry loo"in( horse, as"in( shelter for the ni(ht. :twas pourin( rain> she seemed dren!hed. Poor soul, : am sorry for her. #other andunt 'enna are possessed with the idea that she is a man in dis(uise> !ertainly sheis mas!uline loo"in( in her stride L!. his is her story> she is a eor(ian, !ame to&harleston to see her rother in the hospital. he railroads were !ut, and her rother

mo%ed. She (ot as far as #r. are/s, near Pinopolis. fter waitin( three wee"s tofind some way of (ettin( home, (i%in( up in despair ou(ht an old horse and
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saddle and started on her lonely ;ourney to ran(eur(, where she has friends whowill help her on her road. She is an tlanta refu(ee and has een li%in( with a

rother in Southern eor(ia. She says we don/t "now what troule is as yet. Shestood with many others and saw her home urnt in tlanta. When the war!ommen!ed, she had property, a husand and four rothers> all (one ut two

rothers, and all she owns is in two trun"s.

1th #ar!h. #other was so anxious to (et letters a!ross the ri%er, that,notwithstandin( our suspi!ions she (a%e a "ind of diary had seen 3r. White, the %andalshad rea!hed &olumia, arri%in( in the ni(ht, turned the people out of their homes,

put tor!hes to the houses redu!in( the !ity to ruins. $eputale ladies were followin(the army e((in( read for their little ones. t &heraw the Yan"ees (ot two wa(onloads of spe!ie from the an"sBmo%ed there from &harleston.

$i!hard Strohart was ta"en up y the la!" troopers in Pinopolis for &harlieSnowden and !arried to #oss ro%e their head0uarters> !ross@0uestioned aout ours!outs L!.> insistin( this was the oy who had set the s!outs on them at Alue ole.While they were 0uestionin( him, a !arria(e with out@riders dro%e up in (reat style,and with all the form and !eremony of hi(h life, Cthe eneral,D as he is !alled,handed out a la!" lady, %ery mu!h dressed. When she passed Strohart, she as"edaout him> said he !ould not e the oy they wanted as this one had !ome up withher on the train a few days efore. n this e%iden!e he was released.

Saturday, #ar!h 1+th. nna &ain and her father dined here to@day> so pleasant

to ha%e a youn( person to tal" to on!e more.#r. Gewis Simons has had their minister #r. lmsted and his family li%in(

with him at Pawley. he Yan"ees %isited the pla!e and did no in;ury at first, utpi!"ed up a letter from #r. S. written %ery itterly. 'ot ein( ale to read it, they!arried it to the (un oat, had it read> returned to the house distriutin( e%erythin(,not e%en (i%in( the old lady, old #rs. Meatin( Simons 7his mother8, time to put onher shoes and sto!"in(s> made them wal" o%er to the next pla!e, o%er a mile a!rossthe ri!e field an"s, in this !ondition.

his afternoon, for the first time, we wal"ed out on the dam a!ross the swampto Arunswi!" en;oyin( our freedom, ut met a !rowd of ne(roes (oin( to:ndianfield. n returnin( to the house, saw more, all (oin( the same road, all armed
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with a(s. We hear the Yan"ees are there and are (oin( to sup with us. o add toour !onsternation, we heard some white soldiers were in our ne(ro yard. Wehurried, shut up the house. ennie and Gaura, re;oi!in( at their release from prisonwalls, were playin( at the foot of the front steps, when seein( soldiers !omin(, theyflew in terror into the house hidin( ehind the door. he men rode up !allin( to the!hildren> CWe are not Yan"ees, ut $es>DBsome of our own s!outs under 3ennisand #!ureous. We were so uneasy for fear the %andals would meet them> soanxious for their safety, we !ould not en;oy the pleasure of seein( our own mena(ain. hey !ame to the ne(roes, orderin( they to (o to wor" #onday, L!. Youn(3ennis hired mulesfrom some of the Woodlawn ne(roes. hey heard from o%er the lines, some of theWilsons>Bmany houses urnt in &olumia, 3r. Wilson and the ay, ten days old,spent the ni(ht !ampin( in the woods.

&ousin llen


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arin house was urned yesterday afternoon. $ead a letter from SalliePalmer> the Pine%ille ne(roes, twenty@fi%e in numer, fully armed, ha%e eenmaraudin( aout the nei(horhood, ut the la!" troopers who ha%e een pla(uin(this !ountry were !aptured y the white Yan"ees, tried and !arried to town asdeserters.

We all wal"ed o%er to Pooshee this mornin( to see #r. #yers and hearsomethin( of Willie> (ained no news> ut returnin( home, ;ust as we entered Ala!"a" (ate, saw Willie dri%e in the opposite one. e had een "no!"in( aout &edarro%e for two days afraid to return as he had heard su!h a!!ounts of the Yan"eeraids. Poor !hild> he had nothin( ut the suit of !lothes he had on, ha%in( solde%erythin(, e%en his lan"et, for somethin( to eat. e wal"ed down from &hesterwith some of the men he had een stayin( with, a #r. %in(er and $ay inWassamasaw. he s!outs, we hear, are (oin( to ma"e a raid on the Pine%illene(roes toni(ht. Willie says the whole tra!" of Sherman/s army is mar"ed y

smo"in( ruins and piles of dead animals, from old sBB, on the State $oad, to&olumia. %erythin( is urnt e%en to the wheat fields.

#onday, #ar!h 2Hth. he s"irmish with ne(roes too" pla!e, s!outs su!!essful,Bnothin( ut the are fa!ts. )our houses on &ooper ri%er urnt e!ause ownersrefused to ta"e the oath> d Gu!as> olmes> Prioleau, and 3r. #oultrie.

Wednesday, 29th #ar!h. #r. aillard dined here, rou(ht more a!!ounts ofattle whi!h Willie had told us he had heard !onfused a!!ounts of. Press andPor!her Smith oth wounded and enry Gesesne "illed. he #arion rtillery7James/s !ompany8 not in the fi(ht.

hursday, #ar!h 56th. #r. Ste%ens !alled this afternoon. :t seems li"e oldtimes a(ain, his ri(ht and !heerful %iew of thin(s has !heered us wonderfully.

)riday, #ar!h 51st. We all wal"ed o%er to Pooshee this mornin(> it is too sweetto feel so se!ure a(ain, altho/ still a little uneasy> thin(s are fallin( a!" into theirold routine.

pril 2, Sunday. Su!h a treatE ur own dear ser%i!e read y our own minister,in the old !hur!hE Su!h a display of mules, e%en those who had sa%ed their horseswere afraid to use them. #r. Ste%ens le!tured on Jo/s trials, truly his motto is,Chin" and han".D

#o%ed upstairs toni(ht. We all ha%e een !ampin( out down stairs sin!e theni(ht of the la!" Yan"ees.

Wednesday, pril -th. #other, unt 'enna and : with Willie for dri%er rodeo%er to &helsea


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Saturday, pril +. han", od, Willie has (oneE )ather and #other spentyesterday with him at &edar ro%e, sendin( him on in the afternoon to he$o!"s that the

Yan"ees had almost surrounded them at Somerset. !leaned the store room of all hams L!. we had hidden> "no!"eddown all the (eese they !ould. ur red@fa!ed friend, who has een on e%ery raid,was here a(ain and distin(uished himself in the pilferin( line> too" a ox withn!le enry/s letters. is u((y lan"et was next seiFed, and finished off y

po!"etin( Willie/s flute, whi!h Cwould do to low alon( the road,D he said. heoffi!er !ame upstairs ma"in( noise enou(h to s!are all the !hildren as he had on notonly his own sword and spurs, ut n!le enry/s dra((in( ehind him. #other had

all )ather/s !lothes in a trun" in the entry, ut he passed that y (oin( into #other/sroom. 'oti!ed )ather/s tin ox of papers> then to the press> #other tremled, as thesil%er we were usin( was all hidden in her dresses, ut findin( no man/s !lothes,Bwith some most !ontemptuous expression aout Cher usin( the poor old man so

adly, ha%in( so mu!h more !lothes,D he left, only stoppin( at my room door, not!omin( in.

ne of the men rushed up efore lea%in( and !arried off the lan"et from theoys/ ed.

he Pro%ost #arshal tried to ma"e )ather ta"e the oath> when he refused

!ursed him, and told #other> Cthe men were all fools,D ut he Cwas sorry for the


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woman.D he wret!hes a!tually !arried off a towel that was han(in( on the railin(to dry.

fter they had (one #other missed GauraE Su!h stories of Yan"ees !arryin(off little ones, our hearts san"E We sent to the ne(ro yard hopin( she may ha%e

strayed to #auma/s house, ut no one had seen her> ah, the sorrow for us. Sohelpless> nothin( to do ut try and !omfort #otherE unt 'enna/s room on!e had awindow on the piaFFa. When the shed@room was added, it was oarded up> the hi(h

edstead with its !urtains was put a(ainst it> the ri!" wall ein( thi!", the re!ess ofthe window made a splendid hidin( pla!e for %aluales from the Yan"ees. #otherwas sittin( weepin( y the fire@pla!e, when she heard a faint %oi!e> Cdem Yan"ee(one yetKD She thou(ht at first she was dreamin(, when the 0uestion was repeated.Soon sorrow was turned into ;oy. She had wandered from her ha%en of refu(e in myroom to find #other> failin( to do so, she had !rept into a (ood pla!e to hide, andworn out with terror and weepin(, had fallen asleepE

ear the Yan"ees are en route for Pine%ille, where they say they are C(oin( to(i%e the people ell.D

Sunday, pril 9th. ere/s what the Yan"ees did at Pooshee. eard from &ousinennie this mornin(. he Yan"ees too" some of their sil%er and all of n!le/s!lothes.

3r. Warin( has ;ust een here> &ousin Williamthe Yan"ee army had !amped in Somerset yard, urnin( all fen!es, !uttin( down

the eautiful shruery in the (ardens to uild their oothes> "illed e%ery head ofpoultry, ex!ept a few tur"eys that es!aped> too" all the meat from the store roomex!ept a few pie!es> worse than all, urnt down the pro%ision arn with all the !ornand peas L!. he most of nna/s news is that a fresh party is !omin( up fromGewisfield. &han!e, who rou(ht the note says he met some lue@!oats on the way

ut did not "now if they were CYan"ees or s!outs dress up.D 3r. Warin( was tellin(us the ni(ht the Yan"ees were at o( Swamp, they too" #rs. 3eay out in thewoods and tried to ma"e her etray the s!outs/ hidin( pla!e in the swamp. 'one oftheir threats or ries had any effe!t. hey e%en told her if she did not tell where3ennis and his men were, they would urn her house down. She says her lood was

up> she told them they !ould do what they pleased> that Southern women wouldli%e under the (reen trees rather than etray their friends.


14/38

Wednesday, 2th pril. he Yan"ees that %isited us !arried desolation to somepla!es in the upper Parish. #exi!o yard was !leaned up of e%erythin( li"e housesand trees, e%en the dwellin( house was urned. #r. #aFy!" Por!her after standin(and seein( his home destroyed was ta"en prisoner and !arried to town. &ousinWilliam and &ousin $ene were released and returned home the Wednesday afterthey were ta"en.

t Walnut ro%e 7old #r. James aillard/s8 e%erythin( was destroyed or (i%ento the ne(roes, e%en the ladies/ !lothes.

t Alue ole e%erythin( was thrown out of the windows. #r. &harlesSnowden who had ;ust returned from i"en with his family has started a(ain for&amden. he Yan"ees !amped one ni(ht at utaw de%astatin( the pla!e, lea%in(#rs. Sin"ler nothin( for her next meal. n her so tellin( the &ommissary, he hadsome ri!e mixed with sand and (i%en her. he Yan"ees returned to town y theState $oad, the s!outs pepperin( them from the ushes the whole way. he next

Wednesday 7the 12th8 a and of two hundred and fifty passed, (oin( up to their(un@oat. he 1th was a eautiful ri(ht aster day. #r. Ste%ens prea!hed here tothe ne(roes. unt 'enna fixed the old ri!" arn 7the upper story8 and the !hildrendressed it with (reen and apple lossoms. Mate and nne Por!her ;oined the fol"shere ma"in( the white !on(re(ation. : was too tired, !ould not (et out> ha%e eensi!" sin!e the last Yan"ee %isit. Pettus and his whole and of s!outs passed throu(hthe yard after !hur!h, and n!le Peter for sixty hourssurrounded y rant/s army with nothin( for man or horse to eat, Gee hassurrenderedE his soldier was !arried to ilton ead, and is on his road home toSumter.

n Sunday 2-th pril we heard the Yan"ees were !omin(. n!le Peter wasmo%ed to &helsea as ein( more off the road, ut found it was only a and of thirtymen with a white fla( who went up to the ri%er to !ommuni!ate with Potter> !ould

not (et o%er so returned this mornin( y the &on(aree road.


15/38

We heard last Saturday that Gin!oln had een shot in the theatre, and Sewardstaed in his ed>Bthis news from a erald 3r. Warin( had.

ll of n!le Peter/s s!outs rea"fasted here. uesday mornin(, &aptainSineath dined, and the (reat Gieut. Pettus was here this afternoon, and : in my

room, and saw none of them. n!le Peter returned home after dinner. )ather and#other spent the mornin( at &edar ro%e. Aetween Yan"ees, ne(roes anddeserters, the house has literally een stripped of e%erythin( portale. ll oo"s wehad left thrown o%er the house.

&ousin enry stopped for (ood@ye.

Saturday, pril 29th. Saw, from my window, a foot@sore, weary loo"in(pil(rim !omin( throu(h the fields with his "napsa!" on his a!"Bn!le dwardE73r. Smith8. he aunts so worried o%er our safety he had wor"ed his way downfrom Pendleton. e tells us Johnston/s army has disandedBn!le . rou(htletters, one !ontainin( an extra!t from one of James/s, the first time we ha%e heardsin!e he !rossed the ri%er. #r. #aFy!" Por!her has returned from the !ity, says the

people are under an iron yo"e> they are not allowed to "now anythin( outside.

#r. $ussell #iddleton


16/38

s we are !ut off from ea!h other now, : will attempt to write for you, in;ournal form, an a!!ount of the tryin( times throu(h whi!h we are passin(.

fter the e%a!uation of Sa%annah we were %ery anxious to (et to i"en, utPa


17/38

was in !onfusion all day. Aelle and unt $ia oth mo%in( o%er, and rand Pamo%in( pro%isions into the house, we all wor"ed so hard that we were !ompletelyworn out y ni(ht. unt $ia !ame that e%enin( and told us how the mista"e had

een made, she had written to SarraFins exa!tly what she wrote us the e%enin(efore> the family there sent word to the dri%er at Arunswi!" that the Yan"ees werenear #oorfield, and he must (i%e out the !orn to the ne(roes> the dri%er sent wordto 'orthampton that they were at #oorfield. s e%erythin( was so 0uietmily


18/38

i(nilliat/s attery. We were %ery anxious that arry should (o alon( with them,ut he was y no means stron( enou(h.

'othin( o!!urred of any !onse0uen!e ex!ept our soldiers !omin( in!ontinually, until the 24th, when we heard that there was fi(htin( down at Ai((in

&hur!h. n!le homas,


19/38

store room under the house, too" a few thin(s from there and told the ne(roes to (oin and ta"e the rest>Bwhi!h they did, !leanin( out the store room and meat room.here were a (reat many thin(s there for unt Aet had mo%ed o%er her pro%isions.he plantation ne(roes too" aout twenty ushels of salt> twenty of ri!e> fifteen of(rist, esides se%eral ;ars of lard, molasses> all of ennie/s soap, a ox of Pineland!ro!"ery and a (ood many other thin(s. hey left us with one 0uart of salt in thehouse and would not rin( any of it a!", until Pa stated the !ase to a white Yankee,the next day and he went around and made them rin( some of it a!". When thene(ro soldiers first went to the store room they sent for rand Pa. :t made our

lood !urdle to hear our a(ed relati%e spo"en to in the manner they did. We were allin the hall and !ould hear e%erythin( that went on elow. fter some %ery impudentlan(ua(e we heard a (un !li!". : will ne%er for(et that moment as lon( as : li%e.he wret!h had his (un pointed at rand Pa, and thou(h we found out afterwardsthat they did not dare to ta"e life, we did not "now it at the time. fter this they

!alled up the ne(roes and told them they were free, and if they wor"ed for randPa a(ain they would shoot them. hey then went off with three horses, a wa(on anda u((y. hey told the ne(roes that the army would e throu(h the next day to ta"eour !lothes and other thin(s. hree of us sat up in the hall for the rest of the ni(ht,and thou(h the others retired to their rooms there was rest for no one. :t must ha%e

een too mortifyin( to poor rand Pa for his ne(roes to eha%e as they did, ta"in(the read out of our mouths. : thou(ht etter of them than that. : ha%e attempted todes!rie that dreadful ni(ht, ut nothin( !an !ome up to the reality. he nextmornin( e%erythin( loo"ed so desolate that it made us feel sad, most of the houseser%ants !ame in !ryin(, and said they were willin( to do for us, ut were afraid. f!ourse we would not put them in any dan(er, so sent them all off. We sat down to

rea"fast to a plate of hominy and !old !orn read that had een !oo"ed the dayefore for one of our soldiers. he %ery ni(ht efore we had sat down to anelaorate supper>Bsu!h are the fortunes of warE We !leaned up the house and!oo"ed dinner, loo"in( all the time for ourfriends for su!h we !onsidered theoffi!ers. Just as our dinner was put on the tale a party rode up> we were so (lad tosee them that we all went in the piaFFa. he offi!er !ame forward and owed %ery

politely. Pa then told him how we had een treated the ni(ht efore and as"ed what(uarantee we would ha%e a(ainst su!h treatment in the future.

&apt. urlut who was in !ommand of the party said that the la!" soldiershad no authority to !ome without an offi!er and if found, they would e punished.e said that en/l. Potter would e alon( soon and we mi(ht (et a prote!tion fromhim, ut afterwards he said that he would write a paper whi!h mi(ht do us (ood,and !ertainly would do no harm. : do not rememer the words> ut, the sense of itwas, that we had %ery wisely remained at home, while many had flo!"ed to other

parts of the &onfedera!y. e said that e%erythin( had already een ta"en from us,and he would ad%ise that we would not e further molested. e then spo"e to thene(roes, told them they were free and !ould either (o away or stay at home, ut ifthey remained on the pla!e, they must wor", for no one !ould li%e without wor"in(.e told them they would e etter off if they stayed at home.


20/38

Soon after &ol. artwell and staff arri%ed. hey all a(reed in sayin( that themarauders would e punished and the &olonel si(ned the paper. ne of his staff (ot0uite familiar> played with unt $ia/s ay, little #aria, and ended y "issin( her.We lau(h and tell the ay she has !au(ht a Yan"ee eau, and she always lau(hsand seems to en;oy the ;o"e. :n a %ery short time en/l Potter and his staff !ame upin the piaFFa. hen the army !ommen!ed passin( throu(h the yard, aout threere(iments of infantry, one white and two !olored passed throu(h, esides artilleryand !a%alry. a!h one stopped 7sic8 and the men ran in e%ery dire!tion after poultry.hey mar!hed the !olored re(iments ri(ht y the piaFFa> : suppose as an insult tous. he ne(roes were !olle!ted in the yard and !heered them on, ennie the ne(roes/ own did not es!apeE Were!o(niFed one of the prisoners 7that our s!outs had here the first of the wee"8dri%in( a !art, and Gieut. Ari(ht and his men were prisoners that ni(ht in the washroom, one of them as"ed to e allowed to spea" to some of the (irls who were atthe a!" door> he seemed to e a (entleman.

3urin( the !ourse of the next day soldiers were !ontinually passin( throu(h.ur prote!tion paper was of (reat use, for we were not molested a(ain and fromthat day to this 9th of #ar!h we ha%e een in !omparati%e 0uiet.

Wantoot


21/38

had not een for these ne(roes> in e%ery !ase they ha%e told where thin(s ha%e eenhidden and they did most of the stealin(. he ne(roes here ha%e eha%ed worsethan any : ha%e heard of yet.

3addy Sandy is as faithful as e%er. e is sorry that the Yan"ees ha%e een here.

eor(e still !omes aout the house, ut does not do mu!h. 3addy Ailly, who we allthou(ht so mu!h of, has not !ome in sin!e they were made free. e pretends to ehurt e!ause ennie told him he !ould (o if he wanted to. ennie/s maid nnettehas ta"en herself off. Mate !omes in re(ularly to attend in the ed rooms ni(ht andmornin(.

We ha%e to do our own !oo"in( now, and you don/t "now how ni!ely we do it.* * * * * We ta"e it y turns to !oo" dinner in the pantry, two (oin( to(ether e%eryday. * * * : ha%e not tou!hed my needle for a wee"> would you elie%e thatK hefield ne(roes are in a dreadful state> they will not wor", ut either roam the !ountry,or sit in their houses. t first they all said they were (oin(, ut ha%e !han(ed their

minds now. Pa has a plan to propose to them y whi!h they are to pay rand Pa somu!h for the hire of the land and houses> ut they will not !ome up to hear it. : donot see how we are to li%e in this !ountry without any rule or re(ulation. We areafraid now to wal" outside of the (ate. * * * * *

We ha%e ;ust heard a report that &harlie Por!her has een ta"en prisoner in afi(ht near i"en, and fear it is true. 3o let me tell you a smart tri!" of &ephas,rand Pa/s !arpenterE :t is worthy of the Yan"ees. Aefore 7the minds of the8#oorfield ne(roes had een poisoned, he went there and told the ser%ant $oertthat unt $ia had sent him for a !art, fi%e tur"eys and a sheep. e then !ame here

at ni(ht, too" up his wife dela and tra%eled off to &harleston. ne of unt $ia/sne(roes who had always een si!" (ot one mule from #oorfield, another mule and!arria(e from some other pla!e, went to Pinopolis and too" all of #r.Ste%ens/s ut the idea soon stru!" untAet that it was left here with an o;e!t, whi!h was that we should write and let theyoun( lady "now what had e!ome of him. We heard afterward that one of the

prisoners/ name was C&ris,D so that settled all douts we had on the su;e!t. Wewill send the letter off the first opportunity we hear of, tho/ : !an/t say when that

will e, for we are entirely !ut off from the world and almost entirely fromnei(horhood news.
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#ar!h 16. We re!ei%ed notes from White all and SarraFins and also a letterfrom li!e Palmer, 0uite a treat. he White all ne(roes eha%ed shamefully> theyrushed into the house> tore down the !urtains, !arried off eddin(, lan"ets andtrun"s, and are (rumlin( now that they ha%e not enou(h. We hear that one manas"ed &ousin #arianne that they had een the !ause of hertroule, so they left in not at all a (ood humor, and we ha%e heard nothin( more. :hope youn( &harlie Snowden has su!!eeded in (ettin( out of the way. Se%eral ofthe people aout here ha%e put up the white fla(, e!ause the Yan"ees told them itwould e a si(n that they had already een %isited. ur s!outs did not li"e it> theysaid it loo"ed as if the !ountry had sumitted, so they ha%e all een ta"en down. :am so (lad we ne%er had one up.

#ar!h 14th. We all went to 'orthampton this mornin( to pay a %isit> 0uite anera in our own monotonous li%es. Pa rode on horse@a!" and we !losed up the ran"son foot.

#ar!h 1-th. unt $ia left us this mornin( to stay a while at Woodlawn. Shewent in the u((y with the ay and #aum #ary> the two oys followed in the!art.

#ar!h 1th. 3r. White he had ;ust !rossed the ri%er. ehad not seen a paper for some time, so, of !ourse, !ould not tell us mu!h news.Sherman had not een defeated and was a%oidin( a attle.

#ar!h 1Hth. 3rs. White and Warin( paid %isits here to@day. We are not as mu!h!ut off as we expe!ted at first. 3r. Warin( told us he heard that the oath of

alle(ian!e was to e offered to e%ery man in the !ountry. his is the worst news we
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ha%e heard of for some time. Pa and arry will try and (et out of the way, utrand Pa will e !ompelled to ta"e it.

#ar!h 1+th. #r. &ain and nna #aria were here to@day> the old (entlemanseems to feel his loss %ery mu!h.

#ar!h 26th. * * * * his mornin( Pa went to Woodlawn to try and ma"earran(ements for !arryin( us all to i"en. e has su!!eeded in hirin( three mules,and the present plan is that we are to start on Wednesday in a wa(on,B$ather ano%el style of ma"in( the tripE We are all anxious now to (o, ut hate so mu!hlea%in( rand Pa, and the rest of the family, parti!ularly in rand Pa/s state ofhealth.

#ar!h 21st. We heard rumors to@day of the enemy landin( on the an"s of theSantee, and !omin( this way in (reat for!e whi!h made Pa de!ide not to (o onWednesday. * * * * *

#ar!h 22nd. We heard to@day from 'ina they ha%e !ommen!ed wor"in(a(ain, and most of them that went to town ha%e !ome a!", whi!h : thin" will ha%e

a %ery (ood effe!t on the others. ur s!outs ha%e done a (reat deal of (ood inma"in( the ne(roes afraid to (o out.

#ar!h 2-th. arin house was urned yesterday aout 2?66 o/!lo!" ya!!ident we hear. We ha%e heard no parti!ulars, or what has e!ome of the family.#r. #yers 7the o%erseer8 returned home to@day to ;oin the s!outs. e reports thatSherman has een defeated in '. &. and four thousand prisoners ta"en. e was

perfe!tly surprised to see the state of thin(s here, so different from what they are onthe ri%er. We feel %ery anxious aout enry,


24/38

all the attles that ha%e een fou(ht lately, and say the $eels are nearly done upEhat remains to e pro%ed.

#ar!h 2th. his day will lon( e rememered y the people of Pine%ille. he$e(ulators that of the ne(roes wasnot "nown, thou(h supposed to e less. We hear that &ol. )er(uson


25/38

!alled up, and told them they were not free, ut sla%es, and would e until theydied> that the Yan"ees had no ri(ht to free them, and that they were to (o to wor" asthey had always done with a dri%er> this day month their freedom was pro!laimed. ne report to@day is that the white nion soldiers in Sa%annah united with the !itiFens andmassa!red 4,666 la!"s on a!!ount of their outra(eous eha%ior. nother is that theun Aoats ha%e left the Santee and the one on &ooper ri%er has (one lower down.out dar" after we had shut up the house we heard a loud rap at the front door,and mu!h to our surprise it pro%ed to e your father 7#r. eyward8. e had !omeall the way from i"en on horsea!" to !arry unt Aet a!".

pril 2nd. We ha%e een permitted the pri%ile(e of a(ain meetin( at !hur!h to

offer our than"s to od for his manifold mer!ies to us durin( this terrile time.'early e%ery one in the Parish su!!eeded in (ettin( there, mules supplyin( thepla!es of all horses that had een ta"en. :t was %ery pleasant to meet our friends,whom we had not seen for six wee"s.

pril 4th. unt Aet started to@day for i"en with a !arria(e, two wa(ons, one!art, one don"ey !art, two !ows and an outrider,B0uite a !a%al!adeE We heardtoday that two of the rin( leaders from Pine%ille went to the unoat and told howthey had een treated, whereupon the offi!ers had them put in irons and sent to&harleston, and told them, if they had only "nown it, they would ha%e sent a

!ompany to help the white men. We re!ei%ed numerous letters from i"en thismornin( y the return wa(ons. : am sorry to say that Wheeler/s men ha%e done usmore dama(e than the Yan"ees. : did not mind it at first when : thou(ht they hadonly ta"en thin(s they needed, ut : do lame them %ery mu!h for their wantondestru!tion of property that they ou(ht to prote!t. :t is a shame and they ou(ht to eexposed.

pril th. he s!outs were here a(ain to@day under Gieut. Pettus. 46 small pie!es of tale sil%er and soup ladle> these, and one!andle sti!" were the only thin(s ta"en from the hall. rand Pa lost all of his


26/38

!lothes that he had out. ox was ro"en open, some sheets and tale !loths ta"en,the rest flun( o%er the floor interspersed with ro"en e((s. he safe door was

ro"en open and the ham ta"en. Se%eral other rooms were entered and thin(s ta"en>ut, : am than"ful to say our room was left untou!hed. ll of the horses were ta"en.en/l artwell too" (ood !are not to !ome up until the dar"ies had left. e told his&aptain to (o and see if he could(et the sil%er and one horse a!", whi!h, of!ourse, we "new he did not meanhim to do. he o;e!t of their %isit was to !at!hthe s!outs. hey said we had rou(ht all of this on oursel%es for en!oura(in( thes!outs.

n!le $ene and n!le William ha%e oth een ta"en prisoners and we hear,are to e !arried to &harleston. hey too" the latter to (et information from him,Bso they say, ut we thin" they too" him e!ause he had entertained the s!outs.n!le $ene had to put himself under the prote!tion of the eneral as there was a!onspira!y dete!ted amon( the la!" troops to !ome a!" that ni(ht and "ill him.

he Yan"ees went to #exi!o this e%enin( and : suppose will %isit all the pla!es upthere.

pril 16th. f !ourse there was no ser%i!e yesterday. 3r. Warin( paid a %isitand told us that #r. Ste%ens was still in the Parish, ut "eepin( !lose. his mornin(se%eral of the ne(ro men !ame to rand Pa and as"ed to e allowed to stay hereand wor"> they would do anythin( he told them. he Yan"ees told them to (o withthem, ut they said they did not want to (o. wo of the oys from here ha%e ;oinedthe 7. S.K8 rmy.

pril 11th. * * * * &ousin #aFy!" Por!her ut the (uard, thou(h a dar"y, was ao%eriin(.

Pooshee, April 20th.: returned here to@day 0uite unexpe!tedly. Pa !ame downlast ni(ht and went o%er for me. We are to lea%e on #onday. We hear the mostexa((erated a!!ounts of thin(s here. o@day/s reports are that Gee/s rmy, 52,666,has surrendered to rant, and all the men paroled not to fi(ht a(ain durin( the war.he other report is that Sumter%ille and Summerton ha%e oth een urnt to the(round> of !ourse we do not elie%e either of them.

April 21st.We hear to@day that there has een a fi(ht on the ri%er, and twore(iments of la!"s under Potter !ompletely !ut up.
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April 22nd.oday/s news is %ery !heerin(> it is that Gin!oln and Seward ha%eoth een assassinated, and that there is to e an rmisti!e.

7ere the diary@letter ends without si(nature.8

REMINISCENCES OF MRS. MARY RHODES WARIN!" HENA!AN

###

Written in December, 1917, to be Read at a Meeting of The

Girls of the Sixties, Columbia, S C"

###

he e%a!uation of &harleston, !rossin( of our soldiers o%er the Santee ri%er,urnin( the rid(e ehind them, left the lower part of the State in the power of the

Yan"ees.#y home was in this deserted re(ion. We "new that our enemies were allaround and had %isited in no "ind manner many of the nei(horin( plantations, ut&helsea, our plantation and winter home, seemed to e exempted. We learnedafterward that this was due to the de%otion of our sla%es.

t last the Yan"ees did !ome. ur home, a i( old !olonial house uilt in1H14, was pa!"ed with refu(ees run from the !oast from their homes earlier in thewar. #y mother dire!ted ea!h of us to (o to my (randmother/s room as soon as wesaw the Yan"ees !omin(, and meet them in a ody there. #y (randmother had

passed her ei(htieth mile@stone and was old for her years.

s day after day passed and no Yan"ees !ame we felt more at ease. n oneparti!ular day in )eruary, 1+-, the youn( fol"s were sittin( in a room remo%edfrom the main ody of the house, one readin( aloud and the others "nittin(, whenmy sister@in@law put her head in at the door and ex!laimed, Cirls, the Yan"ees.Dhere was a rush for the house and my (randmother/s room. Just as we rea!hed itthe house was surrounded y an ex!ited !rowd of men !allin( for the &onfederatesoldier they had seen enter the house. here was no soldier there and they were soinformed, ut they insisted there was one for they had seen him. heir offi!ers hadsome troule in "eepin( them from sear!hin( the house. ne offi!er stood at the

front door with my father, who was the physi!ian of the nei(horhood, 3r. #ortonWarin(, and the other at the a!" door with my mother and her sister. Just then theex!itement was relie%ed y one of our youn( ne(ro men wal"in( up with a military!ap on.

here was no soldier with us ;ust then, only a oy not yet in ser%i!e.

ur youn( horses were (one, for the ne(ro oys had ta"en them all into theswamp a half mile away as soon as the Yan"ees were in si(ht. Some of the soldierswere anxious to ta"e my father/s horses that he used for his pra!ti!e, ut this&aptain ulert, one of their offi!ers, would not permit, tellin( his men they mi(ht

need the ser%i!es of a do!tor and he !ould not (et to them if his horses were (one.


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&aptain ulert told my father that his ne(roes had represented him as su!h a"ind friend to them that the (eneral in !ommand had dire!ted him not to enter hishouse or permit any outra(es, only to free the ne(roes, as they thou(ht they weresla%es until ea!h plantation was %isited and the ne(roes told they were free.

Aut the soldiers were not satisfied and meant to ha%e somethin( if possile, sothey surrounded the smo"e house and told one of our ne(ro men to (o up and throwout the meat. f !ourse he oeyed. s my father and &aptain ulert wal"ed0ui!"ly up one of our ne(roes stepped up to the !aptain and said, CPlease don/t letyour men ta"e our meat. his elon(s to us ne(roes.D his was not stri!tly true asthe meat was for us all, ut it had the desired effe!t. he meat was left.

t this time when we were so anxious and worried our ne(roes showedthemsel%es true friends y !on!ealin( our %aluales. 3ifferent ones would !ome atni(ht and offer to ta"e anythin( we would entrust to them and hide it for us. :n thisway many %aluales were entrusted to them whi!h were ta"en !are of and returned

after all was safe, in e%ery !ase under !o%er of ni(ht. ur sil%er of !ourse wasuried y memers of the family.

3urin( this same period we were surprised one day y seein( a u((y !omin(up with two men in it, one wrapped in a lan"et, the other, his son, dri%in(. hesewere 3r. Peter Snowden and his son &harlie. When they drew up in front of thehouse and as"ed for my mother she went to them at on!e and was a!!osted y oneof these (entlemen, oth of whom she "new well. e was one of the s!outs and had

een wounded and ta"en refu(e at the next plantation, ut the Yan"ees hearin( ofhis hidin( pla!e were in pursuit of him, so he !ame to see if my father !ould help

him. #y father was not at home, ut my mother ne%er hesitated. She made a ed ina small room where my father had hidden mu!h !orn and other pro%isions, and

pla!ed a lar(e press in front of the door whi!h it entirely !on!ealed. :n this storeroom our s!out was !ared for until he was ale to (o further. While arran(ementswere ein( made for him my (randmother !alled my mother to her and said,Cnne, do you "now what you are doin(, you ha%e many helpless ones in your !areand this pie!e of "indness may !ost you your homeKD #y mother replied, C:t is myduty to prote!t him. : will do it. od will do the rest.D When my father rea!hedhome he !ommended her a!tion.

:f the Yan"ees e%er "new the wounded s!out was with us they !ertainly madeno si(n indi!atin( they possessed su!h "nowled(e.

here were s"irmishes aout in our nei(horhood etween the northern troopspassin( throu(h on their way to &olumia, &amden and other points, and ours!outs. hese were men sent a!" to prote!t the helpless ones left ehind. heyused a "ind of (uerilla warfare, ut sometimes they had a real open s"irmish. neof these was on a plantation near our home and my father was sent for to dress thewound of one soldier, : thin" a Yan"ee, another ha%in( een "illed in the samefi(ht. he mistress


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alarmed the family %ery mu!h. #y father was !alled and after ma"in( her!omfortale he persuaded her aunt to let him ta"e her home with him. Sheimpro%ed rapidly and was soon ale to wal" around. hen she thou(ht est toreturn to her aunt. We had not seen or heard of any Yan"ees in the nei(horhood forse%eral days so my father thou(ht we mi(ht %enture the trip of two miles in our!arria(e. #y sister and : went with her. s we were !rossin( the Santee !anal aouta mile from our house we saw some soldiers on the rid(e. om, our !oa!hman,dro%e 0uietly on, ut as soon as we !rossed we were halted and our !arria(esurrounded y lue !oats who were rather in0uisiti%e. We had dri%en ri(ht up to alon( line of mar!hin( Yan"ees. portion of artwell/s army on its way to the up!ountry. Some of them re!o(niFed our friend, ha%in( seen her at arin, the homeof her aunt, so a!!osted her with Calloo GeiFe and Sallie. here are GeiFe andSallie.D hey had mista"en me for her sister. #y sister in a 0uiet manner and %oi!eas"ed to spea" to their !ommandin( offi!er. his !aused them to stand a!" while

one went for the offi!er. fter a while, whi!h seemed mu!h lon(er than it reallywas, the offi!er 7: elie%e a !olonel8 rode up and as"ed her usiness. She told himwe were on our way to a nei(horin( plantation to ma"e a friendly %isit and return,and as"ed his prote!tion for the trip. e told her he was oli(ed to detain us wherewe were for a time, ut we should e prote!ted. hat as he had to mar!h on with his!ommand he would lea%e us in !har(e of a (uard. his he did at on!e, so that in a%ery short time our (uards were the only soldiers in si(ht ex!ept one that was sent

a!" with a dispat!h to the #a;or of the fifty@fifth. While he was waitin( for thema;or and his men to !ome up he sat at the root of a lar(e pine and played eautifulmusi! on a %ery sweet flute that he had stolen from one of the plantations. : hadheard that flute so often, it elon(ed to $ene Jer%ey. s we were !ir!umstan!ed itwas etter to assume a friendliness of manner with our (uard who was a %ery polite&anadian named lfred Arett. e said he was only fi(htin( for his pay, that he didnot !are whi!h side whipped.

fter listenin( to his yarns for some hours my sister as"ed him why he wasdetainin( us and how lon( he meant to "eep us there. e replied C: must "eep youuntil eneral artwell/s di%ision passes. e has many re(iments of !olored troopsand if you should meet them : !ould not answer for the !onse0uen!es, they are!omin( y the same road you are (oin(.D #y sister said CAut if you will allow us,

we will return strai(ht home y the same road we !ame.D e a(reed to this and toldom to hit!h up, whi!h om did with the sorry horse he (a%e in pla!e of our

eautiful one he stole. e did not wish the other so let us "eep him. his !ertainly(a%e us a pair of wret!hedly mat!hed horses, one lar(e (ray and the other a smallred ha!" that loped all the time in harness that was so lar(e it !ould s!ar!ely e "epton.

While (uardin( us #r. Arett had an eye to self. e as"ed om %ery parti!ularlyaout one of my father/s sul"y horses, a %ery fine iron (ray named CAeaure(ard,Dwhere he was "ept and so on, and said he wanted him. om suspe!tin( mis!hief!onsulted with our foreman as soon as we rea!hed home and etween them they


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determined to sa%e the horse, and lost no time aout it. hey too" my father intotheir !onfiden!e.

'ot lon( after we rea!hed home and efore the ex!itement !aused y our storyhad susided my father !ame dri%in( slowly home ehind an old frame of ones in

a mu!h ruised horse hide. hey had met him at Woodlawn plantation where hehad (one professionally and ta"en his horse. Oele"a would not stand haltered, sowe hoped she would !ome home. Sure enou(h that ni(ht after she had eaten heroats and all was 0uiet she slipped her halter and started homeward. She had (one0uite a lon( way when one of our s!outs !au(ht her. e used her and too" !are ofher until the troules were o%er, then returned her to my father.

arly the mornin( after our !apture the whole plantation was thrown into wildex!itement. 3urin( the ni(ht the stale door was unhin(ed and Aeaure(ard ta"en,the news spreadin( throu(h the nei(horhood. he do!tor !ould not %isit his

patients, oth of his horses ha%in( een ta"en. ther persons lost their horses too,

so he !ould only (o as est he !ould to the ur(ent !ases. hen the weary wee"s ofwaitin(, we !ould hear nothin( of my rother. ll we "new was he was witheneral Youn(/s ri(ade where%er that was. Some of the men from St. John/sParish had (otten home ut none had seen or heard of him. he war was o%er. hearmy disanded, and we were still waitin(. ne memorale day aout the middle ofpril we were (athered in the parlor tryin( to e !heerful and usyin( oursel%eswith mendin( when our utler stepped into the room and said in a most ;oyous%oi!e C#ars John.D , su!h a rush for the front door where my mother ahead of therest had her soldier oy in her arms. :t was a happy household that ni(ht that

(athered around the family altar. Some time after this we were a(ain (athered in theparlor. his time !hatterin( of how we were (oin( to ma"e our little ser%e for a(reat deal, when we were attra!ted y the nei(hin( of a horse at the fen!e near yand loo"in( up saw Aeaure(ard. What a wel!ome he re!ei%ed. om thou(ht it safefor him to !ome home so released him from his hidin( pla!e in the swamp.

N. %8:.

REPORT OF BVT. BRI!. !EN. ALFRED S. HARTWELL,

FIFTY-FIFTH MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY,OF OPERATIONS,

APRIL 5-15.

7From pp. 1042104!, "War of #e$ln %fficial #ecords,& 'c. (eries)* +ol. -+)), Part 1. /ampain of the /arolinas, etc.8

BBB

ead0uarters Pro%isional Ari(ade.'o. + #eetin( St., &harleston, S. &., p/l. 1-, 1+-.

&aptain? he followin( is respe!tfully sumitted as the report of the expedition

to the Santee $i%er under my !ommand?


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:n pursuan!e of orders re!ei%ed from Ari(. en. John P. at!h, : !aused, on the-th of pril, the )ifty@fourth 'ew Yor" eteran olunteers and )ifty@fifth#assa!husetts olunteers to !ross from James :sland and assemle with a se!tionof the hird 'ew Yor" rtillery at the )our #ile a%ern on the State $oad. Startin(early on the mornin( of the th inst., : rea!hed oose &ree" at ni(htfall, and wentinto i%oua! ei(hteen miles from this !ity. )rom this point : sent a!" for thesurplus ammunition. n information from a !ontraand that there were from thirtyto forty $eel !a%alry at a pla!e !alled 3ean all : sent, at -?66 P.#. two!ompanies to attempt to surprise this party. 3urin( the ni(ht : was notified thatthese two !ompanies had een misled y the (uide, and were awaitin( orders nearthe wenty@)i%e #ile ouse on the State $oad. pril H at H?66 .#. : started to#r. &ain/s, near Ala!" a", Santee &anal, some twenty@two miles, sendin( adeta!hment to Ai((in/s Arid(e, who re;oined the !olumn at ni(ht, to(ether with thetwo !ompanies from the wenty@)i%e #ile ouse. hirty !a%alry were in my front

ha%in( (one from 3ean all around my flan". : sent two !ompanies to deploy andsurround the house in whi!h they were reported to e, and surprise them. heenemy, howe%er, (ot noti!e of our approa!h in season to es!ape, lea%in( se%eral

lan"ets and (uns, and their supper ready !oo"ed. #r. &ain had se%eral sons in the$eel army> he had entertained those who had ;ust (one, and had re!ently (i%enthem a (rand dinner> his arn a!!identally, or y some un"nown in!endiary, was

urned.

#ar!hed at H?66 .#. on the +th of pril, and halted at noon in Pine%ille fordinner. $ea!hed #exi!o at ni(htfall, and went into i%oua! there. 3istan!emar!hed, aout twenty miles.

he people in Pine%ille implored our prote!tion from the ne(roes, who werearmin( themsel%es and threatenin( the li%es of their masters. #r. $eno 7sic8$a%enel re0uested me to ta"e him with me to sa%e his life. he ne(roes flo!"ed infrom all sides.

t #exi!o : found that #r. #aFy!" Por!her had made his house thehead0uarters of the $eels in the %i!inity. While : was on his (rounds his propertywas prote!ted, ut was urned to the (round immediately on my lea%in(, : thin", yhis field hands.

pril 9, started for utaw &ree", thirteen miles distant. Some s"irmishin(o!!urred> ut dispersed the enemy with a few shells.

)rom utaw &ree" : sent two !ompanies to 'elson/s )erry, who sent me wordat ni(ht that eneral Potter had (one up the Santee in transports the day efore, andthat they had urned forty or fifty ales of !otton that ni(ht on the opposite shore.3urin( the ni(ht a !ontraand reported to me that eneral Potter had en!ounteredthe enemy at #annin(s%ille, and had had a s"irmish there. e was ad%an!in(,howe%er, to Sumter%ille. !ertain Gieutenant Pettus, !ommandin( some $eel!a%alry in our %i!inity, !ame in on a fla( of tru!e at my re0uest. : told this offi!erthat he would not 0uarter in or near houses, or fire from houses, if he !ared to sa%e

them from destru!tion. : also sent y this offi!er a note to eneral )er(uson,


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su((estin( the propriety of his re!allin( his s!outs from attemptin( to !oer!e thesla%es to laor.

pril 16. Sent parties to an!e/s )erry and %i!inity to (ather !orn and ri!eto(ether to feed the !ontraands whi!h had !on(re(ated to(ether on the mar!h.

#ar!hed at -?66 P.#., ta"in( the !ross@road to the State $oad. t aout 16.66 P.#.we en!ountered twenty@fi%e or thirty $eel !a%alry> shots were ex!han(ed and theydisappeared, lea%in( a (un, some lan"ets, and hats, L!.> i%oua!"ed fifteen milesfrom startin( point at midni(ht.

pril 11. #ar!hed at dayli(ht down the State $oad> found that the rid(es o%er&ypress Swamp were in ad !ondition, and was delayed y the fallin( throu(h of alimer and !hest. )rom this delay, and my !olumn ein( en!umered y the train ofrefu(ees, : did not ta"e the $id(e%ille $oad, whi!h was reported %ery hea%y, utmar!hed to the wenty@)i%e #ile ouse, and there i%oua!"ed.

pril 12, mar!hed to oose &ree", lea%in( there two !ompanies and the trainof refu(ees. he rest of my !ommand : mar!hed to the )our #ile a%ern, wherethey still remain. he !ompanies left at oose &ree" ha%e sin!e re;oined themthere.

: remain, ery $espe!tfully, your oedient ser%ant,

. S. artwell

&ol. )ifty@fifth #assa!husetts olunteers,A%/t. Ari(. en. of ols.

&apt. G. A. Perry,

sst. d;t. en., 'orthern 3ist.,3epartment of the South.

###

THE FIFTY-FIFTH MASSACHUSETTS.

BBB3tracts from the iary of /ol. /harles 5. Fo3, co6erin the

6isit of $lack troops to (omerset and

7e3ico Plantations.


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ad%an!e of the infantry, were fired on ;ust as the line for i%oua! was formed. he!a%alry seen, howe%er, did not numer o%er twenty@fi%e or thirty> and the report oftroops in line of attle in the front pro%ed to e an error. #r. &ain/s house and

plantation were %ery fine. e !laimed to ha%e made an a(reement with his formersla%es, with whi!h they were satisfied. Whether they were or not, few of them lefthim at that time. #any of the trees and fen!es around the yard were !ut tostren(then the position, ut the house and (rounds were not otherwise in;ured.

pril +. he line of mar!h was resumed in the early mornin(, in a driFFlin(rain, throu(h the plantations to the Ala!"@a" $oad, to Pine%ille, where a halt fordinner was made> then!e to #exi!o, to the plantation of W. #. Por!her. s thetroops left &ain/s Plantation, the !arria(e@arn was fired, whether y a!!ident ordesi(n is not "nown. he fire did not, howe%er, spread to other uildin(s.

t Pine%ille, all sorts of rumors were !urrent of the !ruelties pra!ti!ed y the(uerilla !a%alry, who were said to ha%e shot and hun( many of the ne(roes in that

%i!inity. he men of the $e(iment were (reatly ex!ited, and effort was ne!essary topreser%e dis!ipline. :t was diffi!ult to tra!e most of the reports to their sour!e, ut itis to e feared that some of them had too (ood foundation. ne thin( was !ertain,that a !ompany of ne(roes had a fi(ht at Pine%ille, with a s0uad of $eel s!outs,under Gieut. Pettus, in whi!h the latter had een at first defeated, and only effe!tedtheir purpose after the arri%al of reinfor!ements. larmed y these stories ande%ents, an exodus of the freed people !ommen!ed at this point, whi!h !ontinueddurin( the remainder of the expedition, until the refu(ee@train was far lar(er thanthe rest of the !olumn.

he Por!her homestead was the most ele(ant whi!h the expedition had seen.he house was filled with arti!les of !on%enien!e and luxury, with treasures of artand family reli!s. :t was situated in a lar(e par", shaded y ma(nifi!ent trees. he

position was (ood> and the line was formed for i%oua!, the ri(ht at the mansionhouse, the left eyond that of the o%erseer, the out@uildin(s, o%er whi!h (uardswere pla!ed, ein( in the rear. here was sli(ht pi!"et@firin( durin( the ni(ht,

proaly, howe%er, at !attle and ho(s. he mar!h was resumed soon after dayli(ht.

#r. Por!her was "nown to ha%e een an ori(inal and most de!ided $eel, andhe was ta"en to &harleston as a prisoner> ut his property would not ha%e eendestroyed as it was, had he not in reply to the 0uestion of the pro%ost@marshal, C:fhe had any wine in his !ellarsD merely stated that he had not, omittin( to say that hehad a lar(e amount in the (arret. 3urin( the ni(ht a 0uantity of this li0uor rea!hedthe mounted men of the es!ort, and proaly some of the refu(ees> and y one orthe other, while in li0uor, the house and all the outuildin(s, ex!ept the dwellin( ofthe o%erseer whi!h was sa%ed y the exertions of &haplain Aowles, who had spentthe ni(ht there, were set fire to and destroyed as soon as the (uards were withdrawnand the troops upon the mar!h. s soon as the existen!e of the wine wasas!ertained y the pro%ost@marshal, &apt. orrey, he destroyed what remained of it.

FOOTNOTES;


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first experiment of !otton@plantin( on a lar(e s!ale. he sustantial ri!" house was destroyedy fire in 1+42, ut the massi%e walls were unin;ured, and the loss done y fire restored.7)rom the Cpper Aeat of St. John/s, Aer"eley,D y Prof. ). . Por!her.8


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indeed, liale to e hun( or shot if !au(ht. herefore, it was determined to(i%e them a farewell party at #rs. Palmer/s house Sprin(fieldBe%en if there were some ris"in itBand 3easey and : were in%ited to spend the ni(ht. : was 0uite pleased with myself in adress : had made out of an old pair of white window !urtains. here were aout thirty s!outsat the party, and their horses were pi!"eted !lose to the piaFFa> their (uns sta!"ed in the!orners of the lar(e are drawin(@room, and they dan!ed with their pistols stu!" in their top@

oots whi!h (i%e them a %ery dashin( loo".D 7P. 58. 7)rom #rs. . . &oxe/s C#emories,D

L!.8

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