University of South Carolina Libraries
WAR SI War Times in "Our Women iu The War in willing of the home life during *ho. Confederate war, of course we, children of today, must depend entire ly upon our parents and grandparents lor rtininitecnces of those trying times. About the first shock, in the home life "f our parents, we may date from the 19th of April, 1801, when l'resi icnt Lincoln's proclamation closed all our seaports by a blockade, which cut oil all our imports und also the pro ducts of the manufacturing States of the North. Immediately after the bombardment of Fort Suinter, April !12, 1861, the martial spirit swept over 'South Carolina like a hot blast, and the whole atmosphere seemed to be but one blast of patriotism, which .permeated every nook and corner of the country and all nature from gray haired grandbires to frail women and little children, for even the latter *wcrc to be seen drilling with corn stalks for guns and blowing pumpkin " inn horns for band music. About the beginning of tho year 1802 tho country's supplies?salt, su I gar, coffee, tea, spices and all import ed necessaries of lifo?were exhausted. ' The need of these articles began to stare people in tho face, and after -awhile they began to stir themselves and succeeded in producing many things. Salt was the most costly artiole of everyday life during the war. It cost cs much as sugar doos now. Many of the old dirt noors of nraorto houses were d ii7 up, and boiled down to get out the waste salt deposited there from many years' use. The substitutes for coffee werj parched vheat, rye, corn meal and -sometimes sweet potatoes. Home -made molasses were used in coffee for sweetening, instead of sugar. For tea, sage leaves, wild spioo wood, sas safras roots and blossoms. Soda was also very hard to secure, so in cooking Myc from wood ashes was used. The summer clothing of tho soldiers sut the front were to be exchanged for heavier woollen goods, and the Con federate Government was not yet in shape to manufacture them. My ^grandfather's sheep, that were usually shorn of their coats of wool in May, >now had to be robbed of their winter coats in January, and pennod in warm straw sheds. This was done in order to get wool to make tho Confederate uniforms to keep my thseo uncles, my father and some neighbors' boys warm. This wool, as well i>d cotton, 'Was spuD, dyed and wovon at homo under the supervision of grandmother, who, (as woll as many other women of the Confederacy) occupied a position of importance, in tVnt day, far supe rior to that of the cuti on mill superin tendents of today. These women not only manufactured the woollen and cotton :*>/ead from the orude state, with home-made spinning wheels and looms, but they possessed the know ledge enabling them to prepare the dye stuffs for the various colors, which v/ere obtained from the bark, roots and sometimes tho leaves of trees, ahruhs and plants. The colors were generally "sot" by v lye, made from wood ashes. -The hat worn by my father during ?the war contained the fur from seven fox and four racooon skins, taken from animals caught by him, and made by Christopher Whistant, a man that lived then near where Fort Mad ison is looated. The shoes that my fattier wore were also home-made. They were made from home-tanned ..hide of a calf grown on the farm. At the beginning of the war large 'hoopskirts were worn and many a belle, with her large hoops, made of grape vines of white oak splits, as as substitute for the pliable imported whale-hone or thin steel, had a hard fight to keep her skirts anohored down,-as she entered the narrow door "cway or church pews. -Ja those days the girl that wore a homes pa d dress and could sing "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag*' host was the leader of tho fashion, 'and won the admiration of all, and especially the "boys who wore the ?rej." During the second year of the war tthe Piedmont region of Sonth Carolina Jwas filled with refugees from tho large /- plantations and towns of the lower .. iparfc of the country, who envied the ' "domestic training of the more fortu nate country people of this part of the $ ?t?te. . Large numbers of ladies from these ~ refugees, including the aristocracy, ^with their daughters and' negro girl . ?laves, sought out there expert domos v tics in the country, and applied to ^ these noble women of the Confederacy ^.'f or i n s tin cti otv b in special courses, in -J^dweaving^v-jft ^?r;.... ; ; < j Theso women of that day occupied X3RIES, The Piedmont. Edition News and Courier. I positions of rank second to none of the professors at tlie bead of our finest textile schools of today, but never assumed half (he styic or put on airs to compare with those obscrv : able iu our modern textile profes sors. My grandmother spun and wove a Huit of Confederate grey fo? Senator R. A. Maxwell, from Pendlcton. Ik was very proud of this nuit, and my grandmother received more orders than she could fill for oilier suits of Confederate grey. The men who have wrenched this branch of woman's art from their hands uow complain of tho girls for driving tho boys away from the yard stick behind the counters. Our grandmothers, the noble women of tho Confederacy, lived a truly strenuous life for four years. The world has not produced a peer to many of them; for they not only bad to provide tho necessary food and cloth ing for children at home, but very many mado clothing for husband, son or father in the army; while in addi tion to this, tho Government levied a tax in kind, ono touth, on all grown foodstuffs for both mon and beast, that was raised on the farm. They were in daily, yes, hourly, dread, yet anxious for n9ws from the war, though this news might bo sad, and their on ly relief from this was work?work that tires the body, thr.t made it pos sible for tbem to sleep and give respite tu tbe mental faculties that were borne down by these teiriblo aud nevor-oeasiug responsibilities uud anxieties. The school houses and churches in the country, and depots in town, were the gathering places where I everybody resorted for news from I their loved ones in the army. Hardly j a day passed that some one did not get a letter. Vory often a very coarse fabric of yellow brown paper, folded and having the franchise 'Soldier's letter" writteu in the corner, that took tho place of a stamp and envelope; but within its folds was news that in terested overy individual in the neighborhood; for tbe "boya at the front" always told about their neigh bors' boys, and letters were read aloud to tbe urowd as we now road newspapers. On one occasion it was read ouf, "Tell Mrs: Allen that her son Henry is sick and had to be sent to tho hos pital.0 When tho old lady heard this she wailed out aloud in a whimper "that's the way a poor widow's child is treated, he is sent off to a 'horse pittle' where they keep horses. If it bad been a rioh man's son ho would have been sent to some nioe house, and some of the Virginia gala wouldar been thero to wait on him." Many rural people in those times did not know what a hospital was. Home made medicines, drug stores and apothecary shops were soon re duced to almost uothing-in the way of manufactured drugs. Spirits of tur pentine and oorn whiskey were the base of many oompounds for remedies and when properly mixed "with a little sugar, made a fair perfumery called cologne. The inner barks from the oherry and dogwood, steeped in home made whiskey, made a capital oough medioine, while consumptives drank whiskey and pine tar. For tonics, the common "bitters" where poplar bark or the roots of sarsaparilla soak ed in whiskey. For colds, honey and vinegar were common remedies. Ton ics of iron were made by dropping a few rusty nails into a bottle and fill* iog the bottle with vinegar. After Btanding a few days it took on a dark greeniah color, and was oalled "black dram." The stomaoh that oould re tain a tablespoonful of this vile emet ic stuff and not be thoroughly cleaned and, in faot, turned almost inside out, would have boen reckoned lined with steel. Perhaps the most heroic remedy of these days was the decoction of poke root, mado by boiling poke root in water to a strong tea, which was an in fallible onre for the seven-year itch, svhich was very prevalent during war times. During these times there lived on Fugato River a couple oalled "Uncle Billy and Aunt Betsy" Barton. They were childless and kept open house to ill Confederate soldiers. In the Bourse of time this pair of very fat old people contracted a; very interesting oase of seven-year itch from che re turning soldiers. Poke root tea bath was prescribed, and Unole Billy call ed old Bob, his favorite servant, to rub Mm down with the tea, while he (Unole Billy) stood in * large tub: of lea. About the tima old ' Bob got Unole Billy thoroughly swabbed over wi? this decoctlon,;?nc1e Billy, be gan to smart. He danced out of the tub and around the room, squalling out to Aunt Betsy to come quick with plenty of cold water. He rau like a ; maniac around the room, calling out I 0 Old Hob aod Betsy ''more cold //ater," until great whelts as large as i 'tie's finger, rose up all about his -kin. Uuclc Hilly could stand this exoru* i ciating, scorching pain no lougeri He roared like a crazed lion, leaped out of a window and ran down the hill to the river, with old Hob close behind und Aunt Betsy bringing up the roar, calling out: "Catch him, Bob; catch him." William did riot .slack speed until he landed in the river, like a mon strous bull-frog. When Aunt Bot.sy arrived at the river bank Uncle Billy was going through a scries of gymnastic antics in diviug, rubbing and swimming around, making the water boil and foam, ' Aunt Betsy squalled oui: "Why don't you utaud still, William, and let Bob rub it off?" Uncle Billy re plied: "Why, Betsy, the water gets hot all uround me und I must move off to a cooled place." Leize Slribling. Confederate Camp Dinners. Thursday was fittingly observed as Lee's birthday in Thomasville, Ga. Captain Tip Harrison was expected to bo here to deliver the address of tho occasion, but was prevented from coming. Judge S. A. llodenberry, familiarly and lovingly called Ander son Boddenberry by the poople of Thomas county, on a three-days' no tice gave us a magnificent address. He is the biggest little man I know. The beauty about his speech was that he made no apologies for boiog a Southerner. He 'stated the truth in such a way that he was given the most liberal applause by those who were fortunate enough to hear him. But :t is not ?uO??l the unecoh that I started to write, it is about tho din- 1 ner that was given to the old soldiers by the local chapter of the Daughters 1 of tho Confederacy. It would have done you good to have seen ho v those ' old soldiers did enjoy the good things 1 that had boon provided for them. 1 "Say, boys," said one of them, as he had just finished a plato of oyster soup and had waded into a chicken leg, "this is the kind of dinner we ; used to dream about as we lay down to ' sleep at night oovered with a thin blanket. Then we never again hoped 1 to enjoy such a feast.". "I'll nevor yet be satisfied," put in another, "until I seo the old soldiers ' give an old-time oamp dinner to the ; Daughters of the Confederacy and ] their children." * . 1 "How would you get it up Jim?" 1 called an old man from across the ta- I ble, as he looked ovor a oup of sure- \ onough coffee whose aroma filled the ball in whioh the dinner was spread. "Well, I'd go around to the butoher 1 shops and get a lot of beef heels, some ' beef tails, and maybe a head or two 1 and put them all in a big ten-gallon [ can and boil thorn down to- a stew. 1 Thon I'd bake a lot of old-fashioned y corn cakes, cook 'em maybe on a y bheei of tin, or iu the ashen. I'd gel " me a lot of forked sticks and oall up f the comp: ny and let them fish tho 1 meat out of tbe pot and eat it the best they could as they sat on the c ground." 1 "I. have eaten many a dinner like t that," put in another old soldier, fc "and I oan tell you it was not to he <j despised when we were as hungry as a c pack of wolvea that had been on short rations for a week or more." v . "Why don't yon cell abbot the kind of beef it was? ' called out another Did soldier, at which quite a laugh ran down the line. J "Well," continued the first speaker, < "we were not overly particular, you r see. The beef would not have been r regarded as first class today and we * prould have the man who dared to tl )ffer it for sale prosecuted to the fall ut extent of the law.. You remember, t( >oys, that we sometimes had a dtave J >f cattle to oarry along with os and #j 7 lad a butoher. When we stopped at u tight and one of the steers was not * ible to jump the bars into the'pen, ^ vhy that was the same as a doath sen enoe for him. We know that ho vould not ba able to travel another lay and bo he was slaughtered. The atones were saved for the last, so ?< hat they would be able to travel." F "But tbo meat was mighty good)" V isid another. , ' oi "You're right, old comrade, and I tope the Lord has forgiven me for the p lea J told in getting hold of an extra w ot of boef heels.'r qi "Well, now, that dinner would not tl )o complotol" pot in another "unless s< ou bad sorao boiled pumpkins sprink- . : ed over with aalt.*' Q "And don't forget to have some ns >arched corn,'!, said another. "I tc hink the best. thing I ever ate in my at ife wos up in Kentucky. Wo had di ieen on starvation rations for nearly il i week. Up there ^wo got a fino fat >eef that was boteherod and divided at tut among the boys, I made a tbisk tl ?roth out of mine, and in it I dropped p< iome parched corn; Wo would turn ft ip our nossa at it today, pot that day . ! was wViliug to declare that a finer ? >illof i'^re could not hivo been s?j ? ?efore a king," t 1 at "I want to suggest another dish," put in a comrade who had not spoken before, ' and that is hu? skin 8tew.'' '"Now, you're nhouting, brother. i that was line." "How was it prepared?" iunoeeully asked a young man who was an inter ested listener to all that wps being said. "Well, sonny, we sometimes found where a party of fellows, luckier than we were had found a hog and killed it. They generally nkinnod it aud thre? the tkiu away. We were glad to get the Bkin. We would take it to camp and scald it to get tho hair off, and then from the skin we would make as tine a stew as you ever stuck in your mouth." "And I want to suggest another dish," said a happy looking littlefman, as he smiled over a great big] sand wich almobt as largo as his face, "and that is peeled oollard stalks. Once up in Virginia 1 halnot had anything to 3atfor two days. We came one after noon upon a oollard patch. You ought to have seen those hungry men as they pulled up those eollards. Then we peeled them and ate the heart of the stalk. This is good eat ing we are having today, but it is as uothing when oomparcd to these col lards. I have never tasted anything half so good since then, nor do I ever expect to taste anything again that will be as good as they were." "Well, boys, I want to suggest another dish," said a well fed looking man, "and that is milk and hominy. The reason I say that is because in all my experience I have never yet tasted anything half as good as a supper we had up in old Kentuoky. One day a fine looking oow.oame up to the camp, and we suoeeded in oornering her un til we milked about a gallon of milk from her. We got a lot of hominy from a mill not far away and soon we had a big spider full of the hominy bubbling along toward a state of per fection. We poured the milk over it aid then stirred it up together, and it seems to me that I ean taste it even now. It was tke best thing that had vor passed between my lips and I bave never since then tasted anything that was half as good to me." "I'll never forget how we used to hustle to get something to eat," spoko op a tall man who appeared to bo a preacher. "When we were not far from Chattanooga, we were camped on the Tennessee river. The oorn fields jd our side of the river were all guard ad and we had been forbidden to touch them. We had been allowed to go in bathing, however. We'd go up the river above the line of guards and go In swimming. We'd go* to an is'and In the middle of the river and rest, ind then we'd swim on across. We'd 50 into the oorn fields and pull as many pumpkins as we oared to have. We'd get some long poles arid run ihem through the pumpkins and take them down to the river on our should - 3rs. Then we'd get some dead poles ind on them we'd tie as muoh green sorn as we wanted. We'd put all of t together and make a raft. This we'd push out into the river and then vo'd swim along with it until we *eached a lauding place h??ow ?he guards, when we'd Come out and carry, t to camp." "It's pleasant to think about those rid days, boys" said one of the older, nen, "now that they are gone never o< return, but 1 don't want any of base sweet women- to have to eat a j linner like that. I hope my boys will [ever come down to it." "You are right, old comrade," ?as the call that came from every ido, and then the meal having been niahed, tu> boys lined themselves up j long the ai??o -of the hall, 001160?. the. , )attghtere of the Confederacy and the i lltle boys out und gave them tie old ebel yell that used to strike snob ter- , or to the hearts of the boys in blue rheu tbey were not exactly* sure of heir ground. Then the gathering broke, up, tome d go over the river to join Lee and ackeon before the end of another sar and some to bow the bead and end the back a little longer with the eary lc?d of life.?-Rev. Alex. W. lealer? in Atlanta Journal, Jan. 2. A Strong Incident. Senator Penrose of Pennyslvahla ?lebrsted his birthday recently in hiUdelphis, says an exchange. A 'hiladelphian, during a congratulatory ill, said to him: "I remember Penrose's entrance into olitics, vhen he was a boy of 24. Ho on the liking of Senator Quay by a naict little speech that he made to S ?e Republican leader during the pre station of a petition. "This position was laid before Mr. nay by a delegation whose spokes- / an was insufferably long winded and c >dious.y The man talked to,the sen ior nearly an hour. Every one stofj| ? aring his speech; and it seemed; that j would never end. ' i " When, finally it did end, Mr. Quay . iked wearily |f fchero were any fur* Unreasons for the granting of the . Dtition that tho delegates bad to of Penrose. tall and straight and boy h, smiled and said in a low voiced * 41 'If you dba't grant it, oi?, we'll * ave that speeoh repeated all ovar 5s. tain to jfou.'" v " - ? ? v.1 juj.11 * mu.? Liquor Floating Down Stream. Eleven barrels of illicit cosm whis key arrived in Columbia yesterday, aud the arrival forms the last ehapler iti an interesting and clever piece of work done by tho dispensary, consta bles of this and the Suuiter districts. Information came to Division Chief Osborne of this city several days ago that 12 barrels of North Carolina corn whiskey were being floated down the Great Pee Deo river into this State. Constables I'egues and Harling of this division and Division Chief Grady and Ogg of Sumter went to Cheraw on lost Saturday to intercept and seize it. They found that the barrels, which had been roped together in tandem, had become lodged ia a fishery built in the river about two miles above Che raw and that seven of the barrels had broken loose and floated ou down'to tho town, whero they were taken out and held by the sheriff's oonstabies. No trace of the remaining five bar rels could be found but the dispen sary constables felt sure that they were aomcwhero in tho river. They accordingly hired a number of negroes and sent them into tho rivor on Sun day afternoon near tho place whore they had been lodged in the fishery. The darkies after wading and diving, located four of the barrels under the water. They had been drawn down under the inolined portion of the struc ture and held there by the foroe of the ourront. All of the four were brought ashore but the fifth and loot barrel could not be found. All of the stuff is contraband and is unstamped. Each of the barrels con tains about 30 gallons and will bo seized by the internal revenue depart ment. The total amount - seized is about 330 gallons. Although there are uo marks on the barrels to indioate who the owner is, Chief ' Osborne ia afttinfipfl th*t the owner is a well known blind tiger keeper whom the oonstabies always watch out of the oorner of their eyed. The barrels wore attached by a rope running through staples driven in eaoh end of eaoh barrel, thus keeping them in a line. They were put in the river at a point in North Carolina and float ed down, being oarried only by the current of the stream. This- impro vised flotilla was convoyed by persons in oanoos, who guarded and guided the treasure.?The State, Jan. 23. ? When one starts out to do the greatest good to the greatest number, No. 1 is usually it. ~ \ -?"Don't hide your light tinder a bushel. Use tho bushel to cover your faults?if it's big enough." ? A fool may know when to stop talking, but a wise mau knows when not to begin. ?y?LL BALANCED. Your aocounta cannot well get lo a tan gle if your money la deposited with and ail payments made through the? Formera' Loan and Trust Company, Anderson, S. p. It la our buatace* to take care of your bualneas?the ban ai o g pert of it?end we do It wi& accuracy that comoa from ex perience ' ''l/-i'!V /'. I Th? Bank's past hlatory ia a guarantee for the future. Deponite of any amount r^etvaOfS Interest paid on deposits. ' Good bor rowero and ro<mJ depoaltoyaw?ntod. #;wvy&.-' 1 , V-~Tr WE WANT all INTERESTED IN Pi MACHINERY TO HAVOC our wamk ttSCPORB VMBM DURING 1908. Writ? us statins what Wnd of MAOHftNBrtY yruj use or Wfft>& Install* end we wHJ mall, you Fhee op All cost . ' ? wawsso?? awd ystspfia. POCKET DIARY A??D ATLAS . OR A UlRQB COMMERCIAL QALENPftR . COLUMBIA, S. C? >. a sTook op tto?aa trewsst mat PRK55ESTO BK CIOSS? OHT ?* SPECIAL (PRICES RTRINO BEANS, BOTTER, , EGGS, OBIOK8K8, HONEY, &c Bos* poeslble prie? paW la Cash o#l Srooeriea. : ILk^?? ?*i?mk ' J. G, > 13 ? North M?Io 8L / Eczema's Ourse Awful skin disease of this woman cured in a few weeks after fifteen years* terrible affliction. Note the gbastly despair in the photo takes before treatment. Watt of Uro. J. M. Daniels of Wlnchetter. Ev.?compMtlvt cured bv D. D. JD, after fisnkfr application, Bhe had differedAftemveart.} See the samo features- but note how different when brightened with hope and happiuess, after her freedom from it all. - Reader I This is more than medicine talk. It is humanity to enlighten snf ferers about this. The most vir nient skin diseases are conquered?every time?in all caeca-" without any exception?all cleared away in a lew weeks-r-by the brilliantly clever new skin prescription, "D. D. D." its work is hardly equaled by any other _ wonders of modern medical practice. D.D.D. REMEDY Enough has been proven to us?regarding the above ease and hundreds of others?to demonstrate beyond all question whatever that any of the knotun forms of skin disease?any eruption or breaking out-~must quickly give way,, and disappear under the influence of this prescription {known as *x>. D. D" ). Cases of Eczema, Salt Rheum, Ring Worm, Psoriasis, Barber's /ich, Acne, etc., some of twenty years' standing have been cleared off and permanently cured in - a few weeks, fn several cases from one to three years have elapsed and there has been no returning sign of the disease. Hundreds of cases ~cu'rtd] since the preparation has been placed on sale show no sign at all of the previous afflic~ ' tion, and wefully believe they are permanent cures, .m \ Have yon been?or do yon know anyone who has been?in a living hell of tor> Wie with a skin disease? Dispair usually seizes those so afflicted. Many imagine it is in the blood and too subtle to cure; Doctors have stood baffled and helpless against Eczema. Half of them think its worse forms are blood poieon. Ninety nine cases out of a hundred of manifestations on the skin are purely local?SKIN' disease?not BLOOD disease. Healthy blooded people break out as often as any one, the blood has nothing to do with it in most cases. It is a parasite in the skin . that spreads. This prescription is today completely clearing away?quickly too? and permanently ennng every trace of such parasitic trouble and leaves the'skin soft, healthy ana perfect. Call at onr store and investigate the unquestionable proofs in onr possession. The prescription is sold by us at $1.00 for a liberal bottle, and comes under authentic label of the D. D. D. Company of Chicago, who solely componnd the prescription for druggists everywhere. FOR SALE ONLY BY FOR S?LE jTJ EV?NS FH?BMA6Y. D. 8. VANDIVBR. J.J.MAJOR. E, P<. VANDIVEB. 1 VANDBVER BROS. & Jf?J?R, - DEALER'S IN - * CARRIAGES, -:- BUG LES, >\ HARNESS. We want a chance to seir you that New Buggy during this year, and have some choice ones to show you. VANDIVER BROS. & MAJOR, ' ' i/v . .:< .?,'. :.-. ' < . -V ' ' ..:f Vr. '.' 1 ' "' ' :V ? " ';. .'V^S 'V? ^''1^^'" \ :?">' K \ ' . ' . ' .' ':.'K-'-r:,:M'\'J-'. ' ,.V : '' '' ' !' . ' -. ' .'V".'";l- 'w * - ' =':" }';'..' . ' ' '--1_ ' ' - j=8 9'S BUBBEBTffiESl We are in a position to put on High Grade vRnbb^ Tie# with good service, and prices to correspond with Eubber be fore it made a bounce. ?A?L Ec STEPHENS* i We have just received a Fresh lot of ?or FaU Planting g||C6meto u* for all of yoiiivr ?' ^rym b - y&.Wes. Prescription Braggistg, SES THE BOUT?TS O?^EA^^r SYSTEM! . ' ' .-.,'' {,'<: % Fof jjtformatton sa to tt^'v^iefy^ Bailws?y d^&?fc i?t ReoW or :