Mary Rhodes Waring Henagan

“ Dennis had reason to suspect his hiding place in the swamp had been discovered by Harry. He and some of his men, disguised as Yankees, went to his cabin and offered a bribe if he could put them on the trail to the scouts’ camp. Harry eagerly seized the bait. When they reached the swamp they found he knew. Dennis called up his men and they hung the traitor. Hear the oath has been offered to the Cooper river planters. Some have taken it; those who refused, nothing has been done to them as yet. We are kept so distracted ”

“ Aunt Bet started to-day for Aiken with a carriage, two wagons, one cart, one donkey cart, two cows and an outrider,—quite a cavalcade! We heard today that two of the ring leaders from Pineville went to the Gunboat and told how they had been treated, whereupon the officers had them put in irons and sent to Charleston, and told them, if they had only known it, they would have sent a company to help the white men. We received numerous letters from Aiken this morning by the return wagons. I am sorry to say that Wheeler’s men have done us more damage than the Yankees. ”

“ The plantation negroes took about twenty bushels of salt; twenty of rice; fifteen of grist, besides several jars of lard, molasses; all of Hennie’s soap, a box of Pineland crockery and a good many other things. They left us with one quart of salt in the house and would not bring any of it back, until Pa stated the case to a white Yankee, the next day and he went around and made them bring some of it back. When the negro soldiers first went to the store room they sent for Grand Pa. It made our blood curdle to hear our aged relative spoken to in the manner they did. ”

“ Cousin James and family lost everything by fire in Columbia—They had to spend one night in the woods with Nana’s [96] baby only ten days old. How much some people have suffered. We have every cause to be thankful, for we have suffered very little in comparison to others.
We also heard to-day of several battles in which we had been victorious; that France had recognized the Confederacy and the United States had declared war against Mexico,—if it could only be true! We cannot help feeling hopeful anyhow. ”

“ Hurlbut who was in command of the party said that the black soldiers had no authority to come without an officer and if found, they would be punished. He said that Gen’l. Potter would be along soon and we might get a protection from him, but afterwards he said that he would write a paper which might do us good, and certainly would do no harm. I do not remember the words; but, the sense of it was, that we had very wisely remained at home, while many had flocked to other parts of the Confederacy. ”

“ Poor deluded creatures! Their friends the Yankees have done them more harm than good; this day month their freedom was proclaimed. One report to-day is that the white Union soldiers in Savannah united with the citizens and massacred 4,000 blacks on account of their outrageous behavior. Another is that the Gun Boats have left the Santee and the one on Cooper river has gone lower down. ”

“ Cedar Grove, my grandmother’s old home, away from the great thoroughfares, was our refuge during the war, but Father had promised that Aunt Nenna (Mrs. Stevens) should not be left with her two babies all alone to meet the Yankees—the place was Northampton, near Black Oak the center of Yankee raiding. We kept putting off our move until the news came of the army being at Orangeburg. ”

“ The Yankees have been as high up as Cherry Grove and Poplar Hill; their gun boats have gone up the river as far as Mexico, one threw a shell in front of the house. They went to Mr. Warren Palmer’s [37] and offered him three alternatives; to take the oath of allegiance; to give up his house and be put across the river, or else they would give him sixty acres (mind you, his own land!) which he was to work with his own negroes. A poor man near Laurel Hill gave himself up to the enemy ”

“ This afternoon while very busy unpacking a box in the store room to carry up stairs to hide grist in, the alarm was given that the cavalry had come to burn the cotton. I dropped everything * * * while I ran to help the work. Aunt Nenna, Mother and I helped to roll one bale down the hill. Then Aunt Nenna was as busy as anyone, cutting the bagging open before setting a fire. No one can say she is not patriotic; she gave her three horses to the government; has burnt her five bales of cotton, worth about $7,500, and tomorrow sends off six or seven of her mules to the army. ”

“ We are not entirely deserted. A body of our men, scouts under young Dennis [38] are doing fine work, if he only escapes Bright’s fate. He and his men peppered the black troopers at Blue Hole. * * * The story goes that the black troopers had so “raggified” the house that the family had to take refuge in the kitchen and barn that night. The scouts are repressing rebellion amongst the negroes. One negro (Old Rose’s son Harry) disappeared the other night. Rius gave his wife (Ellen) a fearful beating because she came to wait on Aunt Nenna. ”

“ Those who are faithful suffer so much from the rebellious ones, and we can do nothing to protect them. Poor Mrs. Hill, a refugee from islands was living in Whiteville. The Yankees found out, or pretended to find out that the cook had put poison in the coffee they had demanded for breakfast, turned her out of her home, just with the clothes she had on, distributed everything and burnt the house. [39] Mom Beck from Cedar Spring—she has clung to Kate [40] through everything—gave us an account of the Yankees there. ”

“ Hennie and Laura, rejoicing at their release from prison walls, were playing at the foot of the front steps, when seeing soldiers coming, they flew in terror into the house hiding behind the door. The men rode up calling to the children; “We are not Yankees, but Rebs;”—some of our own scouts under Dennis and McTureous. We were so uneasy for fear the vandals would meet them; so anxious for their safety, we could not enjoy the pleasure of seeing our own men again. They came to the negroes, ordering they to go to work Monday, &c. ”

“ Mother and Aunt Nenna are possessed with the idea that she is a man in disguise; certainly she is masculine looking in her stride &c. This is her story; she is a Georgian, came to Charleston to see her brother in the hospital. The railroads were cut, and her brother moved. She got as far as Mr. Hare’s, near Pinopolis. After waiting three weeks to find some way of getting home, giving up in despair bought an old horse and saddle and started on her lonely journey to Orangeburg, where she has friends who will help her on her road. ”

“ Harry [18] came down from Cedar Grove this morning; only hope he will get horse and buggy safe home. The negroes have most terrifying stories this morning; the enemy have marched through Pinopolis, and were at Wampee last night, others say they heard great whooping and yelling as if some one was driving a hundred of cattle.
Sunday, February 26th. White Hall Essex [19] was here last night; says a negro had come from Gippy; the Yankees had shot all of Mrs. White’s poultry; took her horses; tore up her clothes and threw them out of the windows to the negroes ”

“ I fear it is too good to be true. Uncle Rene also brought the news that fighting was going on at Blue Hole, Uncle Charles Snowden’s place. I suppose it can only be a skirmish. How composedly we can be talking of fighting in our very midst!
One item of news, which I must not forget to tell you, is that Newport has taken the cooking, and we are all ladies again.
March 13th. Dr Waring [92] came in to-day and told us the particulars of the affair at Blue Hole. On Thursday four Yankee negroes, with a good many plantation negroes, armed, went to Moorfield. There they found a quantity of wine. ”

“ Yesterday, as we heard Pinopolis was to be burnt, Aunt Nenna sent William to save what he could; found her house had already been emptied by her own people. Tonight Moorfield Henry [34] stopped on his way to Pooshee to tell us the Yankees had gone to Cedar Grove last night and again this morning. He knows they had one barrel of wine as they had it on the cart last night; the other he thinks they broke open and made the people help them empty. ”

“ Grand Pa seems completely broken down, tho’ he tries to keep up. It must be too hard for one of his age to have everything so changed from what he has been accustomed to all of his life.
The day that the Yankees left here, George brought in an envelope which he found in the prison (the wash-house) . ”

“ White’s [16] yard at Gippy. These men are said to have marched from Bull’s Bay to intercept our men at St. Stephens. We have been so intent watching for the Yankees that we mistook a party of our men, Georgians, for the enemy. Everything was ready. Rene even had his blanket ready for the swamp, when we found that they were our men, cut off from their command on their way to join them at Nelson’s Ferry. We, in the joy of our hearts, gave them a good dinner; made them dry their wet clothes by the fire ”

“ Tonight, just before retiring one of the servants scared us by knocking violently at the back door. The servants, I can’t say all, but many, say they are free and went off last night; one Uncle Henry trusted most left, it is supposed, for Charleston. As a great favor, got one of the men to carry a note to Pooshee this morning. Cousin Ria [28] wrote us an account of what they had gone through. When the army came they were all in the piazza. ”

“ Four of the Yankees foraging for eggs, &c. near Pinopolis were taken by our scouts; the Yankees, in retaliation, marched up from the river to Hog Swamp, took DeHay and the younger Dennis prisoners, spent last night there returning through Somerset to their gun-boat this morning.
Harbin house was burned yesterday afternoon. Read a letter from Sallie Palmer; the Pineville negroes, twenty-five in number, fully armed, have been marauding about the neighborhood, but the black troopers who have been plaguing this country were captured by the white Yankees, tried and carried to town as deserters. ”

“ Uncle Rene drove Sister home, and I came back here to take her place. Uncle Rene and Uncle William had a most dreadful experience on the ride from Pineville to Mexico with the Army. At one time they were guarded by only one black soldier, and they could hear others all around trying to bribe their guard to give them up to be killed ”

“ He then came here at night, took up his wife Adela and traveled off to Charleston. One of Aunt Ria’s negroes who had always been sick got one mule from Moorfield, another mule and carriage from some other place, went to Pinopolis and took all of Mr. Stevens’s [90] books. The next day he went for the piano. He told some of the negroes that he had been playing on it already. The negroes are in the most lawless and demoralized state imaginable. If this is what the Yankees intended they have made their work complete. We have to keep everything under lock and key, and can call nothing our own now. ”

“ We laugh and tell the baby she has caught a Yankee beau, and she always laughs and seems to enjoy the joke. In a very short time Gen’l Potter and his staff came up in the piazza. Then the army commenced passing through the yard, about three regiments of infantry, one white and two colored passed through, besides artillery and cavalry. Each one stopped (sic) and the men ran in every direction after poultry. They marched the colored regiments right by the piazza ”

“ The 16th was a beautiful bright Easter day. Mr. Stevens preached here to the negroes. Aunt Nenna fixed the old brick barn (the upper story) and the children dressed it with green and apple blossoms. Kate and Anne Porcher joined the folks here making the white congregation. I was too tired, could not get out; have been sick since the last Yankee visit. Pettus and his whole band of scouts passed through the yard after church, and Uncle Peter [59] and his company supped here returning through the next morning. ”

“ Thank, God, Willie has gone! Father and Mother spent yesterday with him at Cedar Grove, sending him on in the afternoon to The Rocks [55] for the night.
Last night a squad of eight men rode up saying they were our scouts; that the Yankees had almost surrounded them at Somerset. [56] You may guess our terror altho’ Father and Aunt Nenna were firmly persuaded they were Yankees spying out the land. It is customary for folks to entertain the scouts, Aunt Nenna never even offered them a drink of water. ”