Concerning Ladies of the Era

[thea_447]

All the ladies of this era were not engaged in marksmanship, spying, or other grandiose ways of showing their loyalty. This thread, hopefully, will concern other things of interest to the women of the period. Above all these posts will indicate the fierce loyalties of even the most reticent women.

MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, July 24, 1861, p. 2, c. 2

To the Ladies of Alabama.

Executive Department,
Montgomery, Ala., July 20.
Knowing that the women of Alabama are anxious to do everything in their power for the comfort of the soldiers in the service of the Confederacy, I beg leave to suggest that each one of them knit one pair of substantial woolen socks, and deposit the same with the Judge of the Probate Court of the county in which she resides, who will have them forwarded to the Governor of Alabama, at Montgomery--from whence they will be forwarded free of cost to the soldiers before the cold weather commences. The Governor deems nothing more necessary, than this suggestion, to secure from the patriotic ladies of the State a sufficient number of socks to protect the feet of our brave soldiers from the frosts of winter.
Each of the newspapers in the State are respectfully requested to publish this communication free of charge. A. B. Moore.

MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, August 9, 1861, p. 1, c. 6
A Lady Physician.--A father who has been to visit his wounded son, lying at Charlottesville, writes thus to the Savannah Republican of the ladies who are devoting their services to the care of the sick and wounded soldiers:
Foremost of all is Miss Dr. Orie R. Moon, a graduate of the Philadelphia College, whose services as a physician are very valuable, and who not alone devotes her time and health but money also. She has agents in the whole neighborhood to buy chickens and other nourishments, for which she pays herself.

MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, August 16. 1861, p. 1, c. 6 [note: header may vary, but letter the same]

Bravo for Her.

From the Petersburg Express.

Charles H. Foster--To the Public.

Murfreesboro', N. C.,
July 29, 1861.
Messrs. Editors: As a woman true to the South whose heart beats in unison with those of our patriotic sons now struggling for our altars and our firesides, and as one whose sympathies and prayers are enlisted in behalf of a free people, now threatened with subjugation at the hands of corrupt functionaries, and mercenary outlaws, I am prompted to write the following lines, however embarrassing and unpleasant it may be to thus bring my name before the public. I am desirous that my indignation and contempt should be known for the course of Charles H. Foster, formerly or Orono, Maine, late of this place, and now of Washington city.
All persons know, who have been acquainted with Mr. Foster, for the last six months, that he left this place in the month of February last, for his desk in the Post Office Department at Washington--a position obtained under Mr. Buchanan's administration, and remained there until the 3rd of May last, when he returned to this place. His presence to this town caused great excitement immediately upon the fact of his arrival being known, as his conduct in a great measure, I am frank to confess, reasonably justified. He was accused of being untrue to the South--a Black Republican--and some went so far as to believe him a spy, sent out directly from under the roof of the White House. To all of these accusations he plead not guilty, and went so far as to say to me that he intended to return to Washington and prove himself a Southern man.
Mr. Foster finally did return, and to my great surprise, I have found that man upon whom I had centered my whole affections, and who had won the confidence of my heart, has proved himself recreant to his pledges, false to his vows, and indifferent as to the life or death of his own wife and child.
From the Sunday Morning Chronicle, published in Washington, I learn that on the occasion of a serenade given to Mr. Foster soon after his arrival, he said in addition to other odious things, that he intended to head a Brigade as soon as arrangements could be made, and come to North Carolina to relieve the oppressed friends of the Union living among us. The import of which language is that he would see my own people exterminated, our own homes outraged, desecrated and destroyed. Without reference to anything else that this man has said or done, which has proven him a traitor, to his adopted home, I conclude this card by saying, that as painful as a separation would be under other circumstances that I now declare every tie severed which has heretofore bound me to Charles H. Foster, and from this day I consider the relation formerly existing between us as husband and wife, virtually dissolved forever.
I shall no longer bear his name and will take advantage of the earliest opportunity offered by our laws of having it legally changed to what I now sign it.
SUE A. CARTER.

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MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, February 25, 1863, p. 2, c. 6
A person being asked why he had given his daughter in marriage to a man with whom he was at enmity, answered: "I did it out of dire revenge."

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MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, February 25, 1863, p. 3 c. 2
During a recent debate in the Confederate Senate, Mr. Phelan, of Miss., adverted to the fact that they had seen white women, in "hoopless skirts and broad sun bonnets" guiding the plow in Southern fields. He invoked God's blessing upon such women, and hoped that they would be "mantel ornaments in the parlor of Paradise."

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MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, March 4, 1863, p. 4, c. 4
A Northern paper gives the following amusing incident:
On the occasion of the recent departure of women for the South from Washington, some remarkable developments took place:
One lady had seven pair of gaiters, five pairs of boots, five pairs of morocco slippers, three pairs of dancing slippers of white kid, four pairs of india rubber overshoes, and a pair of the longest legged cavalry boots, with double soles, studied with good spikes, heels tapped with shoes of iron, and tops splendidly ornamented with an abundance of patch work of waxed ends on a ground work of patent leather.
"How about those, madam?" said the officer, as he politely insinuated the cavalry boots into her astonished gaze; if you will put them on and wear them on your trip to Richmond, you can take them; but they can go with you under no other circumstances." "Done—I'll do it," said the heroine, and grasping the heavy leather in her hands, she retired behind the friendly crinoline of a group of sympathizers, and, planting her pretty feet—gaiters and all—into the depths of that monstrous foot harness, returned and awkwardly displayed them, double-cased to the gaping eyes of the this time astonished official. He kept his word—These boots went to somebody in the Confederate army; or they may have been intended a Christmas present for Gen. Stuart. These secesh women do such things.

[johan_steele]

Thea, you might enjoy this one. Who says Northern ladies lacked a sense of humor: "400 pairs of socks, 100 pairs of mittens, 600 shirts and 250 pairs of drawers. This I understand and these items are greatly appreciated by the men of the Regiment. I was somewhat surprised by the inclusion of thirty pairs of ladies stockings, which amused the men, though several quickly gathered them up as good leg warmers. As to the intent of the two corsets... I am at a loss for words. There are no women with the Brigade and we have not had the pleasure of a single laundress in most of a year. Do the ladies know something about some of my men that I do not? While our Sergeant Major and Quartermaster Sergeant are both rather large I think that issuing either man a corset might be a rather unhealthy proposition."

Letter to a Ladies aid society from the Quartermaster of a Wisconsin Regiment. Jan 64.

The original is somewhere in the Wisconsin State Historical Library... if anyone can translate my note of "A-24 & C Mary 10*" I'd love it... I wrote the note back in 92 or so while doing research and have long sense forgotten what the heck it means.

[thea_447]

MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], December 18, 1862, p. 1, c. 1

The Spirit of the Women.

From the Charleston Courier.]
The women of this revolution, their efforts and sacrifices, and sufferings in the cause of their homes and country, and justice, and virtue and truth, against the beastly aggressions of the Caliban of Lincolndom, deserve a special and enduring record. We commend the subject, and the timely preservation and record of materials, and incidents and documents, to our brethren of the press and especially to correspondents.
As one of the incidents of the war in this respect and as an illustration and exhibition of the kind character and spirit of the women who are suffering, in too many cases, the absence and exposure of their fathers, and brothers and husbands, enhanced by the presence and vile practices of extortioners, we give the following extract from an appeal lately made to the citizens of Augusta, Va., by Col. J. D. Imbodon:
On the 9th inst. I halted, near sunset, by a log cabin in one of the wildest gorges on the Dry Fork of Chert. An aged mother and several daughters were the only members of the family at home. The father has been in Camp Chase over a year on a charge of being a rebel, and an only son is a soldier in one of my companies. I asked for corn to feed two hundred horses. The old lady said they only had a little, raised by herself and daughters, but I was welcome to it if I needed it. I took half she had and paid her for it, when she seemed to doubt the propriety of receiving money from a Southern soldier, as she thought it a duty to give us what we wanted. Her son's company was not along, and she had not seen him. The eldest daughter said: "Colonel, tell brother we are all well and doing well. We expect our papa will soon be released from Camp Chase and come home. Tell him to be contented in the army, and to write to us if he can. If we had known you were coming we would have had all his winter clothes ready to send to him, but we will have no other chance when you are gone. Tell him we will have enough corn to do us, and have plenty of meat. We have caught five large bears in a pen and salted them down for winter. The Yankee sheriff came, with five soldiers along, to collect the taxes, and wanted to take the mare, but I had sold the bearskins for money enough to pay him, and I hope it is the last time I will have to pay Yankee taxes."

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MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], December 20, 1862, p. 2, c. 5
Our Noble Women.--The South Carolinian reports:
A friend on a committee to collect the names of non-combatants in Charleston, in anticipation of their removal, informs us that many of the women positively refuse to leave the city under any circumstances, declaring that they can carry powder, water, etc., to the troops, and are determined to remain during a bombardment. One venerable old lady of sixty said she would prefer that General Beauregard should send her a musket instead of an order to leave, as she could use it, and would then not be a non-combatant.

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MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], December 27, 1862, p. 1, c. 6
The Charlotville [sic] (N.C.) Democrat has been informed by a soldier from Kingston, of rather a novel incident, which occurred there recently. A short time ago, some recruits were brought into camp, for a company from Caldwell county, among whom was a man named Blaylow, who was drafted in Caldwell. Week before last, Blaylow got a discharge, and immediately another soldier applied for a discharge, stating that he--or she--was the lawful wife of Blaylow. It appears that when Blaylow was drafted, his wife cut her hair off, put on men's clothing, and went with him into camp, and enlisted for the war. She drilled with the company, and was learning fast, when it became necessary to make her sex known, in order to accompany her husband home.

[thea_447]

MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], December 30, 1862, p. 1, c. 3

Interesting Captured Federal Correspondence.

Among the spoils taken in the late surprise of the Federals at Holly Springs, were the following series of letters, written by the correspondent of the Indianapolis (Ind.) Sentinel, for the transmission of which to their intended destination he was probably awaiting an opportunity. We are under obligations to Gen. Loring for the opportunity of laying them before our readers, and the editor of the Sentinel and his correspondent can only censure Gen. Van Dorn for his dash and daring, which so materially interfered with their arrangements. The letters will be read with interest in the South.
Holly Springs, Miss., December 18, 1862.
It would be interesting, I know, to your readers, to hover over the town and see things as they are. No daguerreotype can do them justice. It would have been interesting even in the piping times of peace, for though this is not a watering place, as I had supposed, and though there are no springs here, except a very insignificant one, which in past ages was called the Holly Springs, simply because in the swamp at its source a number of hollies grew, and from which, without designing it, the town of gradual growth gradually took its name, adding for euphony the terminal s, so as to make it Holly Springs, yet this is a most beautiful place, or was in its better days. . . . It was the home, in peace, of the principle rebels. Wealth had been here concentrated, and the refinement of Southern life found here, its chief representatives, and with scarcely an exception the intensity of a man or woman's hatred of the government, has been in proportion to his wealth and social position.
The ground is beautifully undulating, and the well built houses and highly adorned yards indicate both taste and wealth. Here were the principal depot and machine shops of the Mississippi Central railroad the great road from Indianapolis to New Orleans, via Cairo. It is, by the way, one of the best built roads I have ever seen, not inferior to the Baltimore and Ohio. Its depot building here is the best of the kind I ever saw, containing a large dining room, and offices fitted up in a style of magnificence not equaled by anything in our own city.
But war has made its havoc. This was for a long while the headquarters of a large rebel force, and if the testimony of the citizens, as well as the evidences left behind them, are to be believed, the town and its vicinity fared quite as badly in their hands as in ours, and in some respects, worse. And the grave yard tells a mournful story. Not less than a thousand new made graves contain the remains of those who died here from their various skirmishes and battles hereabouts. Here and there are empty graves from which the hand of affection has removed what was left of their dead, that they might moulder near kindred clay in the family grave lot, and be wept over by living loved ones. These who sleep here in this promiscuous burial were no less loved, but poverty prevented the same act of friendship and affection.
Theorize, apologize or strategize as you may, this is an Abolition crusade. . . . But, as I told one of the feminine she-sesh, they were so stubborn, fought so desperately, and withal behaved so rebelliously that I have concluded to let our army make its mark as it goes. And sure it does. Twenty years hence its track can be traced by the traveler as distinctly as you can trace afterward the track of the whirlwind which levels the forests and destroys the work of ages. It *abolishes* as it goes. Fences, farms, stock of all kinds and provisions, and it would abolish the negroes too if their masters had not sent them south before our army came along. There are no negroes to abolish here. Early last summer a few thousand negroes fled to our army and were mustered into mule driving trench digging and other services, but of late they have been sent south. If we go south far enough--and we will have to fight if we go much ****her--we will have our hands full. But that is a trouble which I don't intend to fret about. The South will have it so, and if their cows, hogs, horses and negroes all fall victims to this war, they must not blame me for it.
Our army is largely living off the country here. The amount of corn here surprises me, as it does all who see it, and I can't but thank the rebels for their foresight in cultivating corn this year instead of cotton. Cotton is good for breast works and for shirts, but it is not digestible. Just now we need corn here more than cotton. And, to further accommodate us, they have built hundreds of corn grinding mills, which we are using. Our boys here have corn bread, thanks to Jeff Davis for his forethought! Hundreds of bales of cotton, of the old crop chiefly, are going from this place North. T.A.G.

Holly Springs, December 18, 1862.
There are green spots even in the life of an army follower occasionally. These are not when he has to travel all day without dinner or supper, up to 10 o'clock at night, as most of my travelling companions did yesterday, including sundry women and children, and as would have been my case but for the prudent forethought of a female friend of mine to whom I had often been indebted for similar favors. I only regretted that I had not enough to make everybody as comfortable as his lunch made me. But the prospect of arriving at the end of the road, at the hour of ten, of a very cold night, the town a half a mile from the depot, and the hotels all more than full already, and twenty cotton buying Jews seeking quarters, and the hotels, poor things at best, was anything but a green spot. . . .
There are daily transactions in the army here, which, if isolated, would be vastly interesting, but which are lost in the multiplicity of such events. Yesterday Gen. Grant shipped North some 700 prisoners of whom the reporters had given us no notice. They had been taken in numerous petty engagements, such as occur almost every day, and were educationally, physically, and politically, fair specimens of Southern soldiers.
I was surprised to see the number of extreme youths among them. There were some not over fourteen years of age, and a majority of them were certainly under eighteen--the late conscript. Most of them express a desire to be early exchanged for they want to "fight the invader," but quite a number of them profess anxiety to close the war on any terms, yet not such a number as to indicate anything like a subdued spirit. It is war to the knife yet, even with the prisoners. And the women are worse than the men. It is with them a question of life and death, they think, and they act and teach accordingly.

I met a case yesterday illustrative of more than ordinary sense in the slaveholder. A few weeks ago the slaves of his neighbors had taken unceremonious leave of them, and his own were manifesting some uneasiness, whereupon he called them all together and formally acknowledged their freedom. He told them that they doubtless thought of going, but if they did he wished them to leave openly. He said that it was doubtful whether their condition could be bettered by going away, but if they thought it could, they were at liberty to go, but if they wished to stay he would give them wages *from that day forward.* They returned to their quarters and resumed their labor and are yet cheerfully working, and he says they are doing more than ever before. Of course the legal status of his slaves is not changed, and the whole may be a mere ruse to secure the services a little longer, but it shows that he is sharp, and that after all the darkies do not like to leave their homes, and will not, if even the semblance of freedom can be given them. . . . T.A.B.

MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], January 7, 1863, p. 1, c. 5
From the Richmond Illustrated News.]

Mississippians Never Surrender.*
by J. I. [?] M'Cabe, Jr.

Hurrah! there's a shout on the Southern breeze,
As it sweeps from the mighty river,
So wild and full of defiance proud,
That our hearts with triumph quiver.
It comes from the men with iron hearts,
From the women true and tender--
"Go tell your chief we'll die at our post--
Mississippians never surrender."

Virginia hear! 'Tis the same proud cry
That rang through thy grand old mountains,
When the warm life-blood of the hero band
Gushed out in immortal fountains;
'Tis the same great shout that wildly burst
From the heart of each brave defender,
When Leesburg's hills were drenched with gore--
"Mississippians never surrender."

From Shiloh's plains it soared on high,
Far o'er the roar of battle,
And 'twas answered back in thunder tones
By the deadly rifle's rattle.
It rang in the ears of the startled foe,
The knell of the base pretender,
And the heroes proved to a gazing world--
"Mississippians never surrender."

And now their haughty navy lies
Below the "Queen Hill City;"
With lustful eyes foes wait the prize,
And hearts untouched by pity.
A stern demand to yield her homes
The boastful tyrants send her.
Hurrah! She answers them with scorn--
"Mississippians never surrender."

Of men of the south, may the same proud cry
Nerve your arms to deeds of glory;
Ye may fall, but your gallant sufferings
Shall live in your country's story.
And maiden, and mother, and sister, and wife,
Though it wring your hearts so tender,
E'er teach your loved ones like heroes bold,
To die, but "never surrender."
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*The answer of Col. James L. Autry, Military Governor, to the demand for the surrender of Vicksburg.

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MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, October 1, 1862, p. 2, c. 1
The Right Spirit.—A patriotic lady of Savannah, has sent to the Republican a large package of bullets, the history of which is somewhat curious. They were moulded by her husband in the war of 1812 to be used against the British, and have been kept as a relic in the family from that day until now. She freely gives them up to be used against the Yankees, with the prayer that each one may make the enemies of her country less.


MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, October 8, 1862, p. 1, c. 7
The Savannah News learns that the Yankee commandant at St. Augustine, Florida, has compelled all women and children in the town, whose near relatives are in the Confederate service to leave. They were taken on board a steamer prepared for the purpose, without any idea of their destination.

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MONTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, October 22, 1862, p. 1, c. 3
Yankee Vandalism.

A young lady of Winchester, Tenn., writing to a friend upon the visit of the Yankees to that place, says: "They have taken every fowl from the place, except one or two old hens, which ran as if for dear life at the mere sight of blue breeches. As to the prospect for bacon this winter, it is rather slim, as every hog has been appropriated, except one so old and lean that feeding it day and night forever would have no effect, unless the exercise of eating would make it leaner."—Knoxville Register.



MONGTGOMERY WEEKLY ADVERTISER, October 22, 1862, p. 4, c. 3
"Toes Towards the Rebels."—The Washington Sanitary Committee have lately received several pairs of socks, from an old lady, bearing the following inscription:
"These socks were spun and knit by Mrs. Zebuah Clapp, 96 years old, whose hands in youth were engaged in moulding bullets in the Revolutionary War. Keep the toes of these socks towards the Rebels. Charlestown, N.Y."

[thea_447]

Mike,
I am sorry to enter this here but I have tried in vain to find where you put the other items I'd entered under the thread "Women at War" and I can't find them. I admit I am not internet-erudite at times so please excuse me for putting these entries here. Some of these stories of valor on the part of the women of the blue and gray are just so interesting and reflect, I think, the temper of the times.

SAVANNAH [GA] REPUBLICAN, March 1, 1864, p. 2, c. 3
A Glorious Hearted Girl.—The Floridian and Journal says:
Upon the arrival of the troops at Madison, sent to reinforce our army in East Florida, the ladies attended at the depot with provisions and refreshments for the defenders of their homes and country. Among the brave was, in one of the Georgia regiments, a soldier boy, whose bare feet were bleeding from the exposure and fatigue of the march. One of the young ladies present, moved by the noble impulses of her sex, took the shoes off of her own feet, made the suffering hero put them on and walked home herself barefooted. Boys, do you hear that? Will you let this glorious girl be insulted and wronged by Yankee ruffians? Never! Wherever Southern soldiers are suffering and bleeding for their country's freedom, let this incident be told for a memorial of Lou Taylor, of Madison county.

[thea_447]

PEORIA (IL) MORNING MAIL, October 28, 1862, p. 4, c. 2
Good for the Girls.—The republican presses and the republican orators have been very much exercised of late, on account of the scarcity of laborers to gather the crops, and hence have argued that it was necessary to import negroes to do that business. This was proposed in a company of young ladies at Princeville the other day, when they said unanimously, they knew the corn crop was heavy, and men to gather it scarce, but rather than have the state flooded with negroes to compete with white men, they would themselves gather the crops. They could do it and they would, before they would consent to any measure which would degrade their brothers so low as to be obliged to labor by the side, or come in competition with negroes. We like that spirit. We shall not despair of the country when we have such women in the land. We never said "God bless the women," with more soul in it than in view of such a determination on their part.

[thea_447]

FORT SMITH NEW ERA, October 8, 1863, p. 2, c. 1

The Federal Flag at Van Buren.

The first of this month was a happy day for the ladies and other citizens of Van Buren. The ladies of that place made and presented to the 1st Reg't Ark. Infantry, a large Federal flag, which was elevated to the top of a fine and substantial flag-staff occupying the front yard of the Court House. The rebels once waved the treasonable ensign of the Confederacy from the same towering shaft; but their first endeavor in this shameful boast of their treason resulted in tearing their flag nearly in twain. That disaster may be regarded as the omen of ill to the nefarious scheme of destroying the Federal Nationality, for the purpose of rearing on its ruins an aristocracy of the imperious few, who disregard the will and the interests of the laboring many that constitute the bone and sinew of the Arkansian population.
Appropriate speeches were delivered on the occasion by Col. J. M. Johnson, of the 1st Ark. Inf., Col. W. F. Cloud, of the 2d Kansas Cav., Col. Williams, of the 1st "Iron-Clads," and Lieut. Col. E. J. Searle, of the 1st Ark. Inf. These speeches were loudly applauded, and were well calculated to encourage the patriotic aspirations of the numerous assemblage of citizens and soldiers.