JAGwinn
Retired User
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2016
- Location
- Bloomington, IL Corvette Gold
Letters in "Echoes of Happy Valley," show the strain and heartache of the war. An 1861 letter written after the Battle of Bull Run from Nathan Gwyn to his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. James Gwyn at Green Hill, includes information on the poor conditions, as well as news on neighbors serving with him.
"During the two battles we were destitute for several days, no tents, and hungry and thirsty. We were in lines of battle most of the time; but I am not disposed to complain. We must do the best we can and take things as we find them.
"Much damage has been done to this section, houses ramsacked, etc. Coon's (Calhoun Hickerson), regt. is now in Richmond. Aleck (Alex Chatham) rec'd a letter from Martin and Harrison (Chatham). Our fare is tolerable –bread, meat, rice and coffee."
In 1863, news of U.S. Gen. George Stoneman's raid into the Yadkin Valley created fear and forced some families to flee. The burying of family silver and other valuables to keep safe from Stoneman's Raiders is a story still told among descendants of area families.
Rufus Lenoir wrote to James Gwyn (at Green Hill), "We lost some of our cattle, horses, mules and some corn but not much, as they did not camp about here, the river was very full at the time and that saved us."
Stoneman's Raiders in the Ronda area were not as destructive as feared because U.S. Col. W. J. Palmer respected community leaders, according to Hickerson, author of "Echoes of Happy Valley".
"Col. W. J. Palmer, who was in command of 1,500 Yankees on the north side of the Yadkin, respected both Hickerson and Gwyn as leaders in their communities, respected by their neighbors."
In "Echoes of Happy Valley," Palmer described Hickerson and Gwyn as the 'finest specimens of country gentlemen that I have ever met….although they were rebels. Before I knew it I found myself regretting every bushel of corn, that we fed, and sympathizing for every one of the fence rails that we were compelled to burn."
While Stoneman's Raiders were not as harsh as expected, the end of the Civil War brought financial ruin to many landowners because there was not sufficient labor or money to operate the farms.
"Many of the landowners sold their land and moved to western states after the Civil War. But the Hickerson's held on to Roundabout and so did the Gwyn's even though times were hard," according to information from Davis and Anderson.
"During the two battles we were destitute for several days, no tents, and hungry and thirsty. We were in lines of battle most of the time; but I am not disposed to complain. We must do the best we can and take things as we find them.
"Much damage has been done to this section, houses ramsacked, etc. Coon's (Calhoun Hickerson), regt. is now in Richmond. Aleck (Alex Chatham) rec'd a letter from Martin and Harrison (Chatham). Our fare is tolerable –bread, meat, rice and coffee."
In 1863, news of U.S. Gen. George Stoneman's raid into the Yadkin Valley created fear and forced some families to flee. The burying of family silver and other valuables to keep safe from Stoneman's Raiders is a story still told among descendants of area families.
Rufus Lenoir wrote to James Gwyn (at Green Hill), "We lost some of our cattle, horses, mules and some corn but not much, as they did not camp about here, the river was very full at the time and that saved us."
Stoneman's Raiders in the Ronda area were not as destructive as feared because U.S. Col. W. J. Palmer respected community leaders, according to Hickerson, author of "Echoes of Happy Valley".
"Col. W. J. Palmer, who was in command of 1,500 Yankees on the north side of the Yadkin, respected both Hickerson and Gwyn as leaders in their communities, respected by their neighbors."
In "Echoes of Happy Valley," Palmer described Hickerson and Gwyn as the 'finest specimens of country gentlemen that I have ever met….although they were rebels. Before I knew it I found myself regretting every bushel of corn, that we fed, and sympathizing for every one of the fence rails that we were compelled to burn."
While Stoneman's Raiders were not as harsh as expected, the end of the Civil War brought financial ruin to many landowners because there was not sufficient labor or money to operate the farms.
"Many of the landowners sold their land and moved to western states after the Civil War. But the Hickerson's held on to Roundabout and so did the Gwyn's even though times were hard," according to information from Davis and Anderson.
Bringing the