James Smith
CIVIL WAR JOURNAL
Jan. 9, 1862
Engaged in the heavy job of butchering and packing 9 hogs, of about 200 lb. Apiece. We had been obliged to shut up, and feed them in the chicken yard, which they had trenched very deeply ---broken out several times and had rendered it one entire mud hole. We had engaged Master D. McCullock, W. Daymeede and P. Walker as Butchers, but they found themselves unable to catch them. In this emergency, our Dog Carlo distinguished himself by catching and holding them till the men got hold. The mud rendered it very disagreeable
J.G. Webster's wife to be safely delivered of a fine boy, weighing 9 lb. 10oz. He was born between 12 and 1 o'clock this morning---It was another trying occasion for my Companion and our unmarried daughter Saba, as they had to go through mud and water, to procure help on this trying occasion. Mr. Atford Daymeede went for a Midwife, who being from home, he got Dr. Lambert, who arrived after the child was born. He charged 5 doll. Which we paid immediately. Mrs. Mc Cullock, our neighbor was the chief assistant, and performed her part nobly.
Feb. 10.
A foraging detachment from the Southern army near Centreville, arrived here this afternoon, consisting of 4 large waggons of 4 horses each, with several officers and attendants. They said they must take our hay, and arguments drawn from the neccesity of keeping our Cattle alive, was of no avail. The 4 teamsters proceeded immediately to unharness all their horses around the yard, and deal out hay to them on the ground profusely. The teamsters staid with us all night, and the others returned the next morning, so we had to feed, in the whole 22 horses, and provide meals for the men while they were here. It was 4 in the afternoon before they started. They had their 4 waggons fully loaded with a good ton on each, but would only call in 3 tons, and set the price themselves, and pay in South Carolina money. After they were gone, we discovered that a good beef hide, which had hung in the barn ---and a new corn broom-a new halter -and a padlock, were all missing, --stolen be the part, Is not this truly offensive?
March 4, 1862
My Companion, Sally, has had a very painfull swelling on the forefinger of her right hand, which we were very fearfull would be a felling (felon), but it has broken today, and feels easier after the discharge.
March 10
Mon. Our friend, the Southern Army, has finally cursed us, and quit us! We hear they had orders, from headquarter, to pack all the horses worth 50 doll. Or over, --- to take all the able bodied negroes, and to burn and destroy all that could be of any use to the "Yankees", whether public or private property. They have executed those orders pretty faithfully, although the left apparently in such a hurry, that they had not time to complete the intended work of destruction. Some of their winter quarters were burnt and some had been kindled and left so hastily, that the fire had gone out. Tables were left ready to sit down at, ---coffee pots on the fire boiling, and they blew up a costly stone bridge over Bull Run after they had crossed it. But they have left an immense amount of property, in the shape of waggons, tent canvass, --blankets, clothing, stoves--&c, &c, &c, -- which the inhabitants of the surrounding country are appropriating, --but which we are (being rob(b)ed of our traps, and being home) utterly unable to secure any share of - and so it is doublley best for us that we should not.
The S. troops at Leesburg, too, have left in the same style, burning Mills ---farmers stockyards, -- bridges -and even houses & fences in their retreat. Happy to be delivered from the terrors of their Military tyrany, ____ air seems purer and more elastic since their departure, -- we can take long breathes with a new sense of freedom, and feel as if delivered from the presence and even from the clutches of a set of merciless depredators.
March 13.
Received a visit from Mr. & Mrs. (Burr) Gould, & Mr. & Mrs. Gregs, who brought us the good news that a large army of Union troops were marching through Fairfax and Loudoun Cos. From Washington, with Gen. McClellen at their head, determined to expell Secession Tyrany from Virginia, if possible: and that John our son-in-law would be home to see us in a few days. They told us also, that our children in Washington were all well, --that those in N. Y. were well when lately heard from -that our son William had been at Washington, very anxious to come up to Loudoun and see us, but could not get through, and was obliged to return disappointed and sad. We have treasured this up as a decisive evidence of William's deep and tender regard for his parents, and feel to gratefull to him as if he had suceeded - and thankfull that he did not attempt the journey through Fairfax, as if he had, he would most likely, have been taken by the semi-savages of the South and incarcerated in the loathsome prison at Richmond.
March 18.
Henry Ryer arrived from Washington to visit us. His family and Mr. Stotts well, Benjamin and Priscilla living at Falls Church he had been unwell.
March 19.
Henry returned and Fred, who had been my boy help, went with him to his parents. And now I was left alone, to clean out stables - cut wood for Stove -feed cattle, thrash oats for straw to feed them Keep up smoke in Smokehouse --- and some occasional jobs of tinkering and repairing. Enough for one aged cripple -The women tied up the collie and turned them out,
March 23.
__________ John arrived form Wash. -who had been gone 8 months and not heard from, through at Wash, L. Millard and R. Gould came to see him and the interesting character of the _______ banished from the minds of us all, too, much, appropriate subjects for Sabbath conversations. He staid 2 days, returned Teudsay.
March 26.
John E Stott our daughter Jane's husband made us a visit to day. They are keeping a boarding house in Washington, and we did not hear from them during the reign of Secession terror, --He gave us much interesting news from the Capital.
April 5 or 7.
Thrash the last flooring we intend to thrash as we will have to feed out what remains, without thrashing.
April 12.
John arrived from W. where he had been on business and brought a number of papers giving an account of the late Federal victories, at Winchester, the Newbern Donaldson, Island No. 10 Pitsburg landing, but it seems extremely hard for the Secessionists to believe these accounts, till they are confirmed by Jef. Davis, or some other Southern leader. However, we all feel more secure, and freer and in the protection of our Federal Armies, than we did under that of our Confederate friends, and all seem to hope that the latter will not return.
April 12.
I wish to pay a hearty tribute of gratefull thanks to our kind neighbors who have sympathized with us, in our late trial, particularly Mr. D. McCullock and Lady who have on several occasions, given us very needfull assistance. - Destitute, as we have been of a team, he has several times taken grain to mill, and hauled wood for us, and to day he has brought us 2 ½ barrels of flour, (bought with S.C. money) and 2 bushels corn meal, from More's Mill at Aldie, all free of charge. He is certainly a generous neighbor.
April 15.
John had a talk with Mayo Janney yesterday about the part he took in _________ our waggon & horses. He finally acknowledged himself the guilty cause of their being impressed and said he was willing to help us to get another horse, and take _________ _________ ______ Mayo, came and Mr. Sims, Mr. McCullock, _________ also came to appraise the value of the waggon and horses, as he yesterday agreed to pay their prices ___, but he has altered his mind, and could only let us have the horse he rode, which was very thin and had been badly used. This is a very small compensation for the damage incurred by the loss of property taken by Mayo, under the Confederate order, --but then we ought to be thankfull for the return of any property taken from us by "lawless ________
FOURTH OF JULY ORATION
Read at a Family Celebration in Loudoun Co. Va. July 4, 1862
My children and Friends,
Respect and reverence for this day has always been among our deepest impressions and most cherished feelings. We have always hailed it as the birth day of American Liberty, ___the Anniversary of that event that gave freedom to America; and promised political freedom to all the enslaved nations of the earth. Yes____on this day, almost a Century ago, the Sun of Liberty rose on our favored land, and sent streakings of its blessed light; like the cheering twilight of the morning, to the National Skies of the Old Continent Thousands of its oppressed inhabitants, have seen the cheering twilight, and have indulged the hope, that Liberty's Sun might bless them, too, with its invigorating beams. _______But though Ambition, Avarice, and other unholy passions armed with Dispotic Power continued to darken their Political Sky-----yet the people of our States, enjoying the rich fruits of those Political Social, Religious and Pecuniary Blessings. Blessings, produced, and fostered to a generous growth by he genial influence of Freedom's Sun; ---- have always marked the annual return of this day, with appropriate honours. We have often joined the festive company, -----have listened with interest to the Patriotic Oration, Songs and Sentiments in honor of the blessings of civil Liberty, - and -above all --- have often joined in the ardent Prayer, that its unimpaired benefits might continue always to bless our Country, ---and be diffused throughout the world; and we have felt our Patriotism reanimated by such social occasions, our love of country strengthened, and ourselves made better citizens of this great Republic.
But, alass! We have lived to to see a change in this particular, in the part of our country where we now reside, --The fourth of July has, for a score of years past, excited no attention here, ------it passes by as unnoticed as does the birth of Tom Thumb. What is the reason of this? -----Have the people around us, stricken, from the Calendar of their hearts the Anniversary of that day when their civil and religious Liberty ----- their national Prosperity ----- even their national existence commenced? -----The events of the last year give a satisfactory answer ------ It is now evident, that a combination of ambitious demagogues, in the States where Slavery exists, --to promote their own selfish purposes, ---have been privately and artfully at work, for a series of years past, poisoning the minds of the people of these States with a hostile feeling against the general Government, and alass! Too well have they succeeded by that artfull misrepresentations, --that the Government intend to oppress them, and take away their rights, especially the right of holding slaves. There have been no foundation for such complaints ---- so we are forced to believe that the reckless leaders of this rebellion, have used them along with their other arts, to deceive and mislead the people, on whom they depend for assistance in dividing the Union -and in establishing a separate Government, which they intend to manage in accordance with their own selfish views, and many signs indicate that they will oppress and enslave the very people who have raised them to power. They would thus break up the Union, entail on the Country burdensome Taxation and end less strife, --- Ruin its prosperity, ---and inflict a heavy, paralizing stroke on the cause of popular freedom, and national Liberty, throughout the world. -------- These unfounded fears of oppression among the people of the seceded states, are the cause, not only of their disregarding the birth day of our nation, but of their supporting this cruel and unnatural war, in which brethren that ought to be united in the closest ties of Political and Social Friendship ----are butchering each other, _________ on the one side by unholy ambition and misguided Zeal, and on the other by a patriotic determination to preserve the Constitution and Union entire, to save the Glorious Structure of Free Government from destruction, which their fathers reared, and left for them to preserve, and defend. --------Shall we, too, my friends, indulge in a careless apathy about commemorating the commencement of American Independence? O no! ----If our dwelling were beginning to burn, and a part of our family refused to notice it, would it be our duty to disregard it too, and do nothing to save our hose from destruction? Certainly not. Let us rather attend to every particular, however small, that will have a tendency to animate our zeal, and strengthen our resolution, to preserve our excellent Political House from dilapidation or destruction. Let us cherish all those patriotic principles and sentiments, which actuated our Revolutionary Worthies. -For we may safely rest assured, that the same Principles and Sentiments that actuated those noble men who founded and built our Political Structure, --ought to actuate those who preserve and defend it. And O! May all its defenders be guided in the the same firm and enlightened course of Fidelity, Truth, Justice, and Equity, which guided the steps of our Washington.
Aug. 27. (twenty seventh) 1862
An immense Southern army under Jackson, are again marching through our Co, toward Washington and we are again under the military rule of Secessionists. ---- Wm. And John went away on horseback today, in hopes of saving their horses, and themselves from being taken.
Aug. 28. ---
The boys last night joined a party of Union citizens in the same condition with themselves, and today, by means of bad, or unfortunate management, they all fell into the hands of a detachment of Stewarts' cavalry, who took them all prisoners, except Alexander Hait, who escaped on a swift horse. So we are left alone again, at the mercy of our Secession friends.
Submitted by
Elsie Blink
November, 2001
