Hillsboro Mch 24/65

reaching Hillsboro on the 24^th, where we encamped on the parade ground of the Military Institute, remaining there two weeks, resting and enjoying agreeable relief from our tiresome marches; day after day. Here our men soon made friends, particularly among the young ladies of the Female Academy situated in the immediate neighborhood of our camp.

A kind invitation

While there an incident occured that well portrays our noted Carolina hospitality; while wandering about the town, not far from camp, about noon one day, a colored boy approached me, and said: “Missis says you should come to dinner”. I looked wonderingly at the boy that had brought me such an invitation, the like of which I had not received for many a day; thinking he either intended a joke or made a mistake, I questioned him about it, when [154] he told me further that his mistress had ordered him to go out and bring some of the soldiers, he might find to dinner; being assured now that the invitation was a genuine one and meant as given and that I would therefore be no intruder, I was not lothe to accompany him to the hospitable home of his kind mistress.

The Female Academy, a hospitable place

I was shown by him to the before mentioned academy where I met other men of different commands, whom chance had led in the way of the messenger of the hostess, and who, like myself, were fortunate in the prospect of a good dinner. After waiting a while we were shown into the dining hall of the building where we found a large table set that would have accommodated twice the number there were, I must here remark that we were not called in to the remainder of their usual meal but that we preceded even the family at the table.

A Charleston lady

After partaking of a good dinner, and when about to thank the kind lady she recognized my uniform as that of the Washington Artillery and knowing that we were from Charleston she questioned me about our city, when [155] I learnt with pleasure that our kind hostess, who was principal of the academy, was a native of the same, and a sister of a Mr. McDowell residing here; “A kind act is not easily forgotten.” this pleasant little episode often recurs to my mind, and I have often wished that I could once again meet her to thank her, or even to let her know through other persons that her act of kindness has not been forgotten by at least one grateful heart;* with this latter view I have since my return spoken with Mr. M. McDowell, of “China Hall” crockery store but have learnt with regret that it was no family of his, but he supposed of a gentleman of the same name, who had died some years before; he said, too, that he was glad that there was some one who had done honor to his name, who was patriotic enough to do what she did, he appreciated the deed having had a son in service too.

Foraging

During our stay at Hillsboro our wagons went out foraging for feed for the horses bringing at one time some corn on the cob which the officers had trouble to keep the men from appropriating to their own use, as our rations were [156] scant,

“A hungry Stomach has no conscience”

and “a hungry stomach has no conscience” as the saying is, so a guard was placed over it but what the guard was to prevent others from doing they did themselves;

Corn bread

we too had our share, which we had ground at a neighboring mill on toll, and which proved quite a relief from the dry corn bread that we had been getting, even that corn bread little as it was cost us trouble to prepare on account of insufficiency of ovens to bake it, for which there was quite a scramble on the arrival at a camp at night,

Best time to cook it

the men all wanting to be the first to have the use of same, the less fortunate having to get up even at midnight to bake his bit of corn bread for the next day; the rations issued were 1 ¹/₂ pint of corn meal, almost as much hush as meal, a day, issued for three days at once;

Beg! or hunger!

this three days ration was mostly cooked at once, and also eat in one day, so that the two remaining we had either to beg or hunger, in the former accomplishment (?) I proved to be a rather poor hand, and suffered many a pang of hunger therefor.

“Big Hominy”, a failure

Wishing at one time while we had some of this corn on hand, to [157] vary our fare we tried to cook what the country people called “big hominy” that is whole corn boiled till soft, and eat like hominy, generally using lye water to help soften the same; we commenced our preparations the evening before by putting the corn on the fire with sufficient water and let it boil all night but when we tried to eat our “big hominy” for breakfast next morning we found it too big yet for our jaws, and trotted with our corn to the mill and remained satisfied with our “small” hominy.

On hill, thinking of home. Apl 2/65

Sunday, the second of April, I visited a tall hill in the neighborhood of our camp at Hillsboro, and the town, where I sat on the summit of the same a long time thinking of my home and loved ones, and wishing that my vision could only reach far enough to get a sight of them.

Again on the march, to S.C.

After two weeks rest and recuperation, we at last received orders to resume our march, to go to Salisbury, from there to return to our own state we heard, we started off, fording the Haw river, and repassing Raleigh on the 10th April

Gen. Stoneman intercepts us

but had not gone far when our orders were revoked, [158] Gen Stoneman being an obstacle in that direction, so we again turned our faces northward passing through the small towns of Union and Salem;

Among the “Friends” or Quakers

we were now among the so called “Friends” but they proved to be no friends of ours, as we fared rather shabbily among them;

$100 - for a single Blanket

here I sold a half of my grey army blanket for $100, One hundred dollars, thinking it a good price for a single blanket which was beginning to incommode me on the march now that the temperature was becoming more warm

Confederate Money, “at nil.”

but the last $50 came home with me, a sad momento of the fallen fortunes of the Confederacy, being unable to pass it, no one would have it more, in the words of the poet:

“Representing nothing on God’s earth now,
    And naught in the waters below it;
As a pledge of a nation that’s dead and gone,
    Keep it, dear friend, and show it.
Show it to those that will lend and ear,
    To the tale that paper can tell
Of liberty born, of the patriot’s dream,
    Of a storm cradled nation that fell.

We issue today, “our promise to pay”,
    And hope to redeem on the morrow.
Days rolled by, and weeks became years,
    But our coffers were empty still,
Coin was so rare that the treasury quakes
    If a dollar should drop in the till.
But the faith that was in us was strong indeed,
    And our poverty well we discerned,

And these little checks represented the pay
    That our suffering veterans earned.
We knew it had hardly a value in gold,
    Yet as gold the soldiers received it,
It gazed in our eyes with a promise to pay,
    And each patriot soldier believed it.
But our boys thought little of price or pay,
    Or of bills that were overdue,

We knew if it bought our bread today,
    ’Twas the best that our country could do.
Keep it! it tells all our history over,
    From the birth of the dream to its last;
Modest, and born of the angel, Hope,
    Like our hope of success it passed!”