Page 159 - Arkansas Confederate Women

138 Confederate Women of Arkansas

der Confederate occupation, they continued to do under federal
rule. It is well to state that neither Confederate nor Federal
soldiers ever offered any indignity to the Sisters of Mercy in

any part of the state. An occasional guard of soldiers would

be sent to protect their property. At Little Eock General Steele
maintained a guard at the convent for seventeen months.

GIANT TROOPER CAUSED PANIC.

The convent of Fort Smith was situated in a beautiful

grove and only separated by a roadway from the larger grove

where the church and pastor's house were located. The Confed-

erate army had always respected the rights of church and sisters,

so that the groves had not been used as a camp ground. Quan-

trell, the noted guerrilla chieftain, arrived at Fort Smith in

1863 with a squadron of 200 cavalry. The men wore the regu-

lation blue of the Union army, heavy overcoats, hats and boots.

As they generally captured a Federal train every month or two,

their dress was spic and span. As for arms, they were literally

Aloaded with them. rifle was slung over the shoulder, a heavy

navy revolver was belted on either side, a good sized knife

showed itself, and a sabre completed the accoutrement. They

pitched camp in the grove opposite the convent and within a few
minutes one of the troopers stood in the doorway of the school.

The boys and girls had studied mythology and had read about

giants, so that when they looked up from their books and

caught sight of Quantrell's trooper he seemed to be at least

ten feet high, and with overcoat enough to carry them all

away. They sprang through the windows in every direction

and made their way to the town, where they reported that

Quantrell's men were pillaging the convent. A prominent

Catholic of the town, father of the writer of this paper, who

knew Quantrell, hailed him as he was riding by and told him

the news. Quantrell said that such an affair was not his style

of business and immediately dispatched an officer to look into

the matter. The trooper in coming to the school wanted merely

a chunk of burning wood to start the camp fire. Matches were

too precious to be used except in cases of extreme necessity.

Quantrell was a mild-mannered man in his intercourse with