Page 162 - Arkansas Confederate Women

FEDERAL RAIDERS OF MISSISSIPPI.

By Mrs. Mary Branson, of Little Rock.

. Although I am now and have been for many years a resi-

dent of Arkansas, the incidents that I narrate occurred at the

Myold family home near Byhalia, Miss. father, C. N". Stevens,

and my two brothers, William Stevens and James Bailey, were,

Confederate soldiers.

EAID BY YANKEE SOLDIEES.

The women of the house had been spinning yarn and

weaving cloth very quietly until they were able to make two

suits of gray, two soldiers' caps, and two pairs of soldiers' boots.

WeThese were precious articles. personally placed them upstairs

Wein a barrel with a lot of old rags filled in on top. had rea-

son to believe that if the Yankees found them the things would
be lost and our house burned. The Yank raiding party came
as we feared they would, but failed to find our barrel. They

found many other things; in fact, looted the house, and hav-

ing compelled my mother to cook almost everything edible in

Wethe house, left with all our stock. grieved especially over

the loss of our family horse and buggy mule. As all our neigh-

bors suffered in like manner, however, we had no special reason

to complain.

THE FATHER REPORTED KILLED.

We were most cruelly distressed by the news that father

had been killed, but later on we learned he was in Memphis in
the Irvin block, a prisoner. Dr. Miller of Cocrum, Miss., was

with him. They had passed themselves off as citizens, but every
moment feared that some one would recognize them. In three
months they managed to get paroled. Father returned home

and for a time all our sorrows were forgotten.

COTTON $1 A POUND.

When the Southern army was- obliged to retreat it frequent-