Page 169 - Arkansas Confederate Women
P. 169
SKETCH OF MRS. W. F. SLEMMONS.
By Mrs. Willie Slemmons Duke, of Monticello.
My mother, Mrs. W. F. Slemmons, often speaks of her first
experience with "the Yankees," as most thrilling. Being
the wife of an officer, (Colonel in 2nd Arkansas Cavalry), she
had more to contend with than did her neighbors. Like all
other Southern women, she had talked of and dreaded the com-
ing of the "bine coats/' but when they did come, it was quite
an unpleasant surprise. My father had just gotten home from
a long campaign in Mississippi, the night before, and that morn-
ing after being assured by his scouts that there were no Fed-
erals in this vicinity he went into town to transact some busi-
ness. About 11 o'clock, the faithful negro girl "Beck" called
from the back yard, "Lawsy, Miss Marthy, de soldiers is com-
in," and on looking out my mother saw the soldiers, and also
saw that they wore the blue. Her first thought was of her lit-
tle children playing in a nearby grove, so charging Beck to hide
the colonel's belongings, she rushed out, but was halted at the
gate, but was finally permitted to go on. When she returned
with the frightened babies clinging to her, she found that her
house had been searched from top to botton, but they had
found no trace of my father, as Beck with the native cunning of
her race, had not only concealed everything belonging to him,
but had told the soldiers such clever stories of "not 'spectin'
Marse Williams for two or three days," that they went away,
taking with them three valauble horses.
Late in the afternoon she received the welcome news that
Col. Slemmons was safe at his father's home, three miles from
town. He had been hidden in the loft of the Jones' hotel
when the soldiers passed through town. On leaving town 'afoot,
he fortunately met my grandmother Howard on her favorite
horse, Pompey. On learning his plight she dismounted at once
and gave him her horse on which mount he proceeded to
Louisiana to join Gen. Kirby Smith. When my mother began
