Page 25 - Arkansas Confederate Women

20 Confederate Women" of Arkansas

Once the dreaded cry "The federals are coming" caught &

wounded confederate soldier "laying up for repairs" in my

mother's home. What to do we knew not. There was no chance

to get him out of town. We knew there were some in town who

would inform on us; then, of course, would follow a thorough

search of our home and premises. So, after a hurried consulta-

tion my pale face and wasted form (being just out of a severe

spell of sickness) suggested a way out of our dilemma. Earn-

estly praying God's blessings on our plan, we decided to arrange

Weone room as for a very sick person. arranged a table filled

with medicines and other sick room paraphernalia; stationed a

nurse; darkened the room; and placed the wounded soldier

between the mattress and feather bed; then put me to bed,

arranging the feathers to conceal the unnatural bump in that bed.

We tried to keep the whole house in a hush to awe them

into not making the search if possible but they were not so easily

turned aside. They bluntly stated "They had orders to search

Wethis house and they intended to search it." could not even

'prevail upon them to spare the sick room, tho' we entreated

with tears (which were not in our plans.) They filed in, peered

everywhere ; even under the patient's bed and punched, with their

bayonets, every suspicious looking object, then quietly left the

—room; leaving me trembling with fear my fears being mis-

chievously aggravated by hearing much bemumed whispers "You

are smothering me to death" and many like remarks, coming

from the hiding place of our wounded Eeb, ere my mother con-

sidered it safe to let him out.

But by God's blessing on our efforts, one more soldier was
spared to fight to the end of the war and is now a wealthy and
prominent citizen of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Just one more incident and I will close. When the Fitz-

hugh fight occurred the Yankees were still trying to capture or
wipe out Capt. Rutherford's command. Having failed in all
previous attempts, then sent a gunboat up from Helena with a
force of about four hundred fighting men aboard. They landed
at Augusta, sent out their troops, leaving the crew and a few offi-
cers in charge of the boat. These officers entertained themselves