Page 27 - Arkansas Confederate Women

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SIGEL'S RAIDERS BURN A FINE HOME.

By Mrs. Homer F. Sloan, of Augusta.
One of the hardest things to understand about war, especially

by women, is the flagrant destruction of homes and neces-
saries of life. General Franz Sigel was exiled from Germany

because of his advocacy of popular government. He was given

a high position in the Union army in order to gratify the
German soldiers who had entered the army in large numbers.

Such a man should be expected to have manly and generous
sentiments. The following incident of his raid near Augusta
shows how brutal he was

On a large plantation near Augusta, Ark., in 1862 was an

old Southern home. There were 200 negro slaves contentedly
working and the land was in a fine state of cultivation. But in
the roomy comfortable old house which the blue-coats surrounded

was only an old woman and her daughter.
"Don't seem to be any men 'round?" questioned an officer,
"All gone to fight the Yankees," answered the woman

promptly.

Then a soldier came up to the officer, saying, "There is only

a small quantity of meat in the smoke house." When questioned
as to where the rest of the meat was hidden, the woman refused
to tell. . Threatened with the burning of her home if she did not

direct them to the place of concealment, she still refused, saying
that over 200 people on the place were depending upon her for

food.

"But," said the officer, "what will you do? You can save
your house by giving up the meat."

"No," she replied, "I cannot let my people starve; as for

the house, there are plenty of logs in the woods to build another

one."

A soldier led around a beautiful horse and at once <the girl

ran to it and caught the bridle, begging them not to take her
pet. Fine old furniture was broken and thrown from the