Page 32 - Arkansas Confederate Women

PRIVATIONS OF A SOLDIER'S WIDOW.

By Mrs. M. M. Hendrix, of Big Fork.

My husband Benjamin Franklin Hendrix entered the

Southern army in the beginning of the war, joining Captain
Edwin's company, Fourth Arkansas infantry, in June, 1861.

He was killed in battle December 15, 1863, leaving me with
four little children, to live the hard life of many a Confederate
widow. My oldest child, George Washington, was seven years

old; the next, Samuel Enoch, was five; the third was Benjamin
Franklin, three years old, and 'the youngest, Sarah Elizabeth,
was only ten months old.

I felt all these things the more because I was an adopted

citizen of Arkansas. My native home was in Pickens county,
South Carolina, where I was born October 17, 1832. My par-

ents' moved to Cherokee county, Ga., when I was about one year

old. At the age of 12, I came with my parents to Montgomery

county, Arkansas, and September 4, 1852, married Benjamin
F. Hendrix, who was the same age as myself, 22 years.

FEDERAL RAIDERS TOOK EVERYTHING.

With four little ones to provide for, I found life a hard
problem. Many times when night came and I lay down, I

could not sleep on account of my destitute condition, and being
forced to see my children suffer from cold and hunger without

power or prospect of helping them. I could have managed to
live fairly well, as I could work in the field and chop wood and
I had some provisions laid by and the house was comfortably
furnished, but federal soldiers came and robbed me of every-
thing, not leaving a mouthful at times for myself and little

ones.

They were frequently brutal and once when I seemed slow
about cooking something for them, they began cursing and
pointed >& gun at me, so that I was terribly frightened. But

God was good to me in keeping me in a Christian spirit, and I