Page 45 - Arkansas Confederate Women

40 Confederate Women of Arkansas

pots of Egypt." There was no sacrifice too great to make for
our country and our boys in gray.

CLASH OF PICKETS AT CAMDEN.

In '64:, when Steel's army was in Camden, there was a picket

fight in our yard. Our pickets were stationed a mile east of us,

and had a fight with a detachment of Steele's army. Our pick-

ets fell back into our back yard and took refuge behind the

Myhouse, outbuildings and large trees. mother and myself got

behind a stack chimney in the dining room for safety, and my

sister and sister-in-law, who lived with us, hid in a closet to keep

from being hit by balls. A ball did come through a window in

the dining room and went into the wall about eight feet from

where my mother and I were standing.

battle's cherokees in war paint.

Our main army was camped a mile back on the "Two

Bayou," and our pickets fell back there. Col. Battle with his
regiment of Indians (mostly Cherokees), belonging to Maxey's
brigade, came up as quickly as possible, coming through our
back yard, and the Yankees seeing them and thinking our main
army was behind them, left and were soon at Camden. One of

them told me they came out with orders to burn our dwelling,

as they had heard of it in Little Eock as being "a regular Secesh
harbor." The Indians had on their war paint, and heads decked
with peacock feathers.

While they were camped at the "Two Bayous," the Indians

frequently came to our house for something to eat, and enjoyed
the lye hominy and sassafras tea that we had to give them. After
eating a plate piled up with the hominy, they would pass the
plates back, saying "load up, load up," and we did <fload up"
in a hurry, for we were afraid of them. Hominy among Indians

is called Tom Fuller and is a favorite Indian dish.

The feathers they had came out of our peacock fly brush.

An Indian saw it one day, and demanded a feather. Of course

he got it. Then another came and still another with the same
demand and so on until there was not one left. Perhaps some
of the younger generation do not know what a fly brush is.