Page 71 - Arkansas Confederate Women

64 CONFEDERATE WOMEN OF ARKANSAS

my childhood was almost in a day transformed from a land of

opulence and luxury, a land "flowing with milk and honey," into
a section where care and toil took up their abode, and where the

very trees, shrubs and flowers were prized not so much for their

beauty, fragrance and appearance, as for their medicinal quali-
ties, or their power to supply, though in the slightest degree,

food or raiment for human kind.

WOMAN'S AID TO CONFEDERACY.

The uniforms for the first company of Confederate soldiers

that left Union county were made by women who met at El

Dorado, where nimble and willing fingers, though unused to that

sort of work, quickly fashioned the cloth which a tailor had cut

into garbs for the soldier boys. And this was only the beginning,

since thenceforward this and other kinds of labor was carried

forward altogether by women. Looms, tanneries, spinning

wheels were kept busily employed, the most of the products

thereof being sent to the army, though in various shapes and

Aguises. common purpose inspired all, wealth, station, rank,

being forgotten in the desire to aid the Confederacy. Plants

and shrubs heretofore of little value suddenly became of the

greatest use. Boneset, Horehound, Mullen, each had its partic-

ular sphere at that time. But the Poppy was of the highest bene-

fit. The seed was sown generally in the garden; when the plant

reached a certain age, an incision was made in the stalk with a

sharp knife, and the sap oozed out in the form of a gum, which

was dried and used in lieu of opium. It was put in boxes or

small packages and sent to the various hospitals. Indigo was

likewise largely cultivated, and was employed in dyeing cloth.

Beef tallow was held in high esteem, especially by those who,

like my mother, were so fortunate as to own a pair of candle

moulds, for a supply of candles was extremely desirable. The
more general way of supplying light for the household was to

take several yards of wicking, which had been spun soft, dou-
bled and twisted, wax it and soak it in turpentine, then take a
bottle, wind the wicking around it, leaving a little at the top to
be lighted, and as it burnt down, pull the wicking up. Scores

of women sewed by this sort of light, making clothing for the