Page 74 - Arkansas Confederate Women

FAREWELL TO JACKSONPORT GUARDS.

By Mrs. V. Y. Cook, of Elmo.

Of all my childhood memories of the war between the North

and South, nothing remains so vivid as the words "Boll him in
the river," which were spoken by a tall, angular old woman, as
she rushed up to a squad of soldiers who were rolling a large
box down the river bank.

This incident occurred at Grand Glaize on a beautiful Sun-
day afternoon early in May, 1861, when the storm cloud of war
was beginning to burst over our Southland.

Excitement was high and the hot heads who staid at home

were revelling in the notoriety of the occasion.

A week previous to this well remembered day, a stranger

made his way unobserved into our little town and upon being
questioned refused to give any information regarding himself
or his intentions. Of course, he was immediately arrested as a
spy, but as nothing definite could be proved, it was decided that
he should be caged and sent to Abraham Lincoln. "But before
being shipped, he must be "marked," some one suggested. So
carrying out this suggestion, half of his beard and half of his
hair were shaved off, leaving one side of his face and head per-
fectly smooth. He was then placed in a large box and put in a
prominent place for exhibition until the next boat passed. To
the children of the town, he was an object of terror, and all
were glad that he had been caught before he had time to do any
harm to the Southern Army.

Thus on the day mentioned, a great crowd of people, includ-
ing our company of soldiers, the Grlaize Rifles, in their bright
new uniforms lined the bank of the river on each side of the
landing to greet and bid farewell to the Jacksonport Guards who
were leaving that day for the battlefields of Virginia.

On hearing that a Yankee was boxed ready to be shipped to

Lincoln, the Jacksonport Guards begged that he might be put on