.OA.Mzk5
Remembrances. of The War.
Between The States
By Mrs. A. E. C. Partin
Of Portsmouth, Va
In the year 1861. I lived on Sycamore St. next to the
Confederate Hospital in the City of Petersburg, Virginia.
In April with my young children around me, and Also Six
Slaves. I watched my Husband March away to join
The Artillery, which was a Petersburg Company.
The 31st
Of May and the 1st of June. The Following year 1862.
The Battle of Seven Pines wasfought near Richmond.
Practically all the Available Men from Norfolk and
Portsmouth were sent. Many of our Beloved Relatives
And Friends were in this Battle. My Father. Henry W.
Neville from Portsmouth was Visiting me at
That time. He was considered too Old for Active
Fighting except in the Home Guards. Numbers of
Our soldiers had been Wounded, so my Father
Went to Richmond to see if he could be of any help.
There, not only were they suffering from Wounds,
But in the Intrenchments among the half Buried.
Near the Chicahominy Swamps Putrified Water and
Mosquitoes you could imagine their condition he
Found W. A. Neville. wounded in the Arm. he was
Much disturbed and tried to get the Surgeon to
Let Him go to Petersburg, but his condition would
Not permit of it: however a short time after this, he
Came to our Home in Petersburg, where i was glad
to nurse and care for him.
Over
3
Out of his arm i Personally took 13 pieces of Bone.
The Arms and legs I dressed beside other Wounds. I
Could not begin to number any way every table cloth,
Sheet and etc. finally was scraped with a table
knife for the lint to dress the Wounds and torn into
Strips to wrap them up. Many dressings a day had to be
Put on in hot weather to prevent Erysipelas just as
Many times unfavorable words were showered
On the Heads of the D--- Yankees, but who could
Blame them
In the Winter of 62 and 63my Family contracted
Small-Pox in Confluent form taken from the
Hospitals. As I have before mentioned.which
Was next door. I had five cases including myself.
Harry, my Youngest Child, i Lost. I Shrouded him
With my own hands. any other help I might have
Had were too busy trying to save the Lives
Of the Wounded who were pouring into the city.
My Father and and I amid showers of Tears
Placed him in the Coffin, the top of which
I screwd down. We Procured a Hack and went
Out to my Husbands Mothers Plantation about
Four miles in Chesterfield county and there
Buried him in the Family Plot the 19th day
Of February 1863.
I truly agree with every
Thing Sherman said of War.
5
Conditions were not improving but were getting
Worse. My Husband. and his three Brothers were in
The army. My Father Assigned to City Defences.
Which left me with our Slaves and Four Children
At Home. I felt that if with every effort, I could
only remain in Petersburg, I would be enabled
To hear from the front. I was at all Hours subject
To call from the Hospital. The Yankees Shelled
This Building and of course my House and
Yard came in for it too. I well Remember
Getting down on my hands and Knees to rake
Out any Inflamable objects from under the edges.
Of the house. all was. Excitement when they
Moved the Sick and wounded for weeks
Afterward i could Hear their cries out in the
Country for Safety.
One Shell bursted in a House
On the opposite side of the street from us.
The Home of Mr. Cogbills. at another Shelling.
One Shattered aTree not 50 feet from my Bed.
I Called my little Family and the Servants
Around me and sat on the Lawn at the end
of the House. I thought if a Shell came, it
Would kill all of us at one time, and that
Would be better than being smothered with
Bricks and Plaster.
7
I remained in the City until after the explosion of
The Crater. June 20. 1864
For days and Nights I had gone without sleep,
Until I became so Despondant and Demoralized
That I gathered together what I could of our
Worldly Goods and with a Prayer in my Heart
That God would see us safely through. Left
With the Children and the Servants for my
Husbands old Home in Chesterfield.
Shortly afer this time General Lee came with
His Army. and was stationed not a great
Distance from us where i had the Pleasure of
Knowing and Talking to him many times.
The Horses were Watered at the two Springs near
Our House.
Mr. Dick Hume of Portsmouth whome i
Had known, was a Bugler in one of the companies.
Our Home was totally without protection, so
We appealed to Captain Granby for some of his
Men to protect our place at Night. He very
Readily sent two Men every Night. we gave
Them Supper and Breakfast for which they were
Very glad.
I would be unable to Enumerate
The number of Bushels of Corn and beans
We parched and had and grind to be used
As Coffee by our Soldiers.
9
Those Yankee Boys were not all Saints by
Any means for we had to coop our chickens
And have them carried under the Porch and
Also drive the Hogs and the Horses and Cows
Close to the House and tie them. to hide the
Family silver and other Valuables. we had
Them put in a Chest and carried to the Chicken
House. where the dirt was scraped away and
They were burried several feet under the
Floor. Then the dirt and litter replaced. Thank
Goodness they did not find them.
I remember
Well one Sunday Night. It was very Stormy
And Rained very hard. Our Smoke House was
Dug under and every ounce of Meat, Lard and
Sausage was taken out. After that the servants
Drove great nails in long pieces of board
And what Meat we could get together, we
Hung on the nails and Hoisted it far up
In the Chimneys. Molasses we put in
Pitchers, Buckets, and Dimijohns. The Lard and
Other Eatables were carried in the Bed Rooms
Up stairs. The Corn was carried up there also
for the Night before a four Horse Wagon Load
Was carried away. On another Morning one
Of the Slaves that fed the Stock came to the
House and said.
11
all the Horses were gone and not a Bridle
Anywhere to be seen. Captain Granby very Kindly
Let us have Six of his Men to help look for
Our Horses. One was found Six Meiles from Home.
Another a little father on. The others were never
Found. The Soldiers were Hungry and had
Been out on a Foraging tramp and had
Gotten so much they took the Horses to carry it
For them. They had no further use for them,
So turned them adrift.
In my Leife I had never
Seen or heard of such Conditions which
Were getting worse all the time.
General Lee
Had to Evacuate and it was sad indeed
To all of us. We had friends and Loved ones
at Howlets and Drury’s Bluff on the James.
But we could not see or hear anything
From them. Neither could we hear from
My Husband or his Brothers. We sopposed
They were about 15 miles from us. Every Gun
That was fired I was sure had Killed
One or the other. We were at our wits
End out there on the Farm and finally
could not stand it any longer.
So early the
*Drewry is the name today.
13
The next morning I told Uncle Isaac to hitch
the carriage. i wanted him to go with me to
Look for his Master. Tears came in the Servants
Eyes for he was devoted to my Husband. Aunt
Frankie the Cook with the aid of younger Servants
Had prepared and cooked abundantly of such as we
Had and packed a large Basket of good things
for Young Master. We arrived over almost Impassable
Roads at Howletts about Eleven O’clock. I found
My Husbands Captain Davis and asked where i
Could find my Husband. He said he did not
Know whether he had been picked up on the
Line or was in the field Hospital. i was
There in the Trenches and could see the Yankee
Bayonets. We left there and went to the field
Hospital but did not find him. I finally saw
Brigadier General Hunterton and he had Captain
Davis sent for and after a while my Husband
Was located at Chester Station between
Richmond and Petersburg. It was getting late now,
Past 3’O’clock. The 1st Man I saw was Dr. Gus
Bilisolyof Portsmouth. He was very glad
To see me and with his assistance i soon
Found my Husband. He was Sick, Dirty, and
In a fearful Condition.
15
I tried to get the Dr. to let him go Home with me
But with no success. He was on some Straw on the
Floor where there were many others i was utterly
crushed and hopeless, but smile I must and smile
I did. We drove back Home and reached there
About half past nine entirely worn out. I did
Not recover for several days. We Constantly
Heard shooting in that direction and many of our
Men we heard had been wounded and Killed and
And many Prisoners.
My Husband told me the day
I saw him that they all had to go to the front in
A few days, as they expected to have a Battle.
Once more I sent Uncle Isaac to see if he
could see anything of or hear of his Master.
He came back with his Coffee Pot and Testament,
But could hear nothing from him. The Slave
Was so hurt he could hardly talk and cried
Like a Child.
Captain Granby and his Men
Were still looking out for us and would like
To mention the names of the Men that so
Carefully Guarded us. Mr. Luke Whitehurt[probably Whitehurst] of
Norfolk, Mr. Tom. Whiting, clerk in Petersburg,
Mr. Giles. T. Berkley. of Berkley, Mr. Wm Whiting of
Hampton, A Mr. Higgins. of Princess Anne, Co.
A. Mr. [Steve?], of Norfolk.
17
Times were getting worse and food very scarce.
At this time all our men had left and then came
The Negro Soldiers and all the worse Yankees
That could come. Petersburg was put under
Provost orders: then I could not send a Slave
Or any one to Petersburg to get a pass, so I had to
Go myself. I went to the Office to get a pass
For a two Horse Wagon and Man. The Provost
Marshall said to me, you will have to take
The Oath”, i said “for what,” he said to aid
And help the Federal Government. i said i
Will never do it”. He replied then you will have
to Surrender to us. isaid no, you will have
To in that case Remove me Bodily. he said
I am very sorry Madam, I can not do anything
For you. i said God grant you may not
Stay here long. Young Man. this is our Home.
I will say that i never took the Oath or
Surrendered to any one. have never been
Reconstructed. have never given the right
Hand of Fellowship knowingly to any one
Born North of the Mason Dixon line since
The War, nor doiI care to.
I am Southern Born,
As were our people before us i seceded
With the States, suffered with my Dear ones.
19
Lost my Money, Land and Slaves. i leave as a
Charge to my Children to be ever Loyal to the
Ideals and Principals of our Confederacy
Which I have stood by and Loved.
Anna Eliza
Caroline Partin.
October. 4.th 1916
Member of Portsmouth –
Chapter, United Daughters
Of the Confederacy.
