When General McClellan advanced up the peninsular formed by the James
and York Rivers, from Yorktown and Old Point Comfort, and laid siege
to Richmond in the spring of the year 1862, the Federal gunboats
steamed up the James River and attempted to pass by the Confederate
fortifications at Drewry's Bluff, called "Fort Darling" by the
Federals, and then began a fierce artillery duel between them. At the
crisis of the battle the principal gun, a thirty pounder, was thrown
from its trunions, and by the skill and coolness at this critical
juncture of Major Jno. G. Clarke, the engineer in charge, it was
safely remounted and the enemy's fleet repulsed, thus saving the city
from bombardment. Major Clarke was promoted to the rank of colonel of
the engineer corps, and was at the battle of Gettysburg, where he
directed and superintended the placing of the pontoon bridges at
"Falling Waters" for General Lee's army to pass over after the fight.
He was then promoted again to be full colonel of engineers. Upon the
death of Colonel Harris he was put in command of Charleston, S. C.
During the important period of history known as "Reconstruction,"
General Canby sent one of his aides, a Lieutenant Terfew, to the
county of Henry, in order to reduce the population to terms. The
county seat was his destination and court was in session when he
arrived and at the mid-day recess. This officer, upon dismounting,
very warm and dusty, it being the latter part of June, found a large
number of citizens assembled in front of the hotel, to whom he stated,
that by order of General Canby, he was there to reconstruct the county
and to inaugurate amicable relations between the government at
Richmond and the good people of the county and thus prevent friction.
The crowd present selected as their spokesman an old justice of the
peace, and accordingly addressed the officer in these words:
"Lieutenant Terfew, sir: Any one coming to the good old county of
Henry with such good credentials as you bear, to-wit: The sword in one
hand and the olive branch in the other, a slight or any discourtesy
extended or offered you will be regarded by each one of us as an
affront individually, and will be resented and treated as it
deserves." After this the lieutenant inquired if he could procure any
refreshment, whereupon the landlord stepped forward and said: "Oh,
yes, just follow." The officer then invited the whole party to join
him in a sociable drink. Eleven of them accepted; among them was the
justice who had replied. They walked up the passageway, then faced to
the right and then front-faced to the counter at the bar and each
called for what he wished. Each one took apple brandy. Then he
remarked: "Gentlemen, as I am tired and thirsty, I wish to repeat,
won't you all again join me." Upon this the old justice spoke up thus:
"Now, lieutenant, we will repeat, but not at your expense. Landlord,
just chalk the last drinks down to me." As they were filing out of the
bar the landlord beckoned to the lieutenant and asked him who was
going to pay for those last drinks. "That old fellow has been playing
that trick on me for the last five years," he said. The result was
that the officer was successful in fully reconstructing the county.
Just before the close of the war a foraging squad of Federal cavalry,
under the command of Lieutenant Rowland Wood, was sent out and reached
the fine, old colonial residence of a Mrs. Swann, whose plantation was
well stocked and in fair condition, as in fact many places had not
suffered from the visits of the foragers and prowlers of either army.
Indeed this was one of the fortunate ones. It was named "Meadow
Brook," and was truly a very fine estate. The ladies of the mansion
used an old-fashioned knocker on the front door; and Miss Ida Swann
answered the front door. The officer was struck as soon as she
appeared, as he recognized in her the same young lady that he had
known and greatly admired before the war. She was the ideal Virginian
girl, high spirited and loyal to the South, with an independent
bearing, a characteristic of the well-bred country maiden. She was
fond of out-door life and exercises, like Diana Vernon, so beautifully
described by Sir Walter Scott in one of his novels. The Federal
officer stated his errand in the most polite way, of course, which was
to some extent a matter of embarrassment to him under the
circumstances, and after having made an inspection and found that
there was comparatively nothing on the premises which would be of any
value to the cavalry service, he came across her own riding horse,
which he decided was too delicate to bear a trooper. So he returned to
camp, having done nothing injurious to the place. It happened this was
near the close of the war, and shortly afterwards the Southern army
surrendered at Appomattox to General U. S. Grant. Then the lieutenant
cast aside his uniform and donned a citizen's suit, and after things
had quieted down, he concluded to make a friendly visit to "Meadow
Brook," where he found Miss Swann in the bloom of health and buoyant
spirits. And by his manly and straight-forward course of conduct, he
gradually regained his former position in her esteem and by degrees
the old flame of affection was rekindled, and in the old church
near-by they stood before the altar and plighted their mutual troth
and vows and were made man and wife by the sacred rites of matrimony.
Their life has been, and is now, one of connubial bliss and
contentment with their lot, because of the pure love and congeniality
existing between them.