_Feb. 22._ I heard Uncle Sam read the first three chapters of Genesis,
which he translated into his own lingo as he went along, calling the
subtile serpent the most "amiable" of beasts, and ignoring gender,
person, and number in an astonishing manner. He says "Lamb books of
life," and calls the real old Southern aristocracy the gentiles! His
vocabulary is an extensive one--I wish his knowledge of the art of
cooking were as great!
_Feb. 25._ I was in full tide with my A B C's when I saw two mounted
officers pass the window. They presently appeared at the door of the
school-room, one of them with a General's stars, addressing me and
asking about the school. But he did not introduce himself, and I was
in profound ignorance as to who it might be. They came, apparently, to
see the place, and while they walked on the beach I got up what lunch
I could. The title had an immense effect upon Robert; when I told Sam
I must have the water boiled to give the General some coffee, he
opened his eyes as wide as the gate, and Rose, who came to ask for the
key of the corn-room for him to feed the horses, was such a comical
sight, as she stared with mouth and eyes and then dropped a curtsey in
the middle of the room, that if any one had been here I think I should
have disgraced myself and snickered! Unfortunately the dignitary did
not see her.
_Feb. 26._ I had scarcely done breakfast when I was called upon to
serve in the shop for half a dozen men from the blockading vessel off
Otter Island, all negroes. They come every once in a while and buy
large amounts of sugar and other little things. They evidently think
their patronage of great advantage to us.
Five grown men have come in to swell the evening school. I can't do
much for them, as they don't all know their letters, but they have
books and I hope the children will help them on out of school.
Have I told you that the path to the beach has been bordered with
flowers for several weeks, jonquils and narcissus, so far as I can
make out, though unlike any I ever saw before? They are in great
profusion, and there are a few snow-drops, very pretty, but a foot or
more high, and losing their charm in the height and strength. The
jasmine and hawthorn are just coming into blossom, and I see what
looks like a peach-tree in full bloom in Sam's yard.
_Feb. 27._ C. came home before night, with the news that the sales had
begun[110] and that our fate would be decided by next week probably.
He brought no other news of importance except that my unknown guest
was probably a General Potter[111] on Foster's staff. When I came out
of school this morning I found Rose asleep on the rug in front of the
parlor fire! She is quite a Topsy in some things, playing all sorts of
tricks with her voice and actions, but I have never had reason to
doubt her truth or honesty in the smallest particular, since the
first, and I have been very watchful.
_Feb. 28._ Before I was up I heard a perfect babel of tongues, a
magpie chattering, which, on looking out of the window, I found came
from about twenty women at work in our new garden getting out the
"jint-grass," swinging their great, heavy hoes above their heads. Dr.
Dio Lewis should have seen their gymnastics and the physical
development therefrom. It was a droll sight--red, blue, and bright
yellow in their costume, and such a gabbling! Hindustanee is as
intelligible as their talk among themselves. How C. astonished a man
who was muttering away to himself the other day at the Oaks by
laughing at him and telling him he understood Nigger as well as he!
Old Deborah walked from Cherry Hill this morning,--she has lately
moved there from here,--and came into the early school, which greatly
delighted her. She is Rose's grandmother, and heard her
great-grandchild reading to me, yet she is a smart old body and
carries on her own cotton this year. Her delight over Raphael's
angels--we have Mr. Philbrick's photographs of them here--was really
touching. "If a body have any consider, 'twould melt their
hairt,"--and she tried to impress it upon Rose that she was a greatly
privileged person to be able to see them every day.
In the next letter is described a visit to the camp of the
"North Carolina army" at Land's End.
_Sunday, March 1._ We started off in time to reach church before the
sermon was over, I in the sulky with my things to stay all night,--if
it should prove practicable for me to go to camp, by staying at G.'s
or the Oaks. H. got into my sulky and we drove off, the question to be
decided after dinner. The road to-day was lined with the jasmine in
full bloom running over everything. I was too late to see it last
spring and as I had not been out of the house for a fortnight the
change was very marked. Some trees are putting out fresh, green
leaves, the peach and wild plum-trees are all in blossom. Our large
field, too, had been "listed"[112] since I passed through it last, and
altogether things had a very spring-like look. After dinner it was
decided to take the carriage and Northern horses, with Harry, and make
our expedition to the camp in style, escorted by Mr. Sumner on
horseback.
Behold us, then, starting about ten in the morning, Monday, March 2,
driving for fifteen miles through the woods, a perfect spring day,
till, as we reached our journey's end, we found the woods cut down and
fields cleared for the camps over an immense space. Tents in every
direction and masts beyond, looking very busy and thriving. Real war
camps, not such as we see at Readville, for most of the regiments
coming on such an expedition, from which they expected to return
before this time, had only shelter tents, as few things as they could
possibly get along with, and their worst clothes. There were men
washing (with a bit of board in a half of a barrel with a
horse-brush!), cutting wood, mending the road very much cut up with
the army-wagons, sticking down trees in front of their tents, and in
almost every camp we saw some men playing ball. Horses and wagons,
rough stables, and the carpenters at work with plane and saw getting
up comforts. The Twenty-Fourth was at Land's End indeed, so we passed
through all the others before we came to it, each additional one
causing a louder and more wondering exclamation from Harry at the
sight of so many men, till the oxen, evidently waiting to be
slaughtered, and of a size so vastly superior to those indigenous to
these regions, quite dumbfounded him.
The Twenty-Fourth reached at last, we went at once to James's tent,
where he greeted us very kindly, and inviting us in, went off for
John. Glad as I was to see them at last, it only made me doubly sorry
that they should have been so near us and unable to come down to the
few home comforts we could have offered them; but they have both tried
to get away in vain. We found the Twenty-Fourth was in a very excited
state over General Stevenson's arrest;[113] and speaking of his
release and return to camp the day before, James said--"We gave him
such a reception as the Twenty-Fourth _can_ give." The whole North
Carolina division were feeling very sore over the quarrel between
Hunter and Foster which has so unjustly, as they feel, deprived them
of going under Foster on this expedition, and over the general
treatment of them and their officers which they have received ever
since they came into this Department.[114] This I heard from James
first, but more at length and in detail from the surgeon afterwards.
For as we drove home a gentleman passed us on horseback, and we
presently saw him racing with Mr. Sumner, and then riding by his side.
They soon turned. Mr. Sumner introduced to me S. A. Green. Mr. Sumner
had never seen him before, but asked him to join us at lunch at Mr.
G.'s, where we were to stop on our way.
G. was expecting us, and such a dinner as he spread before us! A
little roasted pig, over which Mr. Sumner grew pathetic as he
described its baby-like appearance before it was cooked, when Tamah,
their invaluable cook, brought it in to show them--potatoes, rice,
etc., and for dessert, trifle, cake, muffins, waffles of a most
excellent variety, and I don't know what. But the spice of the dinner
was a long and animated discussion over the cause of General
Stevenson's arrest and other matters appertaining thereto. Dr. Green
was present at the time Stevenson had his discussion with Major
Barstow and is reported to have said that he would rather be defeated
than gain a victory with the aid of black soldiers,--and says that he
said no such thing. The question was asked as a leading one, and
before General Stevenson replied, Major Barstow exclaimed, "You hear
that declaration?" and went off and reported. Pretty small business,
anyway, though the General and most of his officers apparently are not
at all waked up to the question, and oppose the idea of negro soldiers
very strongly. They seem to have been living for a year with their old
prejudices quietly slumbering--without coming in contact with the
subject and its practical working as we have here, and so are not
prepared for the change of opinion which has been silently advancing
here. We did not think a year ago that these people would make
soldiers, though it might be a wise measure to organize them for
garrison duty to save the lives of our men in a climate they could not
bear well and where no fighting would be necessary. Now it is a matter
of fact, not opinion, as Colonel Higginson's report shows, that they
will fight in open warfare, and will succeed in a certain sort of
expedition when white men would fail, thus being too valuable an aid
in putting down the Rebellion for us to give way to the prejudices of
the mass of the soldiers. But I do not think it strange those
prejudices exist, and they can only be removed by degrees.
The sales are to go on--how glad I shall be when the whole thing is
settled! Dr. Brisbane thinks he has proof that Mr. Coffin is in jail
in Charleston for Union sentiments,[115] so that he shall reserve his
plantations for him. Mr. Philbrick may be able to lease them till the
war is over, but if we take Charleston and if Mr. Coffin claims his
own again, behold us! I don't know what the negroes would do, at
first, if they thought Mr. Coffin was coming back to take possession
of the lands--though they all acknowledge that when he was here there
was no "confusion"--"that was all along de overseer." I suppose, if
they were not taken by surprise and could understand matters, they
would work for him as well as any one else; but a great deal would
depend upon whom they had over them--they would not work under
Cockloft again "first." They will be disappointed if Mr. Philbrick
does not get this place.