Catawba County, North Carolina

The Aftermath – Suffering Under Northern Oppression

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [2  Tim 3]

Following untold suffering for almost four years, the tide of war, at this late date in the conflict, began to roll in upon Catawba. Countians were to learn the rigors of invasion in April, when Stoneman's foragers caused great dismay and wide-spread terror.

It was at a time that all North Carolina experienced close contact with the war. The fall of Fort Fisher and the occupation of Wilmington, the failure of the peace commission, and the unchecked advance of Sherman's army northward from Savannah, were the alarming features of the time.

In March, 1865, General Stoneman left East Tennessee moving through Taylorsville, Tenn., through Watauga county to Deep Gap in the Blue Ridge. On March 26 he entered Boone and on the day following the column was divided, one division marching toward North Wilkesboro, while the other crossed the Blue Ridge at Blowing Rock and went to Patterson in Caldwell county. Members of this column continued south to harass Catawba countians.

Historians generally agree that the Stoneman Raiders were employed more as a morale-breaking force than as emissaries of conquest. Chiefly, they traveled, apparently without goal, the countryside, pillaging at major points and committing offenses of aggravating, if not serious, nature at other points.

Those members of the Stoneman army who invaded Catawba county are believed to have been stragglers, and likely persons of undesirable character. Stoneman, himself, was not among them.

It is contended by many historians, including Southerners, that Stoneman's personal conduct and his military policies were ethical. Cornelia Phillips Spencer, a North Carolinian, in "The Last Ninety Days of the War in North Carolina," points out: ". . . But General Stoneman's policy toward the inhabitants (of Salisbury) ... is a very striking illustration of the principles which . . . were the only true and generous and really politic guide for the commanders of an invading army. Private property was protected, guards were stationed, and General Stoneman repeatedly gave strict orders for the enforcement of quiet and protection of the citizens. He himself in person inspected the public stores, which were of course by the laws of war doomed to destruction, and refused to allow the Confederate Quartermaster's depot to be burned lest it should endanger the town. . . . Whatever plundering and insolence the people were subjected to—and there were a number of such cases-was very evidently the work of unauthorized bummers. ..."

The force which descended upon Catawba did, in fact, deal dastardly with the inhabitants. Newton's encounter with the Federalists is described by George Pope in a newspaper article which appeared in connection with the county's celebration of the 1947 Soldiers Reunion event at the county seat city. It is, in part, as follows:

"On April 5th, 1865, General Stoneman's Cavalry raided Newton. They came up the old Laurel Hill road, which is on the right of the present post office, yelling, shooting and swear-ing. They then began to ransack the town. My mother, who was a very small child at that time, was terrible frightened by the din. The Union soldiers took my Grandfather Beard's cow, hogs and chickens. My grandmother, Nancy Hewitt Beard, went to the commanding officer and tearfully begged for the return of the cow because of her small children. The Yankee officer relented and the cow was returned. Incidentally, Grand-mother Beard made costumes for the Ku Klux Klan and which were hidden in the attic of her home when not in use.

"Charley Connor, . . was shot and killed by the Yankee soldiers as he tried to escape on his horse. My mother's aunt, Evie Hilton, was living in the county jail at that time and the Yankee Captain ordered her to move her things out and they burned the jail down and liberated several Union soldiers who were imprisoned there. They also burned down a large Com-missary building which was located where the Cilley Hosiery mill now stands. Large supplies of food was stored in the Commissary and hungry children stood by crying as burning mollasses ran down the side of the hill

"Sherman was right in his version of War—For Such Is War."

Major J. L. Latta affords a graphic description of Hickory's experiences under the heel of the Yankees. It is as follows:

"Just before the close of the Civil War a horde of myrmidons, from God-knows-where, dropped down in the valley above Lenoir, scattering fire and destruction in every direction, and gathering up all the horses, mules and food stuffs that could be found. They burned Patterson factory, and were headed toward Hickory Tavern.

"When the distracted residents learned of their coming this way, they moved everything possible from the Confederate commissary in order to prevent its seizure, but there were many supplies that could not be quickly removed. A great number of heavy sacks of salt were in the commissary and also over one hundred barrels of molasses, vinegar and brandy. The unfriendly visitors arrived on time, April 6, 1865, just three days after Lee's surrender, and Major E, M. Todd, manager, promptly set fire to the commissary building, which was soon reduced to ashes. Before firing the building, axes were used by Major Todd, the commissary keeper, to knock the heads out of all barrels, and the molasses, vinegar and brandy flowed down the railroad track toward the old mineral spring. After the fire, the scorched or roasted salt was gathered up and used by the residents of the village and surrounding community.  . ."

Historians generally agree that Connor was killed following his refusal to halt upon command. Concerning the burning of the Hickory Tavern commissary, E. L. Shuford, in historical writings, said: "This wanton destruction incensed the country around and they appealed to Governor Vance to punish Todd." Todd, however, was not punished,

Numerous tales have been handed down from generation to generation concerning the oppressive heel of the enemy during; the April, 1865, "invasion" Generally they tell of the destruction of homes, the stealing of residents' few remaining valuables, and the thefts or killings of livestock. Among such stories is one recorded by Sarah Link in "The Story of My Life During the Confederacy"

"One day as Moll (an old white woman) who lived on her plantation, and I were struggling to get manure out of the stable," the writer begins, "a Yankee officer and two men rode up where we were working and caught us with the horse (they had been after it before but we managed to keep her hidden out in the woods). The officer said, 'So you do have a Cavalry Mare after all, we have come for her.' I said, 'Moll see to the horses,' she picked up a stick and struck at the men as they tried to grab my mare, she hit instead the horses of the Yankees, who became frightened and galloped away. I picked up a pitch fork and started after the Officer, telling him, 'You come one step nearer and I'll run this thing clean thru you, Now Git!' And he 'got.' For some unknown reason they left her and went after their own horses and they did not bother me again about this mare until I went after salt to Hickory Tavern, when they chased me across the Catawba river, shot a hole in my salt bag, and I lost all the salt. . . ."

Even as the Federals still prowled through Catawba county, machinery was put in motion by Union officials to accept the surrender of Confederate armies. The honorable surrender of Robert E. Lee signified to Catawbans finally that their cause was now only a wasted dream.

The same General Lee who admitted the failure of the Southerners had, only several months earlier, paid respectful attention to a Catawba county family. Mrs. Barbara Eva Lavina Wilfong, mother of six Confederate soldiers, received the following letter from General Lee in receipt of a Christmas box of foodstuff;

"Petersburg, 11 Jany. '65.
"My Dear Madame:

"I rec'd. some days since your kind note of the 22 ulte., which has been followed by the box to which it referred. The con-tents are very acceptable, in excellent condition notwithstanding their long journey, and I am exceedingly obliged to you for them, I am more gratified at your devoting so many sons to the defense of the country. If they are all equal to the one I know, Capt. Wilfong, 12 N. C, you should be truly grateful. I trust a Kind Providence may preserve them all for you and you for them. With grateful thanks for your prayers in my behalf and the success of our cause,
"I remain very respt' "
Your obt. Servt.,
"R. E. LEE."

"Mrs. B. E. L. Wilfong
"Newton, N. C."

The crushing military defeat of the South stunned its people. The wasted energies of four years of strife left them physically and physiologically exhausted. The spirit of a proud people was crushed and stepped upon. Even the bravest tended to view the surrender as the end of all things.

But, naturally, the sun shone on succeeding days, and, as is coexistent with the will to live, the people dragged themselves out of the humiliating circumstances of bondage. The struggle was not easy, for a new pattern of life, complete from economic to social aspects, is not devised immediately upon conviction that it must be attained. The reconstruction years, or the time necessary for the aftermath of war's hatreds to be spent, therefore, were as taxing and as challenging as the miserable tenure of the war.

The War Between the States did more than free the slaves. It also upset a social and an economic order, strengthened the powers of the United States government, and fastened tighter upon the South a colonial status under which it had long suffered.

Unfortunately, the defeated soldier was not allowed to return home after the cessation of hostilities, as he was detained as a prisoner, and the hardest reconstruction tasks fell to women who had suffered equally the deprivations of war. What is more, the women were to be aided no longer by the Negroes, who were now free and from henceforth could go where they willed.

The hardships provided by the scarcities of living's necessities, such as food and clothing, were augmented by sweeping governmental, industrial, political and social changes. An occupation army, quartered for the most part in private homes, neglected or refused to see the ravages of the Northern scum, carpet-baggers and adventurers, who tagged to the tails of the Yankee uniform wherever it went.

Catawba county, because of its scant population and the absence of vital industries, was bothered little by the Union rule in the sense of the presence of soldiers, and it was allowed to attend to its internal affairs generally at its own will.

Change was evident in every aspect of living, from the practices of the family group to the creation of a community-law order. For the purposes of the volume, as an index to the tempo of the times, these two categories are chosen for discussion.

Mrs. Mary Shuford Davis writes interestingly of homes and home life during the reconstruction period, as follows:

"The period after the war was a period characterized by hard poverty in every walk of life, but especially in the home. The Confederate soldier returned to labor and to work. The mothers, wives, and daughters, servantless and poor, took upon their shoulders uncomplainingly the drudgery of the household tasks. Truly it may be said of them that by the 'sweat of the brow did they eat.'

"The daily round of household duties was varied and never-ending, a thousand tasks arose to be completed with every sun. Whatever of clothing, light and food they obtained, whatever of comfort and cheer surrounding them in their homes, was only produced by labor, thrift and saving care.

"Looking back upon this picture of hard toil we see its setting and framework in the typical home of Catawba county as it was then. These houses were small and unpretentious looking, but were made lovely in summer by vines and the beloved old-fashioned flowers that grew in every 'Grandmother's Garden.' The bordered path led up to the door, and here one entered into the general living room, warm, cheery and bright with its glowing open fire in winter and its shadowed cool in summer.

Here the family gathered together when the day was over, about the solitary little candle that so bravely strove to light the depths of gloom. Here the friendly neighbors who came over to spend the day, sat working on half-completed quilts, their knitting or sewing, never idle, but talking of the 'days before the war' or the present news while they worked. Here the social gatherings were held, no fear of boisterous young people doing harm to the rag carpets, the homespun curtains or the split bottom chairs with which the room was furnished. Without doubt, these rooms contained many pleasant memories of happy scenes despite 'hard times.'

"Certainly there could be no greater contrast to this cheery room than the gloomy 'best room' or parlor. With its better furnishing of carpet and chairs carefully guarded, its shades drawn down and the few pictures hung precisely on the walls and a few books placed precisely on the table, this sacred precinct was always kept closed and generally locked. Only on such occasions as weddings or funerals was its dark domain invaded and used.

''Passing by the bed rooms with their high, four-poster beds, pretty crazy quilts and old furniture that has been handed down from mother to daughter, we find the old-time kitchen the most important and most interesting place of all. Here was the great open fireplace with its two swinging rods, one on each side, fitted out with hooks on which were hung the many sized pots over the glowing coals. Sometimes there was an old-time stove; but. if so, this was only used for special occasions such as the baking of all the weekly pies and bread on Saturday, or the cake for Christmas season. Generally the daily supply of vegetables and meat was prepared by boiling everything over the open fire.

"Apples, sweet and Irish potatoes were baked in the hot ashes; chestnuts were roasted and popcorn popped over a bed of coals. The Dutch oven, a round covered pan in which biscuits were baked, was often set on these coals with its layer of coals on top. Strings of beef and sausage dipped in brine and hung over the stove or around the room to dry out, were frequent: ornaments of the kitchen. Bundles of red peppers also made a cheerful spot. The adjoining pantry was, of course, the realm of delicacies and stacks on stacks of good things to eat.

"Here were sweet pickles and preserves made from every kind of fruit, row on row of dried apples, pears and peaches, fresh tomatoes and fruit saved far into the fall.

"Frequently there was a cellar to the house where winter provisions of potatoes, vegetables and apples were stored. Down in its depths was the place for shelves of peanuts and barrels of sauer kraut, which during the fall was made by filling in alternate layers of cabbage and salt, with the whole pressed down by large rocks. Fruits and melons were often placed in wheat bran in the cellar for preservation and it was a great achievement if some could be saved long enough to grace the Christmas festivities.

"Almost all food was raised on or near the home place. Every household had a garden where the vegetables were raised and fruit trees around the place, if not a regular orchard. As for meat, chickens were an important article and during the winter great supplies lasted over from hog-killing time. Outside the kitchen in the back yard a low, brick oven was generally built, where the baking was done when the kitchen held no stove. Molasses was used a great deal to take the place of the more expensive brown sugar, and once or twice a year a general stock of salt, sugar, coffee and commodities of that sort which could not be 'home-made' or home-grown were laid in. Water in the kitchen or elsewhere was not used so lavishly as at present, be-cause often every bucketful had to be carried from the spring which might be quite a distance from the house.

"If these houses could not boast of beauty, they were nevertheless cheery and home-like. The walls were plastered or ceiled without paper and the few pictures on the walls with occasional portraits of wood, cuts for which the carpenter had sawed out and painted a frame. Books were few outside the family Bible, but those favored persons who had small libraries were usually generous enough to lend reading material around to friends and neighbors. The novel rag carpets were manufactured at home from scraps which had been saved for that purpose. The candles by which light was insured during the long winter evenings were made by dozens and half dozens by pouring the hot tallow into the molds, after the wicks had been fixed in place. Curtains at the windows gave a touch of prettiness and comfort. These, hanging over the figured paper shades, were of certain material which lasted—as did most things of that day—year in and year out.

"As for clothing in the days following the War, the styles did not change every season as they do now. Clothing which had been one's mother's or grandmother's was handed on down. Woolen dresses when obtained were worn every winter till in rags. Stockings were knitted at home and other clothing when the weaver had finished his job, was put together entirely by hand. Men's suits were usually homespun. Shoes were made by the cobbler of the community and one or two pairs were considered sufficient. Hats were used season after season and every bit of trimming or pretty piece of ribbon was carefully treasured. At social gatherings the young man who wore a 'Northern' or readymade suit was considered a dude and a dandy. Hairdressing in that time was rather severe, the hair being drawn back over the ears in a coil behind. In the case of young girls, curls were preferred, and their few party dresses were made shortwaisted or empire in style,

"The most pleasant side of this picture is the social life of the sixties. Neighbors were friendly—often one good house-wife would bring her work and spend the day with another— then a good old country dinner would be prepared; no fancy dishes, but plenty to eat. The young people had social gatherings at each other's homes, quilting and sewing bees and husking parties in the fall Usually the old people did the work while the young folks played the old fashioned games of 'drop-the-handkerchief' and others. At dances the square dances only were engaged in and the Virginia Reel was the most popular. In the summer, camp meetings were frequently attended and these were a great event in most people's lives, since at these times the country people saw friends and exchanged news and enjoyed social intercourse that was usually denied them. Church during the year was well attended. Whenever an opportunity was afforded as the minister went the rounds of his several charges, the people would drive in for miles around. This was the social side but nowhere could one look at the people gathered together or in their homes but that one saw traces of home labor and toil From the food they ate to the clothing that kept the body warm one could discern ceasless industry in the thousand lines of household work."

With ingenuity of hands and mind, Catawbans and other Southerners gradually designed a new and satisfying type of living. It was proved that four years of cruel war followed by a decade of humiliation could not blot out the old love of country implanted in South and North alike by the sacrifices of the Revolution and subsequent common problems and experiences.

The Confederacy as a government unit had died completely. Even during the darkest days of reconstruction, Southerners did not harbor the hope of re-establishing a separate country. Although radical leaders of the North hesitated to recognize the fact, the Confederate states had been ready from the day of surrender to resume their positions in the Union.
It can be pridefully said that the New South was devised by the Southerners, and they remain loyal Southerners, though no less Americans.

It is significant that Catawba countians, led by Newtonians, continue to honor the memory of their Confederate heroes through an annual observance—"Reunion" week, staged during August in the county seat city. The event, the chief feature of which is "Reunion Day," Thursday, when friends through-out the county and their friends throughout the nation gather to renew acquaintances, enjoy a parade and other activities. was begun by the Ransom-Sherrill chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Concerning the "Reunion," George Pope has written;

" ... They used to set up tables on the old courthouse lawn and gave the old soldiers and their wives dinner on Reunion Day. How well do 1 remember the old Civil War vet from Taylorsville who used to give the famous old 'Rebel Yell' over at the courthouse. At that time, it was called 'Old Soldiers Reunion.' But now, since all the old Civil War vets are gone, it has been changed to 'Soldiers and Sailors Reunion'[ in honor of the Spanish American and World War One and Two veterans (now changed to simply Soldiers Reunion) . . ."

Records reveal that the first "regular" reunion was held July 4, 1892, at the county courthouse, when the Confederate veterans organized with J. G. Hall as the first commander and Miles O. Sherrill as first lieutenant. At that time, plans were made for the second reunion to be held a year later in Hickory,

There were 222 veterans at the first Reunion in 1892. Mrs. P. C. Hall, before her death, recalled that as early as 1879 there was a gathering of veterans, but pointed out that the first organized reunion came in 1892.

Another tribute to the patriotism of Confederate soldiers is a beautiful monument on the northeast corner of court square in Newton. This, likewise, was erected by the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter, U. D. C.

Catawba county today claims the distinction of counting among its citizens a past national president general of the U. D. C. This is Mrs. Glenn Long of Newton, whose tireless efforts in the interest of the U. D. C., which organization is dedicated to promulgating the memory of the sacrifices of the Boys Who Wore the Grey, and her worthwhile work in many other realms of civic endeavor, deem her an asset to her county, her state, and her country.

REF: A History of Catawba County, 1954, publ. by the Catawba County Historical Assn; edited by Charles J. Preslar, Jr.

Information on these pages is Copyrighted by Derick S. Hartshorn (c) 2001-2009 on behalf of the C.F. Connor Camp #849
Data NOT for sale or collection by any commercial or for-profit entity under any circumstances.

Derick S. Hartshorn - (C) 2009
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