RIDLEYS OF OXFORD, NORTH CAROLINA.
521
such fearful desperation for five days. During that time we witnessed from our
gallery a severe skirmish between the contending parties. The flash, smoke and
deafening noise of the artillery, the clicking of small arms, deploying troops in an
open field, the shouts and curses of the infuriated soldiers, was a scene we will
not soon forget. At last the bloody struggle ended. Bragg retreated and
we were surrounded by a desperate, unscrupulous, but victorious foe. My father
was compelled to leave home for safety, and took with him my young sister, thir-
teen years of age, fearing to leave her in the midst of such horrors. My five broth-
ers and husband were with their respective commands, leaving ma, grandma and
myself, alone, with no protector.
"This sad necessity at any time, was doubly so now, for my poor grandma was
daily expected to die, and I at the same time was so ill it was not known which
would survive longest. Ah! who can describe the anguish of my mother then?
Husband, sons, young daughter, gone-mother and eldest daughter dying; that
was a time when she could truly say, 'I've no help but God.' And through that
dense darkness that enveloped her, one ray of light beamed - God heard the
mother's prayer and spared to her her eldest daughter. Death-that reaper with
the sickle keen,' entered our house though, and took for his prey our grandma,
who had laid for months on a bed of suffering.
"Every road, every turnpike was strongly picketed by the Federals, and no one
was permitted to pass three miles in any direction. Ma laid my grandma to rest in
a coffin made by a near neighbor out of a cherry wardrobe. The outer box was
made of a black board and flooring plank taken out of a house for that purpose.
That precious body that we had lifted so tenderly for fear of giving her pain for
months, was conveyed to her last resting place in a rough wagon, and of all her
descendants, none was permitted the sad pleasure of standing by her grave, except
mamma. But she rests calmly and sweetly now on the bosom of that Saviour she
delighted to glorify while on earth. The thunder of artillery can't disturb her;
the temporary triumph of our enemies cannot sadden her- she is safely housed.
"After grandma's death, 14th January, I continued perfectly helpless for weeks.
Daily, crowds of insolent soldiers came to our house for forage, chickens, horses,
meat, etc. They always got what they desired without resistance, for ma felt that
excitement of any kind would endanger my life, and she would give them no cause
for anger. They were always insolent and invariably taunted ma with the fact that
her sons were in the rebel army. This was their apology for depredations of every
kind. They instigated the negroes to steal our buried silverware, and this deter-
mined ma to make an effort to save some of the necessaries of life. In the roof of
the house she concealed wheat, corn, fifty bacon hams, wool, dried fruit, etc. Al-
most daily we heard of threats being made to burn the house, and ma feeling almost
confident of it, made an effort to save some articles of value, but our neighbors
were fearing the same calamity, and we knew of no place of safety. An additional
source of alarm was, almost every night, being aroused to witness some confla-
gration in the neighborhood - either a dwelling-house, gin, or stable. In four
weeks, seventeen cotton-gins had been destroyed by fire and several dwelling-
houses. Our nights, you may imagine, were full of terror, but no serious cause for
alarm occurred until the 1st of February.
"A negro belonging to Mr. —, who had a wife and child at ma's, came with a
party of armed Federals and demanded his wife and child. Ma offered a stout
resistance to his outrageous demands, and told him If he crossed that door she'd
shoot him.' After some parleying, he left, saying he would return in two weeks.
The negro's manner was haughty and consequential; he was armed with two pistols,
strutted about the house with great freedom, talked loud and boldly, and altogether,
the incident alarmed us a good deal. Nothing farther occurred though until the
11th of February. The night was cloudy, moonless, and starless. About nightfall
the family assembled on the gallery to witness a burning house two miles distant,
and it was with a feeling of impending evil that we all went to sleep. No one was
sleeping in the dwelling-house except ma, two young ladies, and myself, and two
little negroes. We had not slept long when our old watch-dog, Carlo, aroused us
by jumping against the back door. It excited me very much, but ma calmed me by
saying, 'Oh, it's nothing, my daughter, but Carlo trying to get in the house!' In
a few moments the faithful dog came to the other door and sprang against it with
an angry bark. We were fully aroused now, and ma sprang out of bed, pushed
open the blinds and exclaimed 'Great God! the house is on fire! Eliza, Annie,
Leila, Susan, get up, the house is burning up-be calm, my daughter, I'll save
you; don't be excited - Susan, Leila, run to the kitchen and ring the bell!' In the
