Family Stories

[Mississippian]

Have been going through some old family stores and decided to share one that deals with "the war".

This story comes from a GG-Grandmother on my moms side, Rachel Rebecca Fox, she was born in 1855 and lived until 1943. Late in life she related this story to my great aunt, who was just a young girl at the time. My great aunt then passed it to me about 20 years ago when I was just 6 and was really started to get interested in the civil war.

Rachel was born in Buncombe County North Carolina in late 1855, and her family lived in the Reems Creek area in the northern part of the county. Like many of the people in western North Carolina they were fairly poor and when the war started the family did it's best to keep their heads down. But when Rachel's father and brother were conscripted in the Confederate Army and sent to Virginia things started to get bad. Confederate agents took almost everything of value off the farm, leaving only a few pots and pans to cook with. By 1863 there was only one male left in the house, a boy about 15 who fled to Tennessee to join the recently arrived Union army. There the boy would raid the quartermasters warehouse and sneak out to a predetermined spot to leave food for the family. Rachel and some of the other young girls would travel several days to pick up the food and take it back to their home. This wasn't easy because they had to avoid the numerous Confederate patrols and roving outlaw bands that were everywhere during the last half of the war. From late 1863 to the end of the war the young soldier kept making his runs to provide food for the family and keep them from starving. He was never caught by his officers or the Confederates and served out his term.

And while after doing my research I know now that the story isn't exactly true, (I am almost certain that the story deals with a cousin who was in the Union army and not a brother, I'm also pretty sure that Rachel was one of the girls sent out to get the food) it rings true enough that I wanted to share it.

I was curious if any of the other members here had family stories they wanted to share....

Will MacDonald

[tenfed1861]

Re: Family Stories

My ggg-grandfather was born July 27th 1843 in Virginia.I have his name,but do not have the spelling out as a right now.When the wore broke out,he was opposed to secession and the war.We do know that just before the Conscript Act,he lost his right index finger.We do not know if it was on accident or purpose.In 1864,he was sent to Camp Lee Conscript Camp where he served as a bounty hunter for various militia units.Family story goes that he would often let the escapees go simply because he did not see a reason for them to fight for a lost cause.He died on July 20th,1920.

I do also have a family store ledger that came from a store in the Shenandoah Valley.The earliest writing speaks of Federal cavalry passing through Gaine's Crossroads in July 1862.

[Trish Hasenmueller]

Re: Family Stories

My gg(step)grandmother told my grandmother this story when she was a child. The family lived between Trenton and Humboldt, TN. Gggrandmother said when the Union army came through they took the family's good horses and left replacements that were worn out. The clincher to the story is that she was able to hang onto the family's cash by hiding it in her bee hives. She figured nobody would be going into a bee hive to find anything and she was right.

Trish Hasenmueller

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Family Stories

Sounds like my gggrandpa's stories. His family sent him to hide the family horse in the woods (near Glouster, OH) when Morgan's raiders cme through. They found the mare anyway and left a worn-out gelding in her place. He nursed the gelding back to health, only to have Federal agents come through, take the horse and leave him with nothing but a receipt.

[cobooya]

Re: Family Stories

OK, let mw see if I can make sense of this.....
My GGGrandfather is listed in the censes as an "Overseer" and also had a small place in the middle of Thoroughfare Gap, Va.,(just outside of Manassas). It seems that Mosby's Raiders would often ride through there and would steal/swap horses, take chickens, and generally be trouble going around all hours of the night! He appealed to the CSA forces but they stated Mosby and his men were not soldiers in the CS service. So he decided to lead Federal forces into a secret recruiting meeting put on by Mosby and some of his Raiders. A few of the Raiders were arrested but Mosby was not there. My GGGF moved from the County over this and did not return until after the War. In 1867, He was at a local election in New Baltimore, Va. when a young man walked up to him and said, "You are the Black eyed Devil that betrayed Mosby that night. I would know those eyes anywhere!" and then reached into his coat pocket as if to draw a pistol. My GGGF pulled his pistol and shot the man dead. It turns out the man was not armed, not even a pocket knife,(as ref. the local newspaper and court records). My GGGF would have been hanged if it were not for the youths Father who went around with a petition and had two pages worth of signitures asking for his release. Stating my GGGF was a family man with children to take care of, and that the War had killed his son years ago, and that he had gone to the election looking for trouble and was sure he was now at peace. Also stated that his other son was arrested that night at the Tavern and that is why he was still alive today. My GGGF lived out the rest of his life on that farm in the Gap.