USA > Virginia > Clarke County > Clarke County > History of Clarke County, Virginia and its connection with the war between the states > Part 6
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Ordered that in the event that any of the above named committee be ordered off upon military duty, that the
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committee shall be empowered to supply such vacancies from the Magistrates of the county, and the court recom- mends to the citizens of the county exempt by law from military duty to meet together at once at such conven- ient places as they may fix upon and organize Home Guards, for the purpose of defense in a common cause in such mode and manner as they may deem expedient.
And the Court orders that no charge for this attendence and service at this term shall be made.
It will be seen from the above order of the Court with what unanimity, action was taken and also how careful they were that everything should be done not only for the soldiers in service but to protect the interest of the county. The men appointed on the committee were clear headed business men, who would see that no loss should come upon the people of the county who were to pay the taxes that should repay their bonds. Mr. Crow, the Chief Commissary, was a man fitted for the place. He was a prominent merchant in the town and no doubt did the county good and efficient service in the position. Under this order they immediately proceeded to furnish knap- sacks to the Companies in the field and also to get material to make tents. A two horse wagon for each company was ordered to be made and horses purchased for them. It was found, as said above, that arms and provisions were being furnished by the State and Confederate author- ities, so nothing of that sort was necessary. The knap- sacks, the tents and the wagons had to be made in the county and you will see that many people were busy in the work, for it was pressing work, the knapsacks were needed, as thought, right away. How soon the companies might be called on to march no one knew, and how were they to carry their clothing, etc? The knapsacks must be made and sent on at once. The poor boys as soon as they
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left Harper's Ferry would have no shelter; the tents must be made and the wagons and the horses surely were needed, as the sad sequel will show. So there was much pressure to get all done. Even the ladies, old and young, gave their service on the tents. Tents made of the best heavy cotton were hard to sew, and many drops of blood from dainty fingers were left upon them, perhaps for some fond lover to see, and think, "This blood was shed for me." The tents and knapsacks were at last done and sent on, the knapsacks first. But soon they learned that knap- sacks were incumbrances, that men needed to carry mighty little, and hardly that when the weather was hot. The writer remembers that at some fights our knapsacks were taken off and left in a line to be returned to later, and never seen again. And the beautiful tents at the very first approach of the enemy, were carefully taken down, rolled up neatly, and left to be captured! How we missed the horses and wagons then! It had taken longer to make the wagons, they were not ready until after the First Ma- nassas, and the tents were gone sometime before that. The wagons were a great comfort, such tents as we got were hauled in them and also our blankets and cooking utensils. They stayed with us for a year or more, but in one way or another they were lost. I think the one belonging to Company I was driven off by the driver, and wagon, horses and driver never seen again. The fate of Company C's wagon and of the Clarke Cavalry's is not known, but they disappeared. It will be noticed in the above order that the citizens of the county who were not in service were urged to form themselves into Home Guards and to meet, drill, and be ready to defend their homes. This was done for a while with much enthusiasm, but when the Militia was ordered out, about the first of June, 1861, that was given up. The order, however, showed the spirit of
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patriotism, which pervaded the hearts and minds of every one. At the May term, 1861, from an order issued, it would look as though there had been some conflict of opinion between the Committee, and the Chief Commissary in the execution of their respective duties and the Court felt that it should issue an order clearly defining the powers of the committee and limiting the power and authority of its other agents. So the order of May, 1861, is included in this account as follows:
On Monday, 27th day of May, 1861, the following order was entered:
"It is ordered to be certified that in the order appointing the committee for carrying out the order made at the last term for more effectually arming, provisioning, etc., the troops now in service and such as may be called into service, it was the purpose to confine the whole expendi- ture of money and all other duties arising under said order to the said committee and that the Commissary and other agents be subject to the orders only of said committee."
The Court having ordered the issuing of the bonds it became necessary to provide for their payment and we find at the June term, the following order entered:
On Monday, the 10th day of June, 1861, the following order was entered:
"Ordered that there be levied upon the real and personal property of this county for the purpose of paying the bonds ordered to be issued by the county at the April Term of this court, due on the 1st day of January, 1862, for more effectually arming, provisioning, etc., the troops now in service or that may be hereafter brought into the service, the sum of five cents upon every hundred dollars value thereof and upon each white person in the county over the age of sixteen years and upon each and every slave over the age of twelve years, the sum of thirty-five cents."
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On the 23rd day of December, 1861, the following order was entered:
Ordered that the Justices of this county be summoned to the next term of this court for the purpose of considering the manner and purposes in and for which the county ap- propriations in April last, for the purpose of arming and provisioning the troops of this county has been expended and appropriated, and it is required that the committee report their proceedings under the orders, at the next term of the court.
On Monday, the 24th day of February, 1862, the fol- lowing order was entered:
It is ordered that the consideration of the matters for which the Justices have been summoned be postponed until the April term next, and that the Justices be summoned to that term to consider the subject of the expenditures of the county appropriation for the arming and provisioning the troops made at the April term, 1861.
It will be seen that the last orders of the Court pro- vided for a report at the April Term, 1862, as to the ex- penditure of the money borrowed. If there was a meet- ing of the Court then there is no record of it. At this point in the record book all the pages were cut out by the Yan- kees, who seemed to wish to cause as much trouble as pos- sible by the destruction of the county records. When the war ended the papers of the Court were scattered all over the Court house yard, and the books, many of them, were badly mutilated. Some papers were gathered up by Mr. D. H. McGuire and others, and placed in the records again, but in a number of cases, whole records were gone, resulting, no doubt, in loss and failure of jus- tice to those interested. It is probable that there were no more meetings of the Court, as the presence of the enemy in our midst prevented it, and even when our troops
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were here the time was too short to take up such matters. Besides, in many cases, both principals and attorneys were at the front fighting with powder and ball and all thought of legal fighting was laid aside.
A very important part of the expenditure was in the furnishing of clothing to those who needed it and also overcoats to all. No one can tell with what pleasure the men saw the overcoats brought to them in the Fall and Winter of 1861 and '62. They added much to their com- fort and enabled them to endure the hardships of the winter campaign more cheerfully. After the evacuation of Winchester in the Spring of 1862 the County officially had no opportunity to do anything for the men and they had to depend on their home people or draw what they needed from the Government. Later in the war provis- ion was made to get the home people salt from the salt works in Southwestern Virginia and Major Joseph F. Ryan was the agent for the county to do this work. It was very necessary as the only other source for such things was across the Potomac and very few could get there. Some ventured to run the blockade to get supplies from Harper's Ferry and other places, but the majority had to depend, for salt especially, upon the County Agent, who brought it as far down the Valley as possible, the people going there after it. Of course salt was in great demand at the butchering season, and there were great times getting it and dividing up the amount among friends and neighbors. In those days, people seemed to think only of doing the best possible for each other, there was no thought-except among very few-of making money, all seemed to feel that they had gone into a common cause and that no one must suffer if kindness could prevent it. The County authorities through Mr. Am. Moore, one of the Justices, gave some help to the needy families of sol-
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diers by supplying meat and other things, and the citi- zens did what they could to help those in want.
I have heard of no instance where any suffered for want of the necessaries of life. Of course, as time went on, anxiety for those at home became very great on the part of the men who had families. When the end was so long coming and seemed to be going against us, some lost heart and came home, and they could hardly be blamed. With no provider and nothing doing in the country, all work even on the farms stopped, the outlook was dark for help- less women and children. If now and then one thought that the call of the home folks was too strong to disregard, who shall judge him and say that he was wrong?
CHAPTER XI.
LITERARY PEOPLE
T HE people of Clarke have always been well known for their intelligence and intellectual attain- ments. Many of her sons and daughters have been people of a high degree of culture, fond of literature and art. Some have been professors and teachers of rep- utation, others have attained high honors as ministers of the gospel. Among civil engineers have been some who have attained national reputation, others have been very successful as bridge builders and mining engineers, in all lines of engineering they have succeeded well. The mem- bers of the Clarke Bar, as well as men from the county who have entered the Bar at other places, have taken high stands and are the peers of any in the State. Her Doc- tors of Medicine have also been known for their skill in both surgery and medicine. Many of her young men who have entered the various lines of business have been eminently successful. While there has been much intel- ligence and intellectual culture, very few have made lit- erature a life calling, some have "Dallied with the Muses" for pleasure or written other things when stirred by some event or occasion of interest, but one only made work of it. Among the few who ventured on the sea of letters were some who were not natives of the county, but were adopted sons.
Philip Pendleton Cooke, whose young life was cut short, just as he was in the flower of his manhood and on the
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threshold of fame, was born in Martinsburg, but married in Clarke. He had his home at the Vineyard, overlooking the beautiful Shenandoah with the Blue Ridge in all its grandeur in full view. He was very fond of hunting and all outdoor sports and lost his life from pneumonia con- tracted while hunting wild turkeys. He wrote a number of stories and poems for the "Southern Literary Mes- senger." His lyric "Florence Vane" has been translated into many languages. In order that our people may know what a beautiful writer he was we give the poem.
"FLORENCE VANE"
I loved thee long and dearly,
Florence Vane;
My life's bright dream, and early, Hath come again; I renew, in my fond vision,
My heart's dear pain,
My hope, and thy derision, Florence Vane.
The ruin lone and hoary, The ruin old.
Where thou didst hark my story, At even told,- That spot-the hues Elysian
Of sky and plain- I treasure in my vision, Florence Vane.
Thou wast lovelier than the roses In their prime; Thy voice excelled the closes Of sweetest rhyme; Thy heart was as a river Without a Main, Would I had loved thee never, Florence Vane.
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But fairest, coldest wonder;
Thy glorious clay Lieth the green sod under- Alas the day! And it boots not to remember
Thy disdain- To quicken love's pale ember, Florence Vane.
The lilies of the valley By young graves weep, The pansies love to dally Where maidens sleep; May their bloom, in beauty vying, Never wane, Where thine earthly part is lying, Florence Vane!
Had he lived he doubtless would have rivaled his fa- mous brother John Esten Cooke. They were the sons of John R. Cooke, a lawyer of distinction. John Esten was born in Winchester, but like his brother he sought and found a wife in Clarke and lived and died at his home "The Briars." He indeed made literature his life work and from his pen has come some of the best historical novels of the day. His history of Virginia is very fine. His lives of Lee and Jackson rank among the best. His war novels ought to be read by all young southern people and no library in Clarke should be considered complete without his works. He was not only eminent as a writer but as a soldier, having served on the staffs of Stonewall Jackson and J. E. B. Stuart, and been highly thought of by both of his generals.
Captain William Page Carter is another of our soldier authors. He was the son of Mr. Thomas Carter of "Anne- field." Having passed through the war as captain of a battery of artillery and gained distinction as a fighter he
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settled down in Clarke to the life of a country gentleman. He did not make work of literature, but when the Muses visited him he gave forth verses of rare charm and beauty. The tenderness, the pathos, the sincere piety shown in some of his verses have been rarely surpassed. He touches the heart in its tenderest and most sacred emo- tions. His poems of the War revive the most precious memories of those trying times. His tributes to our generals and to their brave followers are of the finest kind. As a boy he was raised on a plantation where there were many slaves. Among them he caught the dialect, the spirit of their songs and hymns and has most happily reproduced them in his verses. His little book of poems, "Echoes of the Glen," should be in every home.
When "Uncle Tom's Cabin," by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published just before the war and was stirring up the hearts of the Northern people by its misrepresen- tations and slanders of the Southern people, a citizen of Clarke, Mr. John White Page, hoped to stem the tide of popular excetiment caused by it and to give the world the truth about the South and the institution of slavery by writing the story of "Uncle Robin in his Cabin in Vir- ginia," and "Uncle Tom without one in Boston." His book, while equal to Mrs. Stowe's, as a literary effort lacked the tragical scenes of hers. Mr. Page's effort was to give the truth, while hers had been to excite the passions, regard- less of the truth. Coming at a time when the abolition- ists of the North were doing everything possible to stir up strife, his attempt to pour oil on the troubled waters was without avail, and the war coming on so quickly his book was in great measure lost sight of. Doubtless if re- vived at this time it would get a hearing, then denied it, and the author a reputation which he well deserved. Mr. Page for some years was the Clerk of the Court of Freder-
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ick County, and died in Winchester. He was a member of the Page family, so well known in the county.
Another of Clarke's writers who wrote for pleasure and when moved by the spirit was Miss Selina Williams, who wrote under the "Nom de Plume" of "Tarpley Star." Many of her short poes were published in the magazines of the day and one poem of some length was published in a book. It was a temperance story and intended to help the cause of temperance, just then being pushed to the front by its advocates. Her poem written in April, 1865, on the occasion of the removal by the U. S. authorities of the Confederate flag from the grave of Stonewall Jack- son at Lexington, is very fine and has been thought by many to equal, if not surpass Father Ryan's famous poem, "The Conquered Banner." As the beautiful poem has not been seen by many of our readers, we give it in these pages.
THE FOLDED FLAG.
Take it Down; Gently there; Tenderly fold it- The flagstaff is bare
That shall nevermore hold it.
'Tis bare. £ It is blasted. O, symbol's sad token;
Of a cause lying bare, whose flagstaff is broken-
Of a cause lying bare, In whose depths there is sunk
The cup of despair
That the wretched have drunk;
Whose waters are bitter, whose waters are red
With the tears of the living, the blood of the dead.
O might it not wave, With none to forbid, On this one lonely grave Where our ashes are hid ?.
This one span of earth, this one sod to cover, Of all the broad acres erewhile it waved over;
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From all of his trophies On battle's wide field This memorial of his Might hang as a shield, And his country yet keep when she gives all the rest, This lone Cross of Honor to shine on his breast.
As our "Stars" disappear And fall from their sky, This group nestles there As if loath to die. The last rays they catch as the others grow dim, As Stars seek their Star they cluster on Him.
They cluster, they settle On Him who so oft, Through the whirlwind of battle Hath hailed them aloft. They fall on his breast-in the last rush of Hope That the arm which lies here might still hold them up;
But what boots it, Freemen, To be thus down-hearted, To weep thus like women For what is departed? Our Hero lies safe 'neath a far better cross, Which men nor yet demons shall conquer by force.
Oh, World; We've not asked In the verdict redress, We know that the test Is Success; still Success; From thy garlands encircling the conqueror's throne, Not a leaf there may fall upon Failure's tombstone.
No; Take down that Banner, It's stricken folds wave, Hope's poor corpse in honor To shroud for the grave, Lay it deep in that tomb where the common cause lies, To rise nevermore till our Jackson arise.
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It is past, it is done; But the star of such glory Must shine till the sun Has paled and grown hoary. Men die, they are mortal, the sand drinks their blood; But justice and honor can die but with God.
There came among us at the close of the war a young Marylander, who had fought for the South and wished to make his home in the land he loved. John O. Crown, while well known as a writer of fine editorials in his paper, The Clarke Courier, was not known except by a few friends as a writer of beautiful verses. His verses were published in his own paper and not known to be from his pen. After his death his wife had published an account of his prison life, written by him at the request of the J. E. B. Stuart Camp. In closing his story of his experiences as a prisoner of war, he gave forth the following tribute to the Confed- erate Soldiers.
Oh, warrior children of a war-worn land, Who carved Confederate fame on heights so grand- Who bathed your battle standards in the glory That shines adown the aisles of classic story- Who reared your valorous deeds in Alps that rise O'er sad defeat to shine in Honor's skies; Ah, me; that after all the gifts you gave, That garland only your lost nation's grave.
Grandly, Oh Southern nation, dawned the morn, When, helmeted with hope and battle-born, You girt your land with sabre strokes, the pour Of leaden rain, and cannons' thundering roar. Your midday splendor, flashing wide and high, Led our brave thoughts to soar in faith's sweet sky, And all our struggles melted in a dream Of victory and peace by freedom's stream.
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Alas, then came defeat's sad woful night, When all our grand achievements pass'd from sight, To reappear a World-Force nevermore By hill, and vale, and stream, and wave-washed shore; When swords were sheath'd, and war-drums ceased to beat, And bannerless you plod with weary feet Into the deepening gloom of the unknown, Where vanquish'd wander when hope's stars are gone.
Oh, men once marshal'd by the matchless Lee, Or march'd with "Stonewall's band" to victory- Oh, men who follow'd Hampton's waving plume, Or saw the gallant Stuart meet his doom- Oh, men who climb'd the heights all cannon-crown'd Though death with fire and thunder rock'd the ground, The Warriors of the World rein in their steeds, And with admiring gaze salute your deeds.
Fair, sunny land, where strove the hero-hearted, Woe toll'd from all our joy-bells when we parted With our loved banner on that fatal field That saw your martial strength to starving yield; While seas are rock'd by storms and mountains stand, And thought ascends to realms where words are grand, Your fame shall stream across the wide world's pages- Ride down in glory through the far-flung ages.
While the number of authors from Clarke is not large, their work has been fine and entitles them to the admira- tion of all lovers of the beautiful in literature.
CHAPTER XII.
NEGRO SLAVERY IN CLARKE COUNTY
N EGRO slavery was introduced into Virginia in 1619. A Dutch vessel driven by stress of weather came into the James river and sold twenty of the negroes, intended for the West Indies, to the Virginia planters. As every one in those days was accustomed to owning servants and as these added to the much needed laborers of the Colony, they were received without objec- tion and thus became the foundation of the institution of negro slavery. Prior to this and for many years after, paupers from England had indentured themselves to the planters and others for a term of years as servants. After their term of indenture was served they became citizens of the colony. Some criminals from England were also brought over and sold on similar terms. This source of labor not meeting the needs of the Colonists, they very willingly bought the negroes who were from this time brought in increasing numbers by Dutch and New England ships. When a hundred years later the planters and others from Eastern Virginia migrated to the Valley and settled in what is now Clarke County, they carried their slaves with them and from those thus brought to the county the negro population sprang. Most of these settlers owning slaves found homes in the southern end of the county. The Northern part was settled by Germans from Penn- sylvania and Scotch Irish from New Jersey, who did not own slaves.
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But they were familiar with the institution, as negro slaves were then in all the Colonies, and they had no con- scientious scruples against it. As time progressed and labor was needed for farming and other purposes, which could be supplied by the natural increase in the number brought originally, almost every farmer became the owner of a few negroes.
When the county was formed in 1836 the negroes had increased until they outnumbered the whites, there being 2867 whites, 3325 slaves and 161 free negroes. These negroes were mostly held in small numbers, the small farmers and renters owning two or three and the majority of farmers who owned large farms not owning more than eight or ten. A few of the older and more wealthy families in the Millwood neighborhood held them in large numbers. These slaves were well cared for by both large and small owners. The large owners had for each family a stone or log cabin. The single men were provided with quarters together or in the cabins of their parents. Each weck there was issued to them a substan- tial and plentiful ration of bacon and corn meal and vege- tables in season, which the women of the cabin cooked for her family. Many of them had patches of ground for gardens or were allowed to have a hog or a hen house for chickens. The men worked under the supervision of the owner or more probably of an overseer, and were taught to do all the work needed on a large farm. Some were carpenters, some blacksmiths, some stone masons, some of them became very fine stone fence builders. There are stone fences standing now built by the negroes of Mr. Francis Whiting of "Clay Hill," which seem to be as good now at they were when first built seventy years ago. The women on these large plantations were used as house servants, cooks, seamstresses and to look after the chil-
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