Civil
War Memories
Civil
War Memories
Postscript to the above articles; written by R.C. Carden
As a kind of postscript, I wish to speak of my visit to Iowa in the spring of
1911 and of Dr. M.R. Hammer's visit to Tennessee in September of last year.
I have two sons in Iowa and in May, 1911 I concluded to visit them and to see
a part of the north and ascertain how an old ex-Rebel would be received there,
so about the first of May I boarded the train at Manchester, Tenn. and the next
night arrived at Newton, Iowa. I found that Iowa has the finest farming country
I ever saw, and I was much surprised to find that the old Yankee boys were so
kind and pleasant to an old Johnny. I was treated fine by almost everyone of
them. However I found two or three who were still thirsty for Rebel blood, but
I found also that they were like some we have in the south, they saw but little
or no blood during the war. I met one old follow at the fair grounds at Newton,
and when I told him that I was an old Rebel he remarked that he was a federal
soldier and "We whipped you." I said, "Yes, you did." He
kept on giving his experience and finally told me that he was one of a home
guard and that he had never left Jasper county. I don't guess that he got but
few Rebels during the war. Another one or two were in the south but were not
doing the south much damage. Only one did and he told me that he belonged to
the force that built roads, etc. He told me his General was a good man to the
southerners, and one day he said the General ordered them not to burn a certain
house, but he burned it anyway.
Such old boys as Tommy Rodgers, George Early, Rev. Porter, John Moore and others
that I met at Newton and Reasnor, and P.D. Swick of Boone were quite different.
I never met nicer or more courteous gentlemen than these anywhere.
Of the citizens in Jasper county I especially would mention for kindness shown
were Dr. M.R. Hammer, Mr. Marshall, of Marshall & Johnson, Ira Livingston,
Bates, the photographer, and many others.
While in Jasper county the old Yankee boys requested me to decorate the grave
of an old Rebel who was buried in the Newton cemetery and another one about
twelve miles in the country and through the courtesy of Dr. Hammer I went there
with another old Rebel and others, decorated the graves and returned in time
to go with the old union soldiers to decorate the graves of their dead.
I got through with my visit north and returned to my home in Tennessee about
the 20th of July, 1911.
In September, 1911, Dr. Hammer visited me in Tennessee. I met him in Nashville
at the state fair and we visited the battleground at Franklin, and saw the brick
smoke house at the Carter house, which is still standing and is kept just as
it was when the battle was fought. It was just behind the Yankee breastworks
and I think more than a hundred balls struck the building, the holes made by
the balls being still there.
After we had looked over the battlefield we returned to Nashville and went out
about twelve miles to the Confederate Soldiers Home. We were shown through it
and found everything they kept in nice shape and all the old Johnnies seemed
pleased with their lot.
From there we went to "The Hermitage," the home of Andrew Jackson.
I had often wished to see the place but I suppose I never would have had that
pleasure if the Doctor had not just made me go with him, and I was glad I went.
There is a family living there that cares for the house and shows one all through
it for 25 cents. A notice is put up at every door describing what room was ocupied
by each of the Jackson family. There was one room that was occupied by Gen.
Lafayette when he visited Gen. Jackson. They showed Gen. Jackson's room and
Mrs. Jackson's also. I noticed that the bedsteads were old fashioned, very high
and the posts were big ones, very stylish in their day. The beds were made up
with covers on them. I saw Gen. Jackson's cloak on a rocker in his room.
The doors had iron bars to keep one from going in, but one could see everything
in the rooms from there. We went into the kitchen with the old fire place well
filled with wood on the old-fashioned dog irons and there was a crane with a
pot on it so that one could swing the pot around and looked after in cooking.
We saw the barouche or vehicle the General used in travelling to Nashville and
other places. It was a very large concern and the driver's seat was high up.
We went to the garden where General and Mrs. Jackson are buried. An old negro
servant was buried close beside them. A marble slab over his grave told who
he was, when he died, etc.
Doctor and I never made a visit anywhere that we enjoyed better. We gathered
flowers and other relics at the grave as souvenirs. This would be a fine trip
for anyone who has never been out there. This ends my story.
Respectfully,
R.C. CARDEN