Civil War Reminiscence
by Jessee G. Jones
Chapter 9 (written 1911-12, Knoxville, Texas)
Just before day that morning I passed through the out skirts of Hopkinsville, Ky., and from there on had move or less knowledge of the country which meant a great deal to a man travelidg by guess. I kept a bee line through the woods and the large plantations and as I would see objects once familiar the move brisk was my gait. Two years before I had lived where I was pulling for and a chum mate was still there who would receive me with open arms. The seventh evening was passing and I skipped along rejoicing I was now in 14 miles of my objective point and thought one more day would wind up a race for life and liberty. The bitter hardships I had undergone were all obscured by the prospects of better days. Tom Easly my friend was not aware of my coming and the night of the eighth was suprised at midnight by hearing some one hollowing hello! hello! at the gate. "Hey, hey, come in” “Is that you Tom.” “Yes” he said, “well come out here first, I want to speak to you privately and then go in. "Is there any Yankees on the premises."? "no," he said and in his friendly way was holding my hand and said my voice familiar and when he got me to the light he would know me. "No Tom you wan't for you will be carred away with my haughty apparel and cosy suit. We hurried on in to Tom’s room where he lost no time in lighting the lamp, he with looks of astonishment and consternation threw his arms around my neck exlaiming "my old chum, oh how stupid in me not to have guessed you when I was told all about the times you have been having, no longer than yesterday. "Who was it Tom that had so much knowledge?" He gave me the name of Charles Childers. He said you had gone South. Without another word Tom turned and opened his trunk, drew from it a costly cloth suit for Sunday wear. "There"said he, "we used to wear one anothers clothes as we are the same size. Put these on." "I will exchange suits with you Tom but it is mortifying to me to swindle as good a friend. You must excuse the lack of a hat suspenders and socks to my wardrobe." Tom was carefully; arranging my discarded suit to go in his trunk. "What on earth are you trying to do Tom, the stiff bark takes up room and I find the trunk full small. Why do you want them in there?" "To take special care of them for they are far more valuable to me than the one I gave you, they tell a tale of love and friendship they remind us of those perlious times and shows us truly neccessity to be the mother of invention."I looked in the mirror and did not know myself. I was neither hungry nor sleepy. We talked until day. Tom owned about 100 slaves and they would know me. We planed to go to his brothers for breakfast four miles off. We went to the barn to catch our horses. Tom saddled up his best horse and told me to mount him as a present. We let out at a lively gait, met his brother John, he had quising to do to get at the true status of things. Tom said he must go to a near by town and get some money for me. John said he had money and would cheerfully devide. Tom objected to any one contributing a cent as he wanted to have the pleasure all to himself. Three hours afterwards Tom returned with a cart load of dry goods to deck me out and had a roll of greenback as big as my arm. “Tom you must take this clothing back about one extra shirt is all that I can be encumbered with. As to the money only a few dollars is all sufficient for I am likely to be captured at any time.” He handed me a little roll but beged me to accept more. On a closer examination I discovered the roll had $185.00 some were large bills. I told him the amount was too much and for him to take some of it back he positively refused to do so and said he would rather double the amount.
I learned that this country was equally divided on the war question but Yankees were riding around over it making very little distuubance. I thought it best for me not to stop for fear some one might recognize me and breed trouble to my friends as well as to myself. I kept close to avoid any one seeing me. We arranged to go north about 35 miles where Tom’s sister lived. As I was never known there except by the family. I stood a better chance to rest up and become once more normal in my appetite and sleep. For many days and nights they affectionately watched over me, often pulling me away from the table, and rousing me from unatural slumber . I put salve on my ankles and legs to heal up the scratches inflicted by the saw briars. After two weeks rest I wanted to try my skill in worming my way south. Tom and I would reason the matter over and over without coming to any tenable conclusion. Tom would beg me to give the undertaking up and stay with him until a better showing presented itself. He did not know that loving friends were morning me as dead, day after day we would scan the west, the south and the east for a weak gap to go through. "Tom I must start in the morning and trust to luck I’ll try some way if it be north."
Tom would not listen to me leaving the horse and to gratify him I agreed to ride to the Cumberland River and if I could cross with him without a pass then go on. I knew I could not and so prepared myself for it by taking a young man with me to report back to Tom. In tears Tom and our friends parted on arriving at the ferry, I was told promptly a pass was demanded. We dropped down the river 3 or 4 miles from the ferry where I discharged the young man and requested of him to take Tom’s horse back to him for if I kept him I surely would be taken. With a message of thanks from me to Tom he and I parted. I was put across the river in a canoe by a citizen 12 or 15 miles above the mouth. The Tennessee river runs parallel with the Cumberland both empting into the Ohio 12 miles apart. Between the two rivers all low bottom land no improvements while I was taking a short rest in a little thicket mooding over transpiring events discovered a man in a few feet of me apparently doing the same thing. It is said misery loves compay and our greetings surely supported that idea. After a few words we both learned that we wanted to cross the Ohio river and had the same place selected to make our crossing.
Source:Cheryl's Family Index | email to Cheryl Grubb
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