[Diary] May 21.
Charlie and Harriet Ware rowed us over to Hunting Island, Ellen taking an oar. We saw the splendid new lighthouse, blown up by rebels, the magnificent beach with trees washed and standing on their roots high above water, or lying, roots in the air. I tried to row coming home, and persisted a long time so as to do my share of the work, but it was rough and I grew frightened so I gave the oar to Ellen. When we came under the shores we had a lovely row home.
While we were away here, Morgan Island[1] was visited by the rebels and all the people carried off! There is great alarm here, the point is so exposed. The Winsors rowed over to the blockading boat to give the alarm. The captain replied that he was put there to blockade and not to defend the coast, and he would do nothing. They say he has not half force enough to work his boat. It is not Captain Dutch. A month or so ago the Kingfisher went down! Captain Dutch had begged again and again to be relieved, so that his ship might be repaired, but no permission came, and at last, in making some necessary move, she struck a new sandbar, recently formed in the channel, and went down so suddenly that the men lost their clothes. They say she had been leaking so badly for some time that men had to be kept at the pumps. Captain Dutch was energetic, hated the enemy, was a good protector to the islands, and made himself the terror of the rebels along the coast. We are sorry to lose him, and this raid proves that his successor is not feared.
[1] A small island lying north of St. Helena Island.
[Diary] Sunday, May 15.
Went down to church and made arrangements to go home. Wrote to the girls to say that I shall leave here May 30. Harriet Murray will not leave Frogmore. We have invited her up here, now Mrs. M. has gone, but she declines coming. She has got Lizzie Hunn to stay with her at Frogmore. I saw Mr. Sumner, who has been with an excursion party to Florida. We were invited, but did not go. Miss Kellogg went. On the way the Harriet Weed, or the Boston steamer, was following them as nearly as possible when a torpedo exploded and she went to the bottom before the eyes of the other boat. Mr. S. says that Miss Kellogg is not well since the fright. Ellen feels that she must go down to stay with Harriet after I go, since H. will not come up.
Uncle Robert came to the school to borrow a dollar “for buy tobacco.” He says he has cotton to pay me that and the other three he owes me; that he can get no money at all, as he will not work for Mr. Fairfield. In order to force the people to work for him, Mr. Fairfield threatens to turn them out of their houses, or to make them pay four dollars a month for their rent. They appealed to Dr. Brisbane,[1] who finally persuaded them to consent to plant a task each of cotton for Mr. F. This may pay his expenses. If the people had not been induced to do this by a third party, Mr. F. would have been ruined.
[1] One of the Tax Commissioners.
[Diary] Saturday, May 14, 1864.
A letter from Rosie showed me more plainly the state of feeling at home about my staying longer here. It is too bitter, but Captain Hooper has been alarming them about my health. For a month past I have had rest, comfort, peace, and a good school. I have never been so well and hearty and rested since I have been in the department. I think it would be better for me to wait for the new school-houses, and get Mr. Wilson to put them up at once. But I suppose I must go and not let them fret any longer about me.
Sunday Evening, March 27, 1864.
One of the elders prayed that “the little white sisters who came to give learning to the children” might be blessed. . . .
[Diary] , March 25, 1864.
The Commission of Philadelphia wrote to General Saxton to ask whether there was any necessity for school-houses in the department. General S. sent word that he wishes Mr. Tomlinson and me to put our opinion into writing and send to him. I did this to-night, saying I knew nothing of other schools, but that we need a school-house for several reasons. We are liable to expulsion. We cannot make the school convenient for writing, blackboards, etc. We have the noise of three large schools in one room, and it is trying to the voice and strength, and not conducive to good order.
[Diary] March 18.
Mr. Parker, the preacher, whom we mistook for Dr. Parker, the agent of the Baptists, came to see the school to-day. He is a kind-looking old man. We mistaking him, as I said, told him we heard he meant to put us out of the church, but he assured us that in his private opinion, we should not be disturbed. He stayed all the morning and spoke to the children. He asked what they had in their heads. They answered, “Sense;” “Brains” he told them. “How did their knowledge get into their heads?” “God put it there,” they answered. He pointed to his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and explained how ideas got in, in so low a voice that my class could not hear and could only see his motions, and these seemed so comical that Fairy Jenkins burst into a fit of laughing that nearly upset me and the whole class.
He says he thought he should find peace and zeal down here — a band of fellow workers living in harmony and working with combined effort, but that he finds friction, friction in every quarter — military, religious, and political.
[Diary] Monday, March 14, 1864.
Miss Howard tells us that a determined effort is to be made to shut the church doors on us, so as to force the children to go to the Indian Hill School. I think it is done so as to prevent such a large school as ours from being in the hands of such non-upholders of the Baptist church. Mrs. P. says we need not think we are to be left in peace to occupy the building; she will appeal to the pockets of the people and then we shall see! She says she tells them that we have damaged the building and that they must raise $150 for repairs. She also sends us word that the new commissioner or agent to look after church property for the Baptists, Dr. Parker, is going to turn us out. It seems to be opposition from one quarter only. The Indian Hill School has no books yet.
[Diary] Saturday, March 12.
A hard-working morning getting ready for our dinner this evening. The dinner was not ready at the right time, and I had to leave the guests — Captain Hooper, Mr. Ruggles, Mr. Tomlinson, and Mr. Dyer — again and again, to see about it. Rina had in the kitchen Hastings, Brister, Lame John, and a boy helping her, but when dinner was at last on the table we found that the potatoes were forgotten entirely, and the fried oysters appeared with the pudding. The Christmas pudding sent me from home was quite cold. There was the usual long time between each change of plates. Hastings had requested the honor of waiting upon the gentlemen, and did pretty well. We were to have had our soup in a yellow bowl for want of a tureen. Hastings told Rina he had a tureen at home and would like to lend it, but if I saw it he was afraid I would want to buy it. Rina told him I would not wish to buy what he did not want to sell, and so, to my surprise, the soup appeared handsomely dished, but it was stone cold. So the dinner was a failure, but the gentlemen were merry. Captain Hooper stayed all night. He has just returned from the North and brought me a pair of camp candlesticks and a box of candy.
[Diary] March 6, 1864.
As Brister was away, Lame John saddled Charley and I went down to Frogmore[1] for Harriet’s buggy, which I brought home. Charley was in fine spirits and cantered well. I had a funny time getting him on when Dr. Hunting, who was riding with me, turned down to Dr. Pope’s. He would canter after him, and when at last I got him turned short off in a cornfield, he sounded a call for the other horse every minute and kept looking about eagerly. The woods on fire stopped me, and I had to turn miles out of the way. It is too bad that such large tracts are being burned over, and the trees killed or injured. I saw several gigantic pines which had been chipped into holes in the trunk by the people getting “lighters,” and the turpentine in these holes in the trunk, when ignited, burned like fire in great fireplaces.
[1] The plantation which Miss Towne later bought.
[Diary] March 5.
Set off with little Charley to go to the ferry with my buggy, to leave it for Mr. Wilson to mend. At “The Oaks” the people gave me the warmest kind of welcome, and would, as usual, have loaded me with eggs, potatoes, etc., but I told them I was to return on horseback and could take none of these things. They began to tell me how much they missed us all, and said that Mr. Tomlinson was gone too — that Mr. Fairfield had “chased every bit.” They say the house looks too lonely, that no buckra[1] come there now.
I left the buggy at the ferry and set out on Charley, who is a splendid saddle horse, in a crowd of riders and drivers who had just come over from Beaufort. Charley grew gay and began to prance and rear a little. This frightened me horribly, and I called to Mr. A. to let me take his buggy, and to mount my horse, for Charley would break my neck, — “And what about mine? Won’t he break that?” he said, and he did not come to my rescue. Mr. Wells, who is a good rider, then offered, and gave Mr. A. his steady riding-horse. He gave Charley a good canter, I riding in the buggy and admiring in safety, and when we came to the church road I mounted Charley again, and rode, cantering the rest of the way to the village, enjoying it hugely.
[1] White people.
