February 17th, 1865.—There is little but bad news now. Sherman is a very Devil. If this goes on much longer Georgia will be desolate indeed, for his favorite weapon is the torch. Every State Capitol in the South, except Tallahassee, has been captured and we cannot expect to escape much longer. The Yankees come nearer every day and we lie in Sherman’s path to the sea. As they advance they pilfer and burn; all valuables are stolen; all provisions are taken, of course, and the rest goes up in smoke. Mother asked Adeline if she could trust her to help her to hide her valuables from McCook’s men. Adeline thought she could be trusted, so, with Jordan’s help, they dug pits in unlikely places; secreted some small articles in hollow trees; hid the oil paintings under the floor of Adeline’s own house; carefully wrapped the family portraits and put them in the loft above her head. Mother had implicit confidence in Jordan and Adeline had given her word to be true and the mistress felt that she need have no fear for her treasures. The walls look bare with only the big mirrors to break the broad expanse. We will eat off of vari-colored plates and dishes. The set of French china and all the cut glass are boxed and buried. “Fingers were made before knives and forks,” mournfully announced Father, as he saw the silverware being packed, but something must be done to save them from McCook’s men. Captain Lester will not believe they will ever get here. I hope they will not, but I am afraid.
All the girls in the neighborhood know how to shoot and we have agreed, if we cannot escape we will shoot ourselves rather than fall into the hands of the enemy as they are treating the women and old men dreadfully in Georgia. Another thing they are doing; in those old Colonial homes in Georgia are many handsome portraits, painted by famous artists; and of course family portraits are always highly prized. When the Yankees enter a house, where any of these are hanging their first thought is to destroy them. Sometimes they slit them to pieces, sometimes they shoot them up, sometimes they are piled and burned—and it is such vandals as this we have to deal with.
