His house
was sacked, his valuable library destroyed, the place swept bare of his
fine blooded stock and the negroes deported by force.
To his wife he wrote:
"You will see the notice of the destruction of our home. If our cause
succeeds we shall not mourn our personal deprivation; if it should
not, why--'the deluge.' I hope I shall be able to provide for the
comfort of the old negroes."
Uncle Bob and Aunt Rhinah had been roughly handled by Butler's men. The
foragers utterly refused to believe them when they told of their
master's kindness in giving them piles of blankets. They were roughly
informed that they had stolen them from the house and their treasures
were confiscated amid the lamentations of the aged couple. The two
precious rocking chairs were left them but of blankets and linens they
were stripped bare.
* * * * *
With Johnston's army in retreat toward Richmond, his rear guard of but
twelve thousand men under General McGruder had demonstrated the wisdom
of Davis' position that the Peninsula could be successfully defended.
McGruder's little army held McClellan at bay for nearly thirty days. He
was dislodged from his position with terrible slaughter of the Union
forces.
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