Another Year Finds Me in Texas by Vicki Tongate

Author:Vicki Tongate [Tongate, Vicki Adams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2016-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 1864

Cousin Sammy left us this morn about half past 9 ~ Mr Wiley came to tell us a last fare-well. All had gone before 11, leaving us girls to lonesome-ness and thoughts ~ which it is not well to indulge in.

LUCY P. STEVENS, January 17, 1864

WITH THE ADVENT OF 1864, many of the local boys arrived home on furlough, taking a much-needed break from camp life. However, they would soon be recalled to their posts, as South met North in Louisiana, a sometimes overlooked theater of the war, in what is known as the Red River Campaign. By mid-January, Cousin Sammy and the others took their leave of home and hearth and began the trek toward the swamps of Louisiana to repel yet another attempted Union invasion.

Although Texas had obviously been spared much of the fighting and destruction that other Confederate states endured, there had nevertheless been ongoing fears of a Union invasion. A year earlier, Lucy had written of General Magruder retaking the city of Galveston. Other invasion attempts had been made as well, at Sabine Pass in September and at Brownsville in November. Now, as 1864 dawned, General Banks shifted his efforts inland and began his Red River Campaign, a major offensive that, if successful, would provide much-needed cotton for the textile manufacturers of the North and a staging and supply area from which a Union army could maintain control over first Texas, then Arkansas and Louisiana.

As the spring approached, Banks’s Northern forces matched themselves against Tom Green’s cavalry in battle after battle, skirmish after skirmish. And the entries of Lucy’s diary contained more and more references to the fierce fighting in Louisiana.

JANUARY 1864

Jan 1st Friday ~ New Years day ~ Have done nothing the livelong day but read “The Missing Bride”1 ~ played cards and in the eve that we might finish out the day well we girls all of us danced ~ Mr D seemed to enjoy ourselves our gaity as much as we did

Jan 6th Wednesday ~ This morn helped Sara to make out the post-office report & after dinner, mended my shoes. Had not gotten them done when we saw Neh, Em & Jennie Minton coming. Neh stayed but a short time then went to see Mr Wiley, brought him back with him to spend the night. Aunt Lu had such a nice supper for us. The boys had great times talking over their La [Louisiana] soldier life. Sara and I went and got some corn and pecans and Uncle Pier and I poped the corn.

Jan 7th Thursday ~ Neh, Em and Jennie stayed until after eleven. Brother and myself talked over old times coming down the river, about the changes of differences of opinions &c. I have got one of the best Texas brothers in the State and I most sincerely wish he might succeed in all his undertakings. Thermometer stood at 10º above zero on New Years day, at 18, Tuesday morn at 20 wednesday and today.

I am not at all well this eve have Jane’s headache.

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