Emma Maria Irving

Letter to Mrs. Hannah Margaret (Corbett) Irving; May 2, 1865

My dear Mrs. Irving: I have hesitated as to the propriety of afflicting you an account of our heavy trials and losses, occasioned by the march of the Federal troops through our Parish, but have concluded that, as you will certainly hear of them, through other sources, it will be more satisfactory to you to have the ungarbled truth from the proper one. On the 24th of February we were driven from our home and took refuge with our good friends, the Harlestons, whose house is comparatively secluded and remote from the road, ours being immediately upon it. After devastating the whole of the lower part of the Parish, our enemies arrived at our door, and for four days and nights the white and black soldiers with our plantation negroes at their heels, overran our house and grounds, laying waste everything in the house. They stole all the moveables--what the soldiers did not want themselves, they gave to our negroes--and what was not useful to either, they smashed up in wanntonness--bedding, furniture, crockery, looking glasses, ornamental books, pictures, knickknackeries were all removed to adorn the negroes' houses after the soldiers had placed in their wagons such articles as they desired. When their work of devastation was completed, they called for a torch to fire the building, when a Federal officer visited by a compunctious feeling arrested the movement and placed a guard around the house. My husband, after conducting me to Bossie's, returned, in the vain hope of protecting his property, and remained during the period of the invasion, manfully breasting the storm and braving the insults and taunts that were heaped upon him, until at length, his bedding was taken from him, and he was forced to seek a bed at Bossie's. He, however, returned every morning to the scene of the devastation, but only to witness the fearful work without the power of controlling it--the destruction of property out of doors was effectual as that indoors. The stables and carriage house were emptied, all the horses and mules (12 in number), all the vehicles, all the saddles, harness, etc., were carried off, the poultry establishment completely demolished, every turkey, goose, duck, and fowl stolen, the two places, "Kensington" and "Farmfield" are utterly destroyed. I forgot to say that all the bacon (comprising 50 hams and shoulders) that we had, with so much care and expense (with salt at $100 per sack) cured, and which we had, as we thought, effectually concealed, was discovered through the treachery of one of our own people, and all carried off. They did not enter our barn fortunately, therefore we have saved our rice, twelve hundred bushels, which will be our only means of support, for the future. My husband has been much occupied of late carrying the rice to town in his boat, for sale, but the market is so bad that he does not expect to realize more than $1,000 by it and this is to be our sole dependence hereafter. Heaven knows what is to become of us all, our negroes have been freed, but at the same time they have been informed by the Yankee authorities that they must continue to work as formerly, and that the produce is to be divided between themselves and the land owners, but it is doubtful whether they make enough, even to feed themselves for they are free and do not go into fields until the world is well aired, and quit their work as soon as the sun becomes warm. They have become excessively insolent and although never interfered with, have threatened to expel the whites from the Parish. However, there are two Federal steamers stationed on the river to maintain order, and we have had several instances of late where half a dozen of them have been carried off in irons by the Marines, on complaints being lodged of their depredations and insolence, by their former owners. These examples have had a good effect, and I trust we shall ere long have Peace.... ....Our cause is lost, our fortune destroyed, but if (God) spares our children all other calamities will be comparatively light. ...."