Reminiscences of Peace and War. Sara Agnes Rice Pryor

       Sara Agnes Rice Pryor

      Reminiscences of Peace and War

      The Memoirs of a Southern Woman during the Civil War

      Published by

      Books

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      2019 OK Publishing

      EAN 4064066052843

Table of Contents

       Preface

       Chapter I. Washington in the Fifties

       Chapter II. President Pierce's Inauguration

       Chapter III. Administration of President Buchanan

       Chapter IV. Social Life During Buchanan's Administration

       Chapter V. Gay Social Life in Washington

       Chapter VI. Characteristics of Social Life in 1858 — Leaders in Society

       Chapter VII. The Thirty-Sixth Congress

       Chapter VIII. Memorable Days in the History of the Country

       Chapter IX. Rapid Progress of Events at the South

       Chapter X. Virginia Again the Battle-Ground

       Chapter XI. Life at the Oaks

       Chapter XII. Bull Run and Fair Oaks

       Chapter XIII. The Seven Days' Battles

       Chapter XIV. The Winter of 1861

       Chapter XV. Guarding the Blackwater

       Chapter XVI. Vicissitudes of the War

       Chapter XVII. A Homeless Wanderer

       Chapter XVIII. The Siege of Petersburg

       Chapter XIX. Behind Lee's Lines

       Chapter XX. Arriving at Extremities

       Chapter XXI. A Winter of Want

       Chapter XXII. The Evacuation of Petersburg

       Chapter XXIII. Richmond Surrenders

       Chapter XXIV. Sheridan's Occupation of Petersburg

       Chapter XXV. Woe to the Vanquished!

       Chapter XXVI. Starting Life Anew

       Chapter XXVII. The First "Decoration Day"

       Chapter XXVIII. Virginia in the Early Days of Peace

      GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE ON "TRAVELLER." From a photograph by Miley, Lexington, Va.

      I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE MEMORY OF

       My Son

       WILLIAM RICE PRYOR, M.D.

       WHO GAVE TO SUFFERING HUMANITY ALL THAT

       GOD HAD GIVEN HIM

      Preface

       Table of Contents

      It will be obvious to the reader that this book affects neither the "dignity of history" nor the authority of political instruction. The causes which precipitated the conflict between the sections and the momentous events which attended the struggle have been recounted by writers competent to the task. But descriptions of battles and civil convulsions do not exhibit the full condition of the South in the crisis. To complete the picture, social characteristics and incidents of private life are indispensable lineaments. It occurs to the author that a plain and unambitious narrative of her recollections of Washington society during the calm which preceded the storm, and of Virginia under the afflictions and sorrows of the fratricidal strife, will not be without interest in the retrospect of that memorable era. The present volume recalls that era in the aspect in which it appeared to a woman rather than as it appeared to a statesman or a philosopher.

      ROGER A. PRYOR.

      Chapter I

       Washington in the Fifties

       Table of Contents

The Washington that I knew in the fifties was not the Washington of Dickens, Mrs. Trollope, and Laurence Oliphant. When I knew the capital of our country, it was not "a howling wilderness of deserted streets running out into the country and ending nowhere, its population consisting chiefly of politicians and negroes";1 nor were the streets overrun with pigs and infested with goats. I never saw these animals in the streets of Washington; but a story, told to illustrate the best way of disposing of the horns of a dilemma proves one goat at least to have had the freedom of the city. It seems that Henry Clay, overdue at the Senate Chamber, was once hurrying along Pennsylvania Avenue when he was attacked by a large goat. Mr. Clay seized his adversary by the horns. So far so good, but how about the next step? A crowd of sympathetic bootblacks and newsboys gathered around offering advice. "Let go,