The Women of the ConfederacyUnderwood, J. L. (John Levi)
History
The Women of the Confederacy
Underwood, J. L. (John Levi)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Anecdotes; Women -- Confederate States of America
Every day an anthem of love and praise swells up from all over the
land to do her honor. Old boys of Pampatike schooling, new boys of
the University, girls and old people, recall her delight to make
them happy and to give them pleasure. It was her greatest
happiness to make others happy; for she was absolutely the most
unselfish and generous being on earth. Her generosity was not
always of abundance, for abundance was not always hers; but a
generosity out of everything that she had.
Her beautiful life has passed away, and is now only a memory, but
a memory fraught and fragrant with all that is sweetest and
loveliest and purest and best in noblest womanhood. Who that ever
saw her can forget her noble and beautiful face, resplendent with
all that was exalted and high-souled, gracious, and kindest to
others--the Master's index to the heart within!
J. L. M. CURRY'S WOMEN CONSTITUENTS
[J. L. Underwood.]
Hon. J. L. M. Curry had ever since the war with Mexico been the idol of
his district in Alabama, which kept him steadily in the United States
Congress and sent him to the Confederate House of Representatives.
Toward the latter part of the war in the Congressional campaign Mr.
Curry found an opponent in Mayor Cruickshank, of Talladega. The
latter skilfully played upon the hardships and hopelessness of the war
and in some of the upper mountain counties considerable opposition to
Mr. Curry was developed. At a gathering of the mountaineers, largely
composed of women, Mr. Curry was appealing with his usual favor to his
people to continue their efforts to secure the independence of the
Confederacy and not to listen to any suggestion of submission to the
Northern States. About the time his eloquence reached its highest
point, up rose an old woman and hurled at him what struck him like a
thunderbolt:
"I think it time for you to hush all your war talk. You go yonder to
Richmond and sit up there in Congress and have a good time while our
poor boys are being all killed; and if you are going to do anything
it's time for you to stop this war."
In a moment up sprang another mountain woman. "Go on, Mr. Curry," said
she. "Go on, you are right. We can never consent to give up our
Southern cause. Don't listen to what this other woman says. I have
sent five sons to the army. Three of them have fallen on the
battlefield. The other two are at their post in the Virginia army and
they will all stand by Lee to the last. This woman here hasn't but two
sons and they had to be conscripted. One of them has deserted and it
takes all of Lewis's Cavalry to keep the other one in ranks. Go on,
Mr. Curry. We are with you." And Curry went on, more edified by this
last woman's speech, said he afterward, than any speech he ever heard
in his life.
NORA MCCARTHY
[In The Gray Jacket, pages 26-29.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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