After the evacuation of Savannah we were very anxious to get to Aiken, but Pa[67] thought it best not to go until we were certain of Sherman’s movements. We heard from time to time that Charleston could not be held, and yet we heard on every side that Augusta was his destination. Several events occurred which would have prevented our going up if it had been our intention, the freshet then too Henry’s[68] illness and last of all the cutting of the railroad, which effectually cut us off. We got newspaper accounts of Sherman’s movements on Orangeburg, and then there was a report that he was marching down the State Road to Charleston and of course we believed it. Every day report brought them nearer. Hennie had the silver packed ready for interment. On Wed’y evening the 10th of Feb’y. a note came from Aunt Ria[69] saying the Yankees were not far from Walworth, that they had burnt two houses on the river, and that all the men and boys in the upper Parish were leaving home, and going to a place of safety. This made us very uneasy on Harry’s account, for he was very weak. That night we got a note from Pa who was staying at Indianfield, asking Hennie to send for them very early the next morning, he said Uncle Rene’s[70] horses would be used for something else as there was no time to be lost, and telling her to have the silver ready, we thought the note very mysterious, but were not at all alarmed by it, for on the 16th the next day, Grand Pa[71] sent off for salt, and sent one of the servants to town for some things we needed. After breakfast I was quietly reading “The Queens of England,” when we heard a horse racing up the avenue, Cousin Henrietta[72] had sent word to say that the Yankees were at Moorfield, and asked two of us for pity sake go and stay with her. You can never imagine our feelings when we heard it and thought of Aunt Ria by herself, my first impulse was to burn my letters and to put on a suit of good clothes in case the others should be taken. By that time the carriage came from Indianfield, and Pa came in; he was in such a hurry that he never said “Good morning,” but told us to come and help him pack. He then went in and told Harry that he must go right off; fright seemed to make us all strong, for two of us nearly ran with Harry’s trunk down one flight of stairs and up another. Pa and Harry went off in the carriage loaded with all kinds of things and Uncle Rene went on horse back. Though it was a relief to get them off it was a very sad parting, for we did not know when we would meet again, and the excitement in Harry’s weak state made him so nervous we were very uneasy about him.