Transcription

the home of his Parent, his Col being at home too made

considerable use of him, knowing his bravery & discretion;

even while seated at our table in honor of his birth

(Feb14th aged 24 years) ere the dessert was served, a

call took him from our midst to fly in haste over to

Columbia with dispatches of importance, the enemy

then advancing on us, (from that time until now

my brain reels I do not feel natural) burning of

Columbia, friends rushing here in wild distraction &

one in delicate health but reached here to die & lay

a corpse in the house three days & three nights to be

taken at last & buried by Yankees, oh! the horrors of

those days & my brave Boy keeping in sight & yet dare

dare not fly to our relief, witnessing the burning of

the bridge in such despair that he fired on them

but was not discovered, then the burning of the

square, on which our dwelling stood & he knowing

the site supposed all gone & lived it o'er in his own

mind & tortured feelings, yet prayed fervently &

at midnight I was startled by that loving voice

saying "Ma" at my room door, oh! the rapturous

joy of that moment, in an instant the door was

unlocked, my brave Boy was in my arms, covered

with mud & dust, weary to hunger; there stood his