Pari I
Aunt Abby lor
the Confederacy
Slip looked rough and talked lough,
hul Abliy House was an Angel of
Mercy on l he battlefields.
»!/
T. II.
History is brightened by the fame of
heroic women who ministered to sick
and wounded soldiers in war. But there
were many who. though they served
in relative obscurity, were no less loved
than the Clara Bartons and Florence
Nightingales.
One of these lesser-known heroines
who earned the gratitude of many Con¬
federate soldiers and their families was
Abby House, of Franklinton. N. C.
known to everyone as simply “Aunt"
Abby. The "Abby" was also spelled
"Abbey."
Not much is known about her life-
prior to the War Between the States.
The first written record of her adven¬
tures apparently was in a monthly
magazine. I Mild We Love . edited by
former Confederate General, Daniel
Harvey Hill, in Charlotte, in the May
and June issues of 1867. written by
Mrs. Mary Bayard Clarke, a well
known writer of the era.
Mrs. Clarke staled in this article that
"Aunt Abby" told her that she was
sixty-five years old when the war
started in 1861. This would have
plaeed her in her early teens during
the war of 1812. It was in connection
with that war that we have our first
and. indeed, only record of her life be¬
fore the war years of 1 86 1 - 1 865.
The Sweetheart
During the War of 1812 she was old
enough to have a sweetheart. The
sweetheart's name has been lost, but
Abby stated that he was serving in the
army at a camp near Norfolk. Virginia
when she received word that he was
ill. Nothing would do, but that she
must go to him in his illness. No other
transportation was available so the de¬
termined young lady set forth on foot,
or as she put it. "hoofing it." No rcc-
oid states how long this walk took, but
after she had trekked the 180 miles
PEARCE
from Franklin County. North Carolina
to Norfolk. Virginia she discovered
that her young soldier-sweetheart had
died and been buried the day before.
Hearing this the determined girl simply
turned around and retraced her steps
back to Franklin County.
Mrs. Clark agreed with all others
who have described Aunt Abby. say¬
ing that she was a rather rough looking
old lady, somewhat stooped by the time
she knew her, with an alert look about
her as though she was always expect¬
ing someone to try to take advantage
of her in some way. She was illiterate,
with no formal education, but was quite
adept at making herself understood
and was noted for her use of profanity,
especially when "riled up." She was as
exact in her likes and dislikes as it was
possible for a person to be.
When the war broke out in 1861
and North Carolina joined the Confed¬
eracy. “Aunt Abby" was living on her
farm just outside Franklinton. some
twenty-five miles north of Raleigh. As
w(as always the case with the indomi¬
table old lady, there was no holding
back. Her enthusiasm for the new coun¬
try knew no bounds, and she threw
herself into the cause of the Confed¬
eracy one hundred per cent.
Hitch-Hiker
In no time at all the grim-looking
old woman became a familiar sight to
both soldiers and civilians, from Ra¬
leigh to Richmond. Always dressed in
calico or homespun, wearing a long
black cape against the chill and often
smoking a corn cob pipe. Her clothes
were sometimes soiled and even ragged.
Slightly stooped, she always carried a
cane — or even two — for the dual pur¬
pose of aiding her in walking and to
emphasize her wishes. She would of¬
ten whack anyone who didn't agree
with her.
Her method of travel as described
by Isham Cheatham, station master
for the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad at
Franklinton during the war and after¬
wards. was extremely simple. She sim¬
ply climbed aboard any train that
stopped which was headed in the direc¬
tion she wished to travel, rode as close
to her destination as the train could
take her. then walked or hitched rides
the rest of the way.
Those who knew her. and this soon
included practically everyone, did
nothing to hinder her travels, knowing
that she was usually bound on some er¬
rand of mercy. She continued this free
use of the railroads after the war ended
and for as long as she was able to tra¬
vel.
Outspoken and profane though she
She would wolk through the trenches during the feorful bombardment of Petersburg with greot
coolness, frequently going under hco»y fire to carry woter to the wounded.— t Illustration by Alice
Green. I *
THE BTATE, OCTOBER 1. 1972
