George Joseph Vining:
An Account of His Life

Chapter 9

Well, I have very little to say about the war. The camps were very monotonous and dreary -- and often say --very sad--, especially the sick and the homesick and the hospital patients, so many died through that very homesickness and it was so strange that the clerks, they called them counter hoppers then and the wharf rats, as the boys who had no homes were called, and tough element could stand more than those who had been raised in a domestic manner in regular house. The wicked element predominated, but there was some good even there. Drinking and gambling was the common amusement of nearly all. I was very drunk and expected a court martial, but it was never reported or noted -- it was at Felinana, Ky. -- that was my last drunk, Thank God! although I drank moderately perhaps up to the time of your birth.

We were stationed most of one winter at Bowling Green, Ky. The two most noted events were my swearing off gambling and the burning of the commisaries before we evacuated the place. We left hurriedly, burning all behind us, making hasty marches to get into the Shiloh fight. I was only in that battle, got to another one in time to see the blue coats leave.

The battle of Shiloh is in history, so no need to tell it. It took part of the 2 days. We were reserves, but the fight was so hard that we were called in early, 3 regiments formed a brigade the 1^st. Missouri and a Tennessee regiment and we --the 9^th Arkansas-- were one on piece of rising ground like a top of hill drawn up in line, a short distance from us Prentiss brigade had found a hot square --had formed a hollow square--, and brigade after brigade attacked there --them-- to no avail, so all the big officers of Johnson -- Johnston and his staff were there, close to us. A spent bullet hit an Irishman in the stomach and he hollered -- "I'm killed, I'm killed," throwing his arm down and putting his hand on his stomach. But another bullet stronger than the first one, struck the man beside me on his temple, it like a large rock against an old dead tree, well his brains ran down his cheek and he was dead before he fell to the ground. A little further back he had thrown away clothes and blanket saying if he was killed, he wouldn't need them and if he got through he could get more. Poor fellow was only one of many that went that day.

Johnson --Johnston pointed to Prentiss's Brigade and asked if we could move them, that on that depended the battle. Our captain didn't wait for his Generals, Colonels or Majors to answer, but said "General, give the word as soon as you are ready. I've got men in my company that will go into Hell after a yankee." Gen. Johnson --Johnston was killed right where he was in a few moments after -- not out right -- but an artery was cut. Some of our men carried him from the field, and that lost us the battle although the fight was kept up till the next day. A few moments after the body of Johnson --Johnston was carried from the field, our captain was wounded also in few moments after the effects of which from which he later died.

Soon after that, I resigned to come home on furlough, on the way, I stopped at an Hospital in Nashville as I was sick -- when I asked for my resignation. While at the Hospital the City surrendered and made my escape while General Buell made a proclamation on the Square. I heard the proclaimation in part and through the help of our Post-Master-General Brown's wife made sure my escape. She put me and a Colonel into a carriage and in that way we avoided being captured. After reaching home I reported into the Quartermaster Department at Pine Bluff, working in the office as 2^nd. clerk part of the time 1^st. clerk. About that time we were married. It was reported that I was killed at Shiloh, so they looked at me as nearly one from the dead. I was then about 27 years and your Mother 17 years.

The yankees were coming to Pine Bluff from toward LR. --Little Rock--, so the quartermaster department moved out lock, stock, and barrel. They left me to burn up what they could not get away, but I just told people to help themselves and I burned nothing. I had enough of burning before. I've got out of there, which was the 2nd or 3^rd place I had been in after the federals were in --had taken possession--. I was fast asleep and fed. pickets had been put out, but I and Bro Tom got out. It was easier to picket the town then than now on account of Hardings lake in the southeast part of town. Some of the boys had to cross that --the lake-- on floating logs. 2 more young fellows overtook us or we overtook them that the same night -- some months after, the confederates tried to recapture Pine Bluff but unsatisfactorily --unsuccessfully--. We were then down on Red River under Captain Warren Johnson in the quartermaster dept. I was there 8 or 9 months -- everything all the time going against the confederacy, everything looking gloomier everyday, looked indeed like a forlorn hope.

It was here I bought so much whiskey for the boys but did not drink to excess myself, nor did any of them for that matter, it cost $10 a quart Pinetop or adulterated stuff at that. A soldier got about $13 per month confederate paper, paid $10 for a quart of that stuff -- sometimes $10 --$1.00--for a single drink -- 25 to 50¢ each for vile cigars so he would have little left in a few minutes for a month's pay. I think we paid a dollar a pound for common leaf top, and tobacco and sugar was cheap with us.

Well, a little later I got a furlough to go into the neighborhood of Pine Bluff to see my wife. Capt. Johnson looked at me when he gave me the furlough as though he never expected to see me again. I fully expected to come back in 30 days or less time. Yet, I was not sworn into any command at that time. I picked out a good horse and started early one morning by myself for home, from Fulton, Ark., on Red River. It was lonely riding, but got better the nearer I got to home. I stopped overnight in Warren on my way home. Next day at 12 I stopped at Harpers for dinner. Harpers was A. Brewster's wifes family. Miss Lizzy Harper etc. was at home then. They told me Cornelia had stayed there last night and had gone on to Warren that morning. Just her and a little ten year old boy riding behind her on Jane, the pacing mare. She had a lot of things for me -- clothes and a pair of good boots, etc. etc. I don't think I waited for dinner. I turned back and caught up with her before she got to Warren. There were so many roads that we missed each other. I had not the slightest idea that she would undertake such a thing. I wonder more about it now, than I did then. We stayed all night at Warren, made it back to Harper's next day in time for dinner. They were all so glad to see us together; we were acquainted with one of Miss Lizzie's sisters, lived close to Aldridges in town. I will never forget how good Miss Lizzie was to Cornelia. Let me say right here, everybody was good to a returning soldier. Cornelia urged me to go back with her to SS --Sulphur Springs--. I was nothing loathed. I wondered how Cornelia got a pass for the avowed purpose of meeting a rebel, and perhaps carry out news -- the upshot of it was that soon afterwards I went in and surrendered to Clayton. I was loth to go in, but heard that Aldridge was going to leave for Ill --Illinois-- and take Cornelia if she would go. He was afraid of more trouble and the prospect of negro rule with other personal matters, and his health was bad and all together decided him to move. For myself, I had a pretty good reason to go to Ill. also.

I was ordered by General Hindman to burn all the cotton I could find any where and every where, and I certainly did burn it, it was Stuids men's (?) orders, but I had no order to show for it, and I was uneasy in two ways -- both for the man's cotton I burnt, though I never had an open objection, and the Federal authorities had threatened to hang anyone who burnt it, orders or no orders. So I sold my confederate horse for $85.00 good money. We sold the house to J.T. --J.F.-- Walsh for $1,000 or more it may be, traded some confederate money offered 10 or 15 cents on the dollar as some southerners still believed they would win out if they had to retreat to Texas.

I forgot to mentioned previously we went to housekeeping soon after getting married before we evacuated Pine Bluff --when the Federals took Pine Bluff--. I left in such a hurry and returned the same way, that I do not know to this day what became of those things. It was finely furnished a hundred old sideboard and but little to put in it or on it, a fine bedstead, but coarse homemade sheets. No carpets, rugs, or white curtains, odds and ends, and incongruities 2 hogheads of sugar and 5 or 6 large fine hogs laid in. Some very dark flour.

Home ground had been gathering up any and everything to get married, but when the feds came in had to leave there. Don't know what became them. I think Mr. Aldridge sold some of them for my benefit. All I remember of his selling, is two cows and a heifer, he rendered an account of that only. I think most of our outfit was lost. I kept his singular old (cap? cape?) many years. Had till quite recently. --I kept his account till quite recently, it was worth preserving--. I thought once of sending it to the fair -- you may have seen it, but perhaps at that as not impressed by it as you would be today. We had a long time settlement after we got to Mattoon which lessened my capital considerable and hampered me greatly, but it was due him. Board bill for Cornelia while I was gone and at Pine Bluff for self.

Among the items was $10 for a pair of coarse homemade shoes for Cornelia. $10 for a pound of soda this was during the war -- before the war it was many other additions. Again I digress, speaking the prices as the soda and shoes (soda was saleratus before the war), while I was purchasing agent in quartermaster department, I would go the distance of a 100 miles for anything we could use --I could hear of, that would do to eat, drink or wear--, and pay conf. money on moving or give vouchers for them. Cloth, leather, hides, horses, corn etc. etc., wagons, mules. I was sent down to the Saline river about 2 days trip for salt to some salt works down there. I had charge of a train of teams at those times, and had the privilege to bring some salt for myself. I remember selling some for $100 to $125 per bushel.

People were so hard run for salt, that they dug up their old smoke house dirt and dirt floors that had been used so long but they were impregnated with salt. They threw the dirt into an ash hopper as if it had been ashes, put water on it to leak through, then boiled the water down to get the salt. Don't suppose you would know what an the ash hopper was. Well, it was in universal use before the war. Everybody made their own soap. Many made their own leather clothes etc. etc. People made their own shoes, tanned their own hides, wove their own cloth -- made their own wagons, tools, etc. etc. We were more self-sustaining as a section before the war than since.