Mr. Prioleau Hamilton told us of a great adventure. Mrs.
Preston was put under his care on the train. He soon found the only other women
along were “strictly unfortunate females,” as Carlyle calls them, beautiful and
aggressive. He had to communicate the unpleasant fact to Mrs. Preston, on
account of their propinquity, and was lost in admiration of her silent dignity,
her quiet self-possession, her calmness, her deafness and blindness, her
thoroughbred ignoring of all that she did not care to see. Some women, no
matter how ladylike, would have made a fuss or would have fidgeted, but Mrs.
Preston dominated the situation and possessed her soul in innocence and peace.
Met Robert Johnston from Camden. He has been a prisoner,
having been taken at Camden. The Yankees robbed Zack Cantey of his forks and
spoons. When Zack did not seem to like it, they laughed at him. When he said he
did not see any fun in it, they pretended to weep and wiped their eyes with
their coat-tails. All this maddening derision Zack said was as hard to bear as
it was to see them ride off with his horse, Albine. They stole all of Mrs.
Zack's jewelry and silver. When the Yankee general heard of it he wrote her a
very polite note, saying how sorry he was that she had been annoyed, and
returned a bundle of Zack's love-letters, written to her before she was
married. Robert Johnston said Miss Chesnut was a brave and determined spirit.
One Yankee officer came in while they were at breakfast and sat down to warm
himself at the fire. “Rebels have no rights,” Miss Chesnut said to him
politely. “I suppose you have come to rob us. Please do so and go. Your presence
agitates my blind old father.” The man jumped up in a rage, and said, “What do
you take me for — a robber?” “No, indeed,” said she, and for very shame he
marched out empty-handed.
SOURCES: Mary Boykin Chesnut, Edited by Isabella D. Martin
and Myrta Lockett Avary, A Diary From Dixie, p. 374-5
