It wasn’t until the soldiers were out of sight that the men let out their breaths. It had worked, the soldiers had left them in peace. Slowly, word spread that the soldiers were gone and women and children started coming out of the main house. They had hidden in false walls and under the floors. Their plan had worked, they would survive. Mary moved about the women as they left the house. She went upstairs to find her mistress. She was sure Victoria was frightened, as they all were.
Late spring blended into summer following the long harsh winter; the men and women worked out in the fields to plant the crops. This year they would be growing corn, tobacco and barley. Theo had started experimenting with different crops and found that in diversity, they could have bigger harvests. When the crops where harvested, John and Tall Tom took the bounty up to Savannah to sell. It was a risk leaving the farm and going out on the road with the crops. Raids by both armies were frequent, along with collateral damage. Then there were the deserters that snuck onto farms and plantations, wreaking havoc. It would seem that the entire south was on fire.
Much of the food was canned and set up for the coming winter. Root crops were buried in the forest, hidden from outsiders. John received more news from his sons. The fighting was terrible, the Confederates were taking a beating and it didn’t look good. Many homes had been put to the torch and slaves confiscated to serve in both armies. The fighting was bloody and fierce. Theo had been wounded, only a scratch he assured his father and all was well.
Several of John’s slaves had disappeared and John didn’t know if the slaves had run away or if they’d been attacked and killed in the woods. No bodies were found. The women grieved and cried, so Anderson didn’t know what to believe. Tall Tom had brought up the fact that the men might have been taken by patrols or a group calling themselves Ku Klux Klan, who had been sending terror into the heart of blacks and whites alike. Both Theo and Samuel had confirmed about the group’s vicious activities and had warned John about their disturbing presence in the surrounding countryside. The Grover farm and Kilgour farm, Anderson’s neighbors, had been hit by both armies. Anderson felt helpless and bitterly wished his sons were there to help him.
Mary fretted over Victoria; she was falling farther into the depths of depression. She would not leave her bed and refused to eat at times. When Mary brought Ida into the bedroom, the child’s presence seemed to cheer her mistress up. Ida was starting to wobble and walk. Victoria laughed at her antics.
“She is such a smart child and so strong.” Her voice shook and was frail as only the old can be. Mary was pregnant with her second child. She was due in the fall and was looking forward to it. It was a bittersweet time, she was happy to be pregnant, but with the war and uncertainty, it made her restless. She was torn with worry about her mistress and her family. The women continued to hide throughout the house, when soldiers came. Some of the boys had been sent to hide in trees with bits of mirrors, to signal the approach of strangers.
It was difficult to get work done and everyone was on edge. They all worked together, they knew it was their only hope. Rumors came floating to them about the Confederates killing whole families of slaves if they refused to fight, and the same was said for the north as well. To Mary, one was almost as bad as the other. They knew there was a regiment of free black men fighting as well. It made pride swell within her. Henry was on edge was well. He watched her and Ida. There was little any of them could do. Especially with some of the men and boys disappearing. No one knew what had happened. The men and boys had gone out to patrol the surrounding areas of the farm, keeping watch for strangers and soldiers, only to never return.
Smoke was prevalent in the air. Something was burning and it hazed the sky. Men now stood watch at night, both at the house and around the slave quarters. Gabe and Henry took turns working in the cooperage and standing guard. The men had begun to dig tunnels under their homes, to send their families should the farm be raided at night. There was nowhere for them to run. The countryside was unsafe, the cities were unsafe. The whole world seemed to burn around them.
Mary hoped for freedom, but she was afraid the cost would be too high. By each day that passed, her mistress sank lower and was so despondent that Mary felt like shaking her. This was her home and this was her friend and she felt at a loss as to how to help her. Even Ida’s antics went unnoticed.
It was mid-August; Mary had celebrated her nineteenth birthday in hiding. Confederate soldiers had camped out on the farm for over a week. Dark Henry and Tall Tom took food to the women hiding within the walls of the house in the dead of night. The children were frightened but kept quiet, babies were hushed. It was a long and uncomfortable time for them all. Mary found it difficult in the cramped space with her large belly. The
