Greensborough Patriot
February 12, 1863
Page 1
Such
People Cannot Be Conquered
Col. Imboden, giving an account of his expedition in
Western Virginia, relates the following:
“On the 9th instant, I halted near sunset, by a log cabin, in
one of the wildest gorges on the dry fork of Cheat River. An aged mother and several of her daughters
were the only members of the family at home.
The father had been in Camp Chase over a year on a charge of being a
rebel, and an only son is a soldier in one of my companies. I asked for corn to feed over 300
horses. The old lady said they only had
a little, raised by herself and daughters, but that I was welcome to take it if
I needed it—I took half she had and paid her for it, when she seemed to doubt
the propriety of receiving money from a Southern soldier, as she thought it a
duty to give us what we wanted. Her
son’s company was not along and she did not see him. The eldest daughter said, “Colonel, tell
brother we are all well and doing well.
We expect our pa will soon be released from Camp Chase and come
home. Tell him to be contented in the
army, and write to us if he can.”
“If we had known that you were coming we would have had
his winter clothing ready to send to him, but we will have no other chance when
you leave. Tell him we girls made enough
corn to do us, and have got a plenty of meat.
We have caught five large Bears in a pen and have salted them down for
winter. The Yankee Sheriff came along
with five soldiers to collect the taxes and wanted to take the mare, but we had
sold the bear skins for money enough to pay him, and I hope it’s the last time
we will ever have to pay Yankee taxes.”
On my honor, as a gentleman, this incident is literally true and
detailed exactly as it occurred.
I thought as I rode away into the wilderness that the
stripling soldier, but 17 years of age whose home I had just left, would
hereafter in the eyes of a just and impartial posterity have a prouder claim to
honor than the son of any heartless speculator though he inherited millions of
a father’s ill-gotten gains.”
[Transcribed by Sharon Strout]
