Story of a Trooper: Francis Colburn Adams in New Kent IV - A visit to Eltham

The continuing story of trooper Francis Colburn Adams' experiences in New Kent during the Peninsula Campaign . . .

The standard image of the house at Eltham; according to the Virginia Historical Society it is based on a drawing by a member of the family

The old Eltham mansion was a large, high, double-storied brick house, with tall chimneys at each end, aspacious hall in the centre, quaint gable windows on the steep roof, and large airy rooms, filled with substantial, but old-fashioned furniture. But little pains had beentaken to keep the building in repair, and there was adingy, antiquated air about it, inside as well as out.Several buildings used for servants' quarters, and which  bore evidence of having been spacious and comfortable,were now tumbling down in decay. A large brickbuilding, a few yards from the house, was used promiscuously for a kitchen, a chicken loft, a carriage house,and the quarters of several old and infirm negroes.But the whole more nearly resembled the shop of a blacksmith, who had taken a rag-seller and sootty cookinto partnership.

The present owner of this plantation, a rank secessionist,* whose name I have now forgotten, left for a placeof safety as we approached, leaving everything to the  care of an overseer, a swarm of sooty women and children (slaves) of all colors, and a few very old men.The able-bodied field hands, except the few he had induced to go with him, had all gone in pursuit of freedom.Those left had had it all their own way for a day or two, and the house was in nice state of confusion when we entered it. The overseer, too, was in a state of great grief at the way things were going, and wished, as he said, every hour in the day, that Mr. -— had stayed at home to look after the property. What  grieved him most was that the negroes treated his orders with contempt, and "grinned at him, and said they won't." He wanted to apply the lash, and whip them into obedience, as he had been accustomed to.

When told that if he attempted it he would find himself in the guard-house, and perhaps in irons, he thought it very hard of us to interfere in this way with his authority. This overseer was a little, lean, leathery man, with a sallow complexion, or perhaps I should say, no complexion at all, a sharp, angular visage, and a small dull eye. He wore a shabby grey coat, that reached almost to his heels, a soft hat slouched over his eyes, and seemed to be shirtless. He was a strange and quaint item of humanity, this little old man, this sovereign of the lash, who had so long controlled the affairs of the plantation. His mind seemed to be in a continual state of confusion and perplexity. He would  pace up and down in front of the old mansion, now pausing and looking with an air of wonder over the fields that were being desolated, then mutter to himself as if crazed with some new care. Then he would stand for an hour, fixed as a statue, but like a man full of sorrows, and without knowing what to do. If any one asked him a question he would answer civilly, moodily ; and he would generally end by saying, "Things have  changed so mightily since Mr. left, I don't know what's best to be done." Then he would shake his head and inquire if we intended to send them all away and sell the place. " If you do," he would add, "there'll be no more for overseers to do." The picture of this  little, moody old man, as he passed up and down before the antiquated mansion, contemplating at times the troops that had so suddenly and rudely destroyed his

fields, was one I shall not soon forget.

We took possession of the old mansion, and converted it into headquarters for Generals Franklin, Slocum, and Newton. The "young gentlemen" of the staff made themselves comfortable in the upper rooms, which were spacious and airy, and well stocked with feather beds and massive high-post bedsteads. General Franklin ordered that nothing be taken from the house, and the furniture, as far as possible, be preserved from harm. An inquisitive correspondent, however, found means of getting into the bureaus, and brought to light a number of ancient and curious documents, some of them valuable for their connection with the history of the place. There was also a considerable number of valuable old books found in one of the rooms, and which I fear were destroyed after we left.

When we arrived, the yards and gardens swarmed with pigs, turkeys, geese, and chickens, and against these an indiscriminate war was carried on until the provost marshal came up and put an end to it. The generals had gone out to examine the front and direct the disposition of troops ; and several " young gentlemen" of the staff, seeing such an excellent opportunity of replenishing their larders, set upon the astonished poultry and defenceless roasters with a fierceness and energy they had not displayed in battle. Clubs, stones, pistols, and swords were used freely, and it was, to say the least, somewhat amusing to see a race for life between the smallest kind of a porker and a brilliantly  uniformed staff officer. Another, with a taste for chicken or turkey, would draw his sword and begin the chase, not stopping until he had secured his game. The most amusing scene during this " chicken war," at Eltham, which was not waged without the loss of some blood, was enacted between a tall, gaunt, fair-haired German officer of cavalry, in spectacles, and prodigiously booted and spurred, on the one side, and a goose he wanted for dinner on the other. The goose resolved not to be captured, and made desperate use of both wings and legs, and the stalwart trooper was equally resolved not to be done out of his dinner ; so the chase was kept up for at least twenty minutes, the trooper gaining on the goose at every stride, cutting right and left with his sabre, and each time missing his aim, owing to short-sightedness. In truth, the goose was likely to get the better of the trooper, when the assistance of an Irish orderly was called in and the gobbler brought down with a stone. Other gentlemen were equally persevering in their pursuit of turkeys and chickens ; and what with the loud gabbling of geese, the squeals of pigs, the screams of chickens, the loud gobbling of turkeys, and the wild enthusiasm of little negroes, who joined in the chase, the medley of ungrateful sounds became deafening. Two splendid peacocks, alarmed at the slaughter that was going on, sought, safety on the top of the house, and remained perched on one of the tall chimneys, where we left them two days afterwards, cautiously viewing the scenes below, but exhibiting no inclination to come down for food or water.

The little old overseer was very much disturbed in his mind at seeing the ranks of his poultry thus unceremoniously thinned out, and seemed greatly relieve when the provost marshal ordered him to lock up what whatever was left, and sell them for gold, which he did finding ready customers. Now, this war on the poultry of the Eltham plantation had its serious, as well as humorous aspects, and came very near resulting in a duel between two gallant gentlemen of the staff. A question of right to a chicken arose, and resulted in a very angry dispute between Captain Walden and Lieutenant Baker. Menacing attitudes were taken, and language used not common among gentlemen. It looked, indeed, as if we should be called on to measure ground for the gentlemen, and send for surgeons, pistols being the only means left of insuring satisfaction and settling the dispute. It may disappoint the reader, however, to know that no blood was shed, and that the dispute came to an end by each striving to outdo in the use of very bad language.

A short distance in the rear of the old mansion, near the bank of the river, and shaded by some fine old trees, was an ancient cemetery, surrounded by a high brick wall, and entered through an arched gateway, with stone lintels. In the centre of this cemetery  stood a moss-covered tomb, with the slab broken in the centre, and otherwise defaced. After clearing away the moss, I succeeded in reading the following inscription on the slab:

"Here lyes Intered ye body of y Hon. William B. Bassett, Esq., and Bridget, his wife,  of the County of Southampton, in ye Kingdom of England. He married Joanna, eldest daughter of Lewis Burwell, Esq., with whom he happily lived 29 years rnd ten months, and was blessed with 5 sons and 7 daughters. He departed this life ye 11th of October, 1723, in the 53d year of his age. He was a good christian, an affectionate, obliging husband, a kind and indulgent father, and a good master. His loss was greatly lamented by his county, his country, and family, and inexpressively to his mournful, disconsolate widow, who also departed this life ye 7th day of October, 1727, in ye 53d year of her age."

There is no doubt that good Squire Bassett was a fine Virginia gentleman of the olden time; that he kept choice hounds and fleet horses; that he entertained his friends at the chase; that he had many slaves; that the lords and ladies of the land were welcome guests

at his mansion; that, in a word, he lived as a fine old gentleman ought to live, and died a good christian. But that was before the hearts and souls of Virginia gentlemen were made corrupt by the degrading business of slave-breeding. Eltham had fallen from its high estate; genius, beauty, and wealth no longer held court in its halls; its gardens were overgrown with rank weeds, and the traces of its former grandeur fast wearing out in decay; and there was proof enough that the present owner made slave-breeding Eltham's chief source of profit.

" You used to raise a good many slaves on this place, I suppose?" inquired a Union soldier, stopping and accosting the little, old overseer.

" A right smart heap," replied the man, curtly.

'' About how many ?" queried the soldier.

" Say from fifteen to twenty a yeer; prime hands; brought a right smart bit of money; wus wurth from ten to twelve hunderd a head. Niggers all runed away whin you cum'd. Aint wuth much now. Slipperyest property now a man can have." "What did you used to do with them?" continued the soldier, fixing a stare on him; " sell them in the market with your pigs ?"

" Down South," replied the man, confusedly; then turning to the soldier, with a look of sympathy, he continued, in broken sentences, " Bin a prayin' all night that the Lord would deliver us from this cuss as is cum upon us."

" Old man," replied the soldier, with a look of scorn, " better if you had prayed to the devil. God don't heed the prayers of wicked men like you."

* the "rank secessionist" was Richmond T. Lacy. Eltham had passed out of the Bassett family in the early 1850's and Lacy was now one of the largest landowners in the county. Possessing over 3,700 hundred acres, Lacy owned or hired almost sixty slaves. He also had two sons in the Confederate army.

Story of a Trooper: Francis Colburn Adams in New Kent III . . . A March to Eltham

The continuing story of trooper Francis Colburn Adams' experiences in New Kent during the Peninsula Campaign . . .

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection-Map of the vicinity of Richmond, Va., and part of the Peninsula. From surveys made under the direction of Capt. A.H. Campbell, P.E.C.S.A., in charge, Topographical Department, D.N.Va. 1864.

A MARCH TO ELTHAM— A CHICKEN CONFLICT-

AN OLDEN-TIME HABITATION.

The morning after the battle (the 8th) came in bright and beautiful. The crash and clash of battle had ceased, and although its fierce engines were still here, and the dead were there to harrow up the feelings of the living, and the wounded to call for succoring hands

and sympathizing hearts, the quiet picture was in strange contrast with that of yesterday. We were surrounded by one of those soft, quiet landscapes than which none could be more beautiful. A gentle breeze, sweet with the breath of flowers, came playing as it were over the river. And the calm, winding waters of the Pamunky and Mattapony, the vast green fields that stretched away from their banks, the dark, luxuriant foliage that gave such a crispness and outline to the picture, with flowers everywhere in full bloom — all seemed to combine in one enchanting harmony. Here nature had just put on her most beautiful robes, as if to excite the soul's love. Strange thoughts forced themselves on the mind, one after another, while sitting on the bank of the river contemplating this gorgeous scene. How is it, I asked myself, that a God who is all goodness, and controls all things, has made man the most destructive of all His creatures, and permits him to lay waste these beautiful scenes, to scourge the earth with war ?

There were arrivals from Washington and New York this morning, and we again had the sutler and the news-boy in camp, both doing a brisk business. The battle of Williamsburg was just then absorbing our attention, and as we were anxious to get the lists of killed

and wounded, everybody bought a newspaper.

Portions of Sedgwick's, Richardson's, and Porter's divisions had come up by water from Yorktown during the night. About 9 o'clock there might have been seen about the headquarters' tents groups of generals, some of whose names will have a prominent place in the nation's history. In one stood the tall, thoughtful, and brave Franklin; the affable and courteous Fitz John Porter ; that sturdy, frank, and unpretentious soldier, Sedgwick; and the blunt, but good-humored Colonel Alexander, surrounded by a number of their staff officers. In another stood the sleeker, meditative, and restless Slocum, with his bronzed face and sharp features; the genial and brave John Newton; Dana, and the rolicking and energetic Torbert, of the Jersey brigade. There, too, was the honest-hearted Richardson; all surrounded by a number of staff officers, many of whom have since been killed or disabled for life; others have risen to high commands.

About 10 o'clock, an enterprising German arrived from Washington with a supply of refreshing lager, which found a hearty welcome at headquarters, for the morning was warm and sultry. Our friends, the newly arrived generals, were invited to join us, and numerous glasses were quaffed, with thanks to the man who first made lager.

About one o'clock, Franklin's division was ready to march, and after the wounded were taken care of, and the solemn ceremony of burying the dead performed, moved forward on a narrow, swampy, road, five miles to Eltham, on the right bank of the Pamunky, which here made a beautiful curve, and to the west of which, and following the course of the winding stream, extensive meadows stretched away as far as the eye could reach. This Eltham was a broad, level farm, of some two thousand acres, the soil remarkably rich and productive, and even now under tolerably good cultivation. It had evidently been a place of considerable importance, and had a history full of romance. Time was when the wealth, the fashion, the beauty, and the wits of the country round about assembled at Eltham, and held high court on the lawns and in the halls of the old mansion. But Eltham, like Virginia's pride, (a pride strongly resembling that found in England,) was coming down, and going to decay. An old black man, who had passed his five-score years, still lived on the place, and could tell you with great distinctness of the time when Eltham was gay and festive, and when the great men of Virginia were the welcome guests of his master, and the feast set before them was "the best in all the land."

Extensive fields of flowering clover, of rye, and wheat, stretched away from the river, and into these our division debouched and bivouacked, the animals enjoying the feast thus spread before them. In forty-eight hours these fields, so luxuriant of the coming harvest when we entered them, presented only a surface of bald clay. A landing was also made on the bank of the river, and a temporary depot established, and the fleet of transports and steamers came sweeping up in grand style, their spars and funnels presenting a novel appearance among the trees and deep green foliage with which the river banks were lined.

Our information respecting the capacity of the Pamunky river was somewhat confused at first. Few vessels of any size had ascended above West Point. Virginians had not given themselves the trouble to sound it, nor to consider the advantages it might give them in properly developing so rich a country. Hence it came to be regarded by the people along its banks as navigable only for oyster boats and small craft of very light draught. Some of the negroes, who had acted as pilots and oystermen on the river, thought a channel could be found much further up for nine and even ten feet of water. In order to settle this question, a gunboat, commanded by Captain Nicholson, with Colonel Alexander, of the engineers. Captain Arnold, of the artillery, (then on Franklin's staff,) and two other officers, whose names I have forgotten, started on a voyage of discovery up the river, the object being to establish our depot of supplies as near Richmond as we could get by water.

-The Story of a Trooper: With Much of Interest Concerning the Campaign on the Peninsula



-to be continued-

New Kent Historical Markers, 2

Information on marker from markerhistory.com
Image from Virginia Department of Historical Resources