LENOIR COUNTY, NC - LETTERS - Martha Ann Westbrook Dugan's Recollection of the
Federal Occupation of West Point, February 20-21, 1864 (ca. 1926)
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transcribed and edited by
Jack D. Elliott, Jr.
jde3@ra.msstate.edu
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
February 27, 2003
The following transcribed document is a recollection of the occupation of West
Point, Mississippi by Federal troops under Brigadier General Sooy Smith on
February 20-21, 1864. The original document is located in the local history
collection in Bryan Public Library, West Point. It was written by Martha Ann
Westbrook Dugan (15 Oct. 1846-7 Aug. 1931, buried in Greenwood Cemetery, West
Point), the wife of Dr. P.B. Dugan. Mrs. Dugan was the daughter of Lemuel and
Mary Jane Westbrook. Lemuel (3 Apr. 1802-1 Jan. 1862) was born in Lenoir
County, NC and with his parents and siblings moved in ca. 1839 to the vicinity
of what became West Point. Lemuel had a home constructed on the northwestern
outskirts of West Point at the northeast corner of the intersection of modern
Highway 45A and Dunlap Road (SW SW SW SE Section 3, Township 17, Range
6 East). The house burned in ca. 1970, although the location is marked by the
presence of the family cemetery (where Lemuel is buried), located immediately
on the north side of Dunlap Road. Of note, Mrs. Dugan identifies this house
as being the location of General Smith's headquarters during his brief
occupation of West Point.
The undated account was written in longhand on six sheets of paper, eight by
five inches in size. On the back of one of the pages, an unidentified hand
has written "This was written at request of T.M. Moseley for Confederate
Veteran Magazine, but for unknown reason was not delivered. Mrs. Dugan said
well enough [that] this [was] not published for the War was over let wounds
heal." Further down on the same page, someone, possibly the same hand, has
written "Estimate was written about 1915". I believe though that the account
was more likely written in 1926. This date is suggested by the fact that the
account was written at the request of T.M. Moseley to appear in the magazine
Confederate Veteran. Moseley published a recollection of his own experience
in the Confederate cavalry in the November 1926 issue of the Confederate
Veteran. The fact that he was writing a recollection for publication suggests
that this would have been the most likely time that he would have requested
Mrs. Dugan to write her reminiscence.
To my knowledge this account has never been transcribed or published, although
Ruth White Williams did allude to it on page 57 of her history of West Point
(On the Map 145 Years: The History of West Point, Mississippi 1846-1991,
Curtis Media, Dallas, TX, 1996).
Transcript of Mrs. Dugan's recollection:
West Point, Miss
Well do I remember the advent of the Federal troops into our little town in
the Spring [sic] of 1864.
Raiding parties had gone through the state previously and had passed several
miles to the West of us.1 These [and here she is alluding to Sooy Smith's
expedition] were the first I had come in contact with, and they made a lasting
impression on my young mind, at the time I was in the house of my uncle Col
Moses Jordan2 on East Main St3 in expectation of their coming my uncle had
removed out of their way much food stuff, provisions &c yet still left
sufficient to make it attractive to the soldiers, which swarmed about our
place the morning of their arrival. The first Federals seen by us were in
pursuit of a squad of Confederate Cavalry going East and the last firing
occurred from the St[reet] in front [of] our home,4 when the pursuit was
discontinued and picket stationed, when search for food and valuable begun a
few led by a bewhiskered foreighener [sic], I being commanded to light their
way, and wanted to observe their proceedings secured a candle (the usual light
then used) and followed their bidding, while those aliens were going through
my trunk scattering its almost sacred contents about the floor. I was
strongly tempted to apply my lighted cand[l]e to his flowing beard, but
considering the consequences (may be the house burned) desisted, Small loss of
personal property resulted from this search, but the humiliation was almost
unbearable. We had hidden many of our valuables. It being the day of the
Hoop-skirt good use was made of its ample folds and met good success. We
slept but little that night though few soldiers were about the house after
these intruders departed a few straggling blue-coats returned in the morning
in time to secure the breakfast prepared for us, their stay was short as about
this time the bugle was sounded when the pickets came scurrying in, and soon
the yankes [sic] were all gone. We saw no more of them throug[h] it all our
faithful servant Adam remained at hand, and never out of call and ready to do
our bidding and there were many others just as loyal to their "white folks" I
found real desolation that afternoon when I visited my home just north of
town5 and where my brother Dick Westbrook6 now lives Gen Smith had occupied
the house, his main army camped nearby, Furniture bedding &c scattered over
the yard much carried away, cattle, hogs, chickens all gone, smokehouse
emptied, fences burned and this is just a touch of war as it came to many
sections of our fair Southland, let me rejoice & be glad that its scars are
almost healed.
M.A. Dugan
West Point, Miss.
Notes to Mrs. Dugan's recollection:
1. Mrs. Dugan was alluding here to Grierson's Raid which passed through what
is now western Clay County on April 21, 1863.
2. Moses Jordan (1820-1865) married Lemuel Westbrook's sister Eliza (17 Dec.
1813-1890).
3. Moses Jordan's home originally stood on the south side of East Main Street
in West Point. However, several decades later it was moved to the location
where it currently stands on the south side of Broad Street.
4. By "our home" Mrs. Dugan appears to have been alluding to Moses Jordan's
house where she was apparently residing rather than at her family home. Her
residence in the Jordan home might have arisen from the need to find a new
residence and guardians for the 17 year old Martha Ann, possibly because her
father had died in 1862 and, not knowing the date of death of her mother, it
is conceivable that the mother was also dead.
5. Here she is clearly alluding to her family home, the location of which I
have described in my introduction.
6. "Dick" was a nickname for Mrs. Dugan's brother, Lemuel Lowndes Westbrook
(17 Sept. 1851-1 Dec. 1937, buried Greenwood Cemetery).
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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives
by: Jack D. Elliott, Jr. jde3@ra.msstate.edu
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