Lenoir County, NC - West Point Occupation Recollections

                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martha Ann Westbrook Dugan's Recollection of the Federal 
Occupation of West Point, February 20-21, 1864 (ca. 1926)

Transcribed and edited by
Jack D. Elliott, Jr.
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 1/4 SW 1/4 SW 1/4 SE 1/4 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 
Jordan(2) on East Main St(3) 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 town(5) and where my brother Dick 
Westbrook(6) 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 
girl.  By 1864, both of her biological parents were dead, leaving her 
with only a stepmother.  Her biological mother, Mary Jane Westbrook 
(her family name is unknown) had died on 28 July 1853 and was buried in 
Church Hill cemetery at West Point (the burials in this cemetery were 
later moved to Greenwood Cemetery in West Point).  Mary Jane's 
tombstone indicates that she was born in Lenoir County NC.  Her father 
Lemuel remarried on 3 January 1854 to a widow Martha Evans Douglas 
Fleming, a native of NC.  Lemuel died on 1 January 1862 and was buried 
in the family cemetery adjacent to his home.
 
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).

______________________________________________________________________

Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Martha Mewborn Marble - 58marble@cox.net
______________________________________________________________________