When the Civil War broke out, Rebecca Scott, the second wife of Alfred Vernon Scott, was living in Washington DC with her three minor chidren, Alice, Alfred V. Scott, II (as far as I know, our family never went for the honorific "Junior"), and Willie, named after Rebecca's father and her brother, both named William Owen Nixon, who lived on his plantation in Lowndes County, Alabama. Rebecca, "a dyed in the wool Southerner," had no desire to reside in the US capitol, so she plotted to move her family to her uncle's home until the Confederate states whipped the Yankee's butts.
Rebecca was successful in slipping across the Potomac River into Virginia; but, taking her money along was out of the question. The group made their way to Richmond where Alice met and married Dr. Algernon S. Garnett, who already had a distinguished record with the United States Navy prior to resigning his commission and accepting an equivalent one with the small Confederate Navy. Alice remained in Virginia while Rebecca and her sons proceeded on to Alabama.
As noted, this narrative is based on the stories Grandpapa related to his five grandchildren, my two cousins, Joan and Cynthia Scott, my two older sisters, Anne and Kay, and me, many times over the years. (It is also well documented in published research.) Grandpapa was 64 years old when I was born and I knew him only as our old but energetic "Grumpapa," the nickname one of us (probably Kay) bestowed on account of his cantankerous nature.
So, the Civil War dragged on for 4 years at the end of which it became evident the Confederacy, as Alfred Scott predicted, would suffer total defeat. Before that humiliation came to pass, the younger Alfred died tragically. On the 22nd of June, 1863, Alfred had gone hunting accompanied by a young slave. Having wounded a squirrel that fell to the ground, Alfred attempted to finish it off with the butt of his gun. Unfortunately, the weapon fired striking Alfred in the head. The slave ran back to the plantation house shouting, "Come quick, Marse Alfred done shot hisself!" Alfred was dead and when the family went through his belongings, a Confederate uniform in his size was found hidden in his closet. Alfred had intended to slip away and enlist.
Alfred's death left only his mother and younger brother of the family who had left Washington DC. With news of the impending defeat of the Confederacy, Rebecca learned that her money in the Northern bank was in danger of being confiscated. She and Willie had no recourse but to return to Washington DC to claim the intact fortune. And so they did.
No comments:
Post a Comment