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 ______________________________________________________________________