Southern Claims Commission
(Many of these pages are extremely hard to read)
Claim of Ann Edmondson #6419 Dec 15, 1873
claim disallowed
| ITEMS & AMOUNT | WITNESS' | PERSONAL INFORMATION | OTHER |
| $3000.00 for Store room destroyed and farm produce taken near Ft.
Smith, Ar by U.S. Army on Oct 2, 1863 30 sacks flour 10c $300.00 30 sacks salt 10c $300.00
|
Phebe Reeder, 60 years old. Not related to Claimant. Lives
right across from the store house. Saw the soldiers. "I went over to
claimants house and told her that the soldiers were taking away her goods from
said store. I said to her you are sitting here eating and the soldiers
are taking all your goods. There were several soldiers eating at
claimants table when I told her. Claimant, myself and some of the men
that were eating at the table went out to the store house and the goods were
all gone. Peter O'Connor, age 52, laborer, not related to claimant. Joseph Shaw, 28 years old, farmer, not related to claimant. Asa Clark, 65 years old, carpenter, not related to claimant William Cottrell, age 34, laborer, not related to claimant. ??? H. Fout, age 46 years, depty sheriff of the county, not related to claimant. James A. Davis, age 52 Thos H. Scott |
Testimony of Add Edmondson: From the first of April 1864
to the first of June 1865 I resided all the time in Ft. Smith, Ark. My
occupation during this time was keeping boarding house. My husband was a
????? man and was compelled on that reason to be away from home some of the
time and I had the family to support. (also had a grocery store) Age 59 Late husband was Samuel Edmondson. "I took care of sick Union soldiers during the war when they were stationed at Ft. Smith, Ark. I had no relative in the rebel army only a stepson James Edmondson who now resides in Sebastian Co. He was conscripted in the rebel army. He was a Union man and the first opportunity deserted the rebel and joined the Federal Army. He told me when he was conscripted and had to go that he would sooner die than go but that he was forced to go. I furnished him with no military equipment clothing or money while in the rebel service. When he was conscripted and taken away his father, my husband was not at home. When he came home he went to Little Rock Ark at an expense of some $15.00 to try and get his son out of the army but failed to do so. At the beginning of the rebellion I sympathized with the Union cause. My feelings and language on kthe subject were in favor of the Union. I am a widow. My husband died Oct 4, 1866. He never was in the rebel army nor the civil service of the confederacy. He left 4 children all now living named as follows: James Edmondson aged 38 years I think, Mary Reeder aged 43 years, Samuel aged 19 years and Thomas aged 15 years the two youngest are my children the two older are my step children. The first day the federal armyh came to Fort Smith, Ark the second day of Sep 1863 - they came to my house several officers of the first Arkansas USA . ??? came to my house and told me they were very hungry that they had been on a forced march and had had but little to eat for several days. I told them I had plenty to eat and would step out and get some help to prepare dinner for them. I knew some of the officers as follows.. Captain John S. Spradling, Captain Thomas H. Scott, Captain Newman, Lieutenant Johnson and Lieutenant Edmondson besides several others that were strangers to me. While the officers were eating dinner an old lady named Reeder who lived opposite where the property was stored came and told me that the soldiers was taking our goods out of the store house. I went out together with some of the officers and by the time we got to the store house they had got all the property out of the house and were carrying it away in all ways some on horse back and some on foot. I suppose there was as many as 100 men engaged in the taking and were so engaged but a short time. The soldiers so engaged belonged to the second Kansas USA Cavalry - the good were stored in my store house about 20 or 30 yards in front of my dwelling house - the goods were taken out at the front door, which was not in sight of my dwelling. I was busy preparing dinner for the officers and did not see the soldiers when they went into the house - but as they were leaving I saw them carrying away all the articles of property charged for this claim. I don't now remember whether they had any wagons along or not but don't think they did when I got into the store house everything had been taken out and the officers did not succeed in recovering anything at all for me. I attended to all the business ?? in the store myself - my husband being a lawyer and away from home most or a good part of the time. I had full charge of the business and know what goods there was in the store. There might have been a good many more than 100 men engaged in the taking as the town was full of soldiers going in all direction. |