Eastville Nov. 12th 1865
I wrote to you my beloved a short note by father. All was ready at last and they started to Cherrystone, mother going with him. They had been gone about an hour, when Sue looked out and said "oh sister here comes old Meers again." I picked up the baby and went up stairs. He came in accompanied by Mr. Reed (I suppose as a witness) and demanded the keys of the cotton-house and corn-house.
The message was brought to me. I sent for Mother B. to ask her advice: she advised me not to give up the keys: that even if it was a rightful seizure, I was not obliged to give them up.
So I sent Rose to town requesting Capt, Evans to come out and protect the property. Sent his official paper down with the message that as there was no necessity for haste in their action, that I requested them to wait until Capt. Evans could come, as the property was in his charge.
Your mother took the message down and you can imagine how she decanted on the unlawfulness of seizing property without judgment having been given, the cruelty of assailing so suddenly an unprotected woman in her husband's absence, and her utter contempt when Fisher was held up to her as a specimen of integrity and brilliant lawyership.
Meers refused to wait a moment (remember, on the day before when mother had asked him when the writ was to be served, he answered he was not obliged to be at all precipitous, and went away leaving her under the impression that he was afraid to execute it.) Well, he went out and broke open the back door of the barn, nailed up the cotton room door, came out and nailed up after them, nailed up [the] front door, and [the] door of [the] corn house where the new corn (Wescott's third) was stored, had a negro man put a bridle on Doctor [a horse] and rode him off, were going to take the other horse but the negroes told him it was Gov. property. He then left, went home.
Our cow, which you remember we bought from him, was then in the garden. She went out towards the branch as she has been in the habit of lately. She has not been seen since, and ever since that evening the lowing of a confused cow has been heard from the Meers farm. More of her anon.
Well to return, I had sent in Rose; she did not return. I sent Custis in with note to Dr. Sidney. After so long a time mother returned and the servants, and then was explained Fisher's haste. Evans had been mustered out and gone 6 days before, and the impression that Evans had no successor. But mother had found out that his successor had come on Wednesday & had gone down to Cherrystone with Dr. and Mrs. Sidney. So after getting my note in town, mother went right to this man and told him all. He, one Capt. Pride, a little namby-pamby, red-headed thing, said, "Oh, if they had done so, he would at once arrest old Meers and Fisher, and have the property restored at once.
He promised to come out as soon as he got his dinner. So mother came home. After several hours hence he came. But he had cooled down amazingly, contradicted himself continuously in one breath declared that Fisher had no shadow of right to demand rent, much less seize it. In the next "he must telegraph to Richmond to know if this property belonged to the Freedman's B. [Bureau]"! Promised to let me know as soon as answer to telegram arrived, and rode off.
All day Saturday I waited in vain. Could hear the lowing of a cow. Sent all over the neighborhood to look for ours in vain. Poor baby crying for his accustomed pint and a half. Towards evening I went out to Dr. Sidney's; he was not a[t] home, but there sat Pride. After a while as he said nothing I asked if he had no news for me. "No, the telegram had not been answered," and I could get nothing out of him but another series of contradictory statements, and "he would see Fisher in the morning and come out and let me know what Fisher and telegram said." So I came home discouraged.
This morning still heard cow lowing, sent two men on quiet investigations, as all the negroes persisted she was at Meers.
So I rode in the evening to Dr. Sidney's, he told me at once that I need not hope for Pride to do anything, as he was proving himself utterly trifling. That he Pride had not yet sent to Cherrystone for the answer to his telegram of Friday.
We talked over the matter. Sidney was really kind, advised me to telegraph you at once, and offered to do it for me in his official capacity. Presently Pride lounged in (it seems he had been asleep all day. You may know what sort of a concern he is when he has his wife in office in Q.M.'s dep. [Quartermaster's Department] at the Fort [Fort Monroe, probably]. I turned to him at once, and asked why he had not come out as he promised. Why he couldn't see Mr. Fisher, and he hadn't had an answer to telegram -- finally after a good deal of rambling declared he could not interfere to recover the horse and cow (as he had solemnly promised) because that was private property! How it was any more "private" than the corn and cotton I could not see.
I told him quietly and plainly what I thought of the whole transaction and finally declared it was a shame that there was no protection given by Gov. officials to the only loyal citizens of this rebellious county. Our President seems to be a just man. I think if I could tell him of the proceedings here in the last month of Old Fisher and his sworn jackal of old, Meers (who has been public "negro-whipper" here for years,) I think he would revoke FIsher's pardon tomorrow.
This evening after I got home, one of the men came in to say he had seen a cow so much like ours he could almost swear it was ours, in Meers' stable yard. It may and it may not be ours, but as it was not attached, I will get Dr. Sidney to go over with mother and Leah early in the morning. We have a good excuse for we can truly say that the cow having strayed off, we thought it quite probable she had returned to her old home.
Dr. Sidney said he was coming out anyhow, and if he has no objection, I will get him to lend a gentleman's presence to the expedition. I hope we will get her -- milk and butter is our greatest loss.
A hard fight, isn't it, my honey. But I am in the thick of the fight now, my nerves strong, and my dander up: and I join with your heart and sol in the vow, "Our wrongs must be redressed if it takes every cent of our money and ten years of our time."
I hope before this gets to you, I will have your answer to Sidney's telegram. I must go to bed and try to sleep, for Heaven only knows what tomorrow may bring for me to struggle with,
Goodnight my love, my all.
[PS - undated slip, November 13,1865]: In my letter on Friday I made a slight mistake on dates. I said we [were] turned out the last day of July -- but it was earlier in the month. We spent 3 days of July in the barn. Tues. was 1st Aug.
Monday morning. A lovely morning. I dreamed last night of you and lovely moon-lit scenery, was distressed to wake in the land of fiends.
This morning I have testimony of a negro who saw Meers meet the cow on the road and have her driven in his stable yard and penned up. As it is unlawful to "attach" a cowm I shall make an attempt to recover her, but poor Doctor will have to stay until I am furnished with some stick with which to stir up this ninny Pride: he ought to be kicked out.
To-day is Nov. Court. Only think Reed cooly told mother B. on Friday that I had better give up the keys, and then if any damage was done me, I could go to Court to-day and recover damages! I would have to plead my own cause before a prejudging Judge and Jury.
[November 19, 1865 sequel letter is here.]
Some of the people in this epic letter:
Charlotta Stocker Binckley ~ "Mother B." (1788-1877)
Harvey Mitchell Binckley ~ "baby" (1864-1928; later documents claim 1866 birth)
John Milton Binckley (1821-1878)
Mary Louisa Mitchell Binckley (1838-1930)
Harvey Mitchell/Michel (1799-1866)
Jane Mary Wood Johnston Mitchell/Michel (1811-1892)
Sue Henry Mitchell/Michel (1847-1940)
Freedmen:
Custis
Leah
Rose
Union officers:
Capt. Evans
Capt. Pride
Original manuscript in the John Milton Binckley Papers, 1816-1943. Library of Congress Manuscript Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. This is my rough transcription.
Many thanks to William Myers for sending scanned copies of the documents from the Binckley papers, and also to Mary Davy and Sally Young for their assistance.
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