April 1861
My Dearest Edward,
My darling, my heart aches for you. Edward, darling, I remain here under my parent’s wings waiting for you to come and take me upon your noble steed far away from this dreadful plantation. It’s so damn hard, my dearest momma and my daddy are simply insufferable. They refuse to let me marry without Evelyn getting married first. You remember Evelyn, my sister. Men come in year round and try to win her heart. She’s courted at least 20 this year alone! The stories I could tell you. Some of these men are so boring they make the swaying cotton seem lively. Others have tales that would amaze you and captivate your imagination like nothing else. They speak of new times with new contraptions. Circling the globe, flying, exploring; all fantastic tall tales. Some are so fat they can’t even squeeze through the front door. Poppa and the courter will always have a cool glass of rum, while we women must consent with nectar or water. Momma has a secret though, she likes her rum too much to let the men have all the fun. She and one of the of the slaves, Lucy, soak the pears in the rum every month. Poppa suspects nothing but Momma gets her Rum no matter what. Little Daryll is sick again. He’s such a fragile child. One day he’ll be playing outside running through the crop field, while the next day he’s sick as a dog in bed. It doesn’t look good, but Momma swore me not to tell Poppa, it would just break his old heart.
However, I remain ignorant. The way you speak of women in the North it seems as if they know how to read and learn avidly. We here must listen to what other women know. Men like us ignorant to the truth, little do they know that we learn best through their ignorance. The slaves act as the best method of communication. Momma has some that she trusts and respects impeccably. They are not just slaves but companions, confidantes. There are some slaves that have been here long before I was even born. My governess (wet nurse) is still here and helps me with everything in my life. She is my closest friend. She acts as a sister and a mother. A protector and a consoler.
I still remember you coming for the first time to visit me at my Poppa’s plantation. You’re mouth just dropped open. You were so amazed by every little thing, but that’s just living in the South. A big ol’ room for everyone in the family and of course slaves aiding us whenever we may need it. Do you remember the kitchen? Part of it burned down. We’re not entirely sure how it happened, Poppa blamed it on a slave, Momma says it was a careless mistake.
The house slaves are always the kindest though, it’s a fact generally accepted here. The cotton has grown high this year. There all ready to be picked, Daddy's excited, he’s said we’ve never had such a good harvest. I remember watching all those men and women working in the field for months constantly watering and turning up the soil, planting the seeds, and finally picking those cotton balls. I’ve always remember that lingering smell that remains when all that cotton balls have been from the plant.
People down here speak of rebellion and revolution. We hear rumors of disloyalty and people cry with outrage of the awful injustices of the North and how they impede on our rights to govern our selves. Many a man would assume that it is our duty as women of the household to present the man with the dignity that he deserves. They are wrong, we have many more useful functions. Primarily, those needed for espionage. We know about the stories that take place many times before the men in our household here of them. I know I am not a soldier, but I have heard many things. People down here aren’t happy with the the President in the North, Lincoln. Times have been tense ever since he was elected. My dear friend Aurora heard the strangest news. On the afternoon of 10th of April. General Beauregard, A confederate commander, began demanding the surrender of the Union at an old Fort in the harbor. The General would have nothing of this. “He was imposing on our sovereignty” as Poppa put it. The General, General Andersen, at the Fort refused to surrender. He and his Blue uniformed Union troops refused to surrender to the Grey clothed Confederates. We down south will never take ‘no’ for an answers and we fought back like there was no tomorrow. The Confederate soldiers, around 500 of them opened fired on Fort Sumters on April 13. The Union Soldiers came rushing out on the 14th, there weren't that many of them, only around 80. Not many people died, except for about four, who were killed by there own careless mistakes. This was a huge step up for the Confederacy, our views and rights are finally being protected. There are a few people that disagree with the actions that took place those days. It is a commonly accepted truth that the rights of the state should not interfere with those of the federal government. Should its converse not be as equally acknowledged. The town is in riot.
I’m scared, my love I don’t know what to think anymore. The time for sippin’ Mint Julep’s is long over. My darling I am paralyzed with fear. There’s a storm a brewing among our people and we lie in the middle of it all. I will always remain waiting for you.
Yours Forever,
Della
Deveraux
Stephan Capriles
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