#81 From the Eyes of a 10-Year-Old Girl

Carrie Berry. Photo in the public domain and found at
http://americancivilwar.com/women/carrie_berry.html

Atlanta resident Carrie Berry turned 10 on August 3, 1864, as Union forces under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman shelled the city. She celebrated by doing some ironing and sewing some mittens for herself. Even as she describes the shells passing through parts of her house and garden, it's evident that she doesn't yet understand their destructive power. Here is what she says:

Aug. 14. Sun. Sure enough we had shells in abundance last night. We averaged one every moment during the night. We expected every one would come through and hurt some of us but to our joy nothing on the lot was hurt. They have ben throwing them at us all day to day but they have not ben dangerous. Papa has ben at work all day making the cellar safe. Now we feel like we could stay at home in safety. I dislike to stay in the cellar so close but our soldiers have to stay in ditches.


Aug. 15. Mon. We had no shells this morning when we got up and we thought that we would not have any to day (but, my, when will they stop) but soon after breakfast Zuie and I were standing on the platform between the house and the dining room. It made a very large hole in the garden and threw the dirt all over the yard. I never was so frightened in my life. Zuie was as pale as a corpse and I expect I was too. It did not take us long to fly to the cellar. We stayed out till night though we had them all day but they did not come so near us again.


Aug. 16. Tues. We had shells all night. There was a large piece came through Mama's room directly after we went to bed and fell on the little bed and I expect if we had been sleeping there some of us would have ben hurt. Cousin Henry and Cousin Eddy came to see us to day. They told us that they did not think the Federals would be here much longer to torment us and I hope that it may be so for we are getting very tired of living so.


Sherman's siege of Atlanta lasted until September 2, 1864, concluding his infamous march to the sea.


Sources: 


A Confederate Girl: The Diary of Carrie Barry, 1864. Edited by Christy Steele and Anne Todd.


http://gacivilwar.org/Stories/Detail/Carrie-Berry. Website Accessed 1/18/2012