Georgia

The warm April sun was just beginning to break over the trees, already suggesting another mild spring day. In its shadow loomed the huge main house of the plantation. Fragrances of blooming Cherokee roses filled the air. Somewhere in the distance, the haunting call of a brown thatcher broke the silence of the early morning. The plantation, once a showplace of the south, was now only a shadow of its former self. A neglected building, with its peeling paint, broken windows and overgrown grounds, it was a stark contrast to the beauty of its surroundings. One could only imagine the opulence that the house once represented. In affluent times, the sounds of laughter and children at play broke the silence. Now the desperation of the times had left its mark on the land. Sounds of gunfire and fighting were heard at an unending pace. Battalions of soldiers were constant travelers on the once quiet roads leading into Savannah.

Savannah, one of the oldest cities in Georgia, had been hit hard by the troops of General Sherman as he made his “march to the sea”. Where parks and gardens once stood, there were only the remains of looting and burning. Union troops had used the city as a supply depot during the invasion. Homes that once held the cream of the aristocratic society were nothing more than burned out shells. Soldiers had taken whatever they pleased and left nothing of value behind. To observe the city now, one would consider the possibility of rebuilding an enormous if not insurmountable task.


Serenity had not completely escaped the devastation. However, because it was quite a distance from the city, its damage was limited. The state of disrepair was due more to economics than neglect. The master of the plantation, Mr. Tom McAndrews, had released most of the slaves at the start of the war. He had offered them their freedom in exchange for enlistment in the Confederate Army. Only two servants remained, Callie and Big Jake. They had lived on Serenity all their lives. Because they were too old to go anywhere else, they had stayed on as house and field servants. Mr. Tom, as he was known, returned to the army himself as a colonel, having served before the war. With the head of the house gone, most of the running of the plantation fell on the shoulders of Miss Celia and her two children, Georgia and James.

The McAndrew’s plantation had always been a very profitable cotton producer but the current situation had made this almost impossible. With barely enough money to feed them, planting crops was not an option. As a result, they found themselves in dire financial straits. With no labor and no money, Serenity soon fell into its current state of desperation. Every day they prayed for the war to end, but were afraid to contemplate what their fate would be when this happened. Information passed on to them by Confederate soldiers made them aware that many men from the South were being held as prisoners of war in Union prison camps. This led to other questions. Would Mr. Tom return and if so, had he been wounded. Many questions went through their minds with no answers. This only produced more uncertainty in an already uncertain time.

A few days later, they traveled into Savannah to look for any supplies that they could salvage from burnt out homes. As they approached the city, what they saw horrified them. Union soldiers had left the city, and it was


almost a ghost town. They knew the army had been there, but they had no idea of the widespread destruction. Miss Celia feared for the fate of their friends and relatives. Since they had been so isolated, fearing to travel, they had no idea what had happened to the people they knew. Suddenly a group of soldiers came galloping down the street. From a distance, it was hard to see which uniforms they were wearing. As they drew nearer, Miss Celia could detect that they were Confederate men. They were yelling and firing their guns into the air. Just what they were yelling they could not distinguish until they approached the porch where Celia stood with her children. The soldiers were saying that the war was over. General Lee had surrendered to Sherman in Virginia. Could this be true? Was it really over?

Returning to Serenity, they discussed what their fate might be. Having seen Savannah at its worst, they could only imagine the devastation the rest of the South had suffered. Their world, as they had known it, had come to a very abrupt end. Somehow, when they hadn’t seen it, it was not real. They had always held on the hope that things would turn around. Hope was what had kept them going during the war years. Now their hopes had been dashed as if someone had thrown cold water on them. Suddenly, fear took the place of hope and it was a fear that swelled up inside them like a tidal wave. What new changes would the end of the war bring? Did this mean Mr. Tom would be coming home and if so when?

When they reached home, the family gathered around the table to contemplate what their next steps would be. If they stayed, it would mean starting over again. Could they do it? When Mr. Tom had come to America, he started with nothing and built Serenity into the success it had been



before the war; but times were better then. It would certainly be much harder now.

Two weeks passed and there had been no word from Mr. Tom or any sign that he would be returning. Many Confederate soldiers had been seen on the road and some had stopped at Serenity. Miss Celia did what she could with the few resources she had. She kept hoping for some news of her husband. One day, an army colonel, who had served in the same battalion, told her that prisoners were being released from the prison camps. Surely, he would be home soon.

One night, Miss Celia was awakened by a strange sound. Fearing that looters had broken in, she grabbed the rifle from behind the door and crept downstairs. Quietly, she edged her way to the front part of the house where she found a man standing in front of the fireplace. As he turned, he startled her and the rifle fired, the bullet hitting the mirror over the fireplace. A booming voice sounded out and asked if that was any way to welcome him home. It was Mr. Tom. She was so surprised she dropped the gun to the floor and approached him carefully. He did not look like the Tom who had gone away. He was much thinner and appeared to have aged about ten years. When her mind cleared and she could think, she threw her arms around him but was too excited to speak.

Several days later, when Tom had a chance to rest and tell the family of his days in the prison camp, it was time for him and Miss Celia to explore what was left of Serenity. As they strolled through the grounds, he took in all the sights he had longed to see while he was away. As they talked, they discussed what their plans would be. It would not be easy to rebuild, but Tom and Miss Celia decided they had to try. Suddenly, Tom bent over to pick something off the ground. He showed it to his wife. It was a ball of blooming cotton that somehow had sprouted out of the barren ground. Tom turned to his wife and told her that it just proved that this was where they were meant to be and that the human spirit always seemed to prevail over the forces pulling it apart.

Marilyn Burgess 1998