The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 350

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

But, luckily, the demonstration of the Savage being timid and
undecided in its character-and considering the distance, the
scarcity of provisions and forage, and the uncertainty of a suc-
cessful pursuit-Genl Hudson countermanded the order and the
expedition was abandoned.
This circumstance alone, checked an outbreak at that time.
Thus chagrined, and cheated of their spoil, the members of the
order became bolder and more defiant than before. They openly
denounced the Government, and vowed organized resistance to the
Conscript Law." They became a terror to their southern neigh-
bors; mechanics among them refused to work for southern men,
while their whole conduct evinced a spirit of hate and revenge
too intolerable to be borne. They now conceived the bold design
of striking the blow themselves, at all hazards.
A large quantity of powder and other ordnance stores being
deposited at Sherman and Gainsville" their first step was to obtain
possession of it. This accomplished, they, [de]signed to hold the
country, take possession of all the property or fight their way to
the Federal Army. So perfect and systematic were their plans that
they had parcelled out the property of Southern men among each
other, and had decided upon the unfortunate young women who
were marriagable and handsome, who should be spared for wives;
the rest to be put to death, together with the children.
Some, under sentence, were asked, why so foul a purpose? Why
murder the helpless women, and innocent little children? They
answered that the women might interfere with them in the en-
joyment of their new estates; and if order should ever be restored,
[they] might dispossess them entirely. As for the children-as nits,
if not destroyed, would turn to lice, so the offspring of bad men
must follow in the footprints of their sires.
Other objects which might have been contemplated by them
are not sufficiently developed by the evidence to warrant a notice
of them here. If they had succeeded in this, other plans of still
"The Confederate Congress passed its initial conscript law affecting able-bodied
men 18 through 35 years of age on April 16, 1862. Alan C. Ashcraft, Texas in the
Civil War: a Rdsumd History (Austin, 1962), 14.
IsThe word "Gainesville" was misspelled by Diamond throughout his manu-
script. All subsequent instances have been corrected.

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