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PHASES OF THE CIVIL WAR Chapter 4 CONTINUED The Jamestown Fair of 1861 was a tremendously big one. They didn't wait till afternoon as they do nowadays. The "early birds" started from home about 4 o'clock and some before. The spectacle was presented of buggies, carriages and wagons, in procession at early morn, from three directions, with the point of conjunction in the Public Square, and branches extending from beyond, on either side of the Browder house, now Seymore Wade's on the North, Johnson's Hill on the East and O. M. Strong's beyond the cemetery, on the South. It will be seen from this that the "early birds" all got off their roosts at about the same time. So while it may have fared hard for the worms, it was certainly disadvantageous and disappointing to those bring up the rear on several roads, who found when they had passed through through the gates that there were not worms enough to go around. Barring this, the Jamestown Fair during the war was the next biggest thing to General George B. McClellan's army. But it had one advantage over McClellan. It never had to call for reinforcements. They were always on hand, and always on time, and always were ready to storm the Fairground gates and take possession. McClellan was never at the Fair. Had he paid us a visit he might have gathered up some valuable pointers and certainly could have had some reinforcements. "But what had the Jamestown Fair to do with the wars" the reader may ask. It had a lot to do with it. It was a part of it, a big part of it. There wasn't much done even at the First Bull Run battle that first year. All they did was to whip each other right good in an awkward way, without either side knowing it. The union boys went pell-mell back to Washington City that day, and told their excited listeners that the "Johnny's" had been shooting real bullets at them. We don't know what the "Johnny's" told to their friends, except that Gen. Thomas Jefferson Jackson stood like a "Stonewall." It should not be understood that he was petrified by fright. That was the way he got the name that he afterward bore, and later he proved many times to be an obstacle of the nature of a stonewall, and he could move some, too, especially when Gen. Phil Sheridan got after him. Yes, even Bull Run had something to do with the Jamestown Fair, as we shall see. In the civil war days there lived in the vicinity of where Octa now stands, a young lady by the name of Allen. She was a descendant of Colonel Allen of the Revolutionary War and Ft. Ticonderoga fame. It will be recalled that with only a handful of "Green Mountain Boys," the Colonel approached the fort, and, silencing the sentinel in a way they had, entered the bed chambers of the British commander, and demanded his surrender. "By what authority do you make this demand?" the Englishman inquired. "By authority of Almighty God and the Continental Congress," was Colonel Allen's reply. The combined authority seemed to be sufficient and convincing to the Red-Coat commander, and Ticonderoga capitulated. Miss Allen had inherited the sturdy spirit and determination and all-around common sense and judgement of her illustrious ancestor. She was a true patriot both in sentiment and action; loved her country, and was deeply concerned about the preservation of the Union. She could not understand why any one in the North could have sympathy for the South, and openly and boldly exhibit it by wearing butternuts on their apparel as indicative of their sentiments. Miss Allen had heard many comments on the first Battle of Bull Run. These comments were such as to lead the hearer to conclude that the speakers were wrapped up in the possible success of the South. It seemed that, strange to say some folks were pleased when the Union boys - our boys got licked at Bull Run, five weeks before the Jamestown Fair. In their elation, they even went so far as to predict that the rebels would soon be in Washington City; and it was boasted that the Southerners knew how to fight, and how to win, and they would. The wish was father to the thought. This attitude of mind on the part of those whose sympathies were drawn toward a divided country puzzled Miss Allen; indeed she was perplexed. Calmly thinking it over, she could not see what satisfaction there would be in biting off the nose to spite the face. Hers was the real common sense way of looking at it. Encourage half the country to whip the other half, and then, when it is all over, settle down in happy contentment in the realization that you have not much country to enjoy, and that your old time friends are now in a foreign nation, possible at any time to become an enemy. Parish the thought. Why, then, in the turmoil of her thoughts should not Miss Allen exclaim, as if in disgust: "Oh, what fools we mortals be-especially these butternuts!" It was a morning in the latter part of August 1861. This was the first day of the Jamestown Fair of that year. Rumors had been afloat the day before that certain groups of women in different neighborhoods had mutually agreed to wear butternuts as ornaments during the Fair. :But what would people say?" exclaimed one, as if fearful of what the consequences might be? She was a young lady of pretty face and bright speech. "Who cares what they say? I'm sure I don't. Isn't this a free country?" replied one of our to be leader. " I meant just what I said- people" I wouldn't call a dog less than what he is, simply because he is black or white or spotted. Why should you?" said Prettyface. "Oh, I thought your father belongs to our party, and believes as we do," explained the leading lady. "Father does; that is, he did, but now now. He has joined the Union party, for he wants the Union preserved. Since Douglas died our party is without a leader. We are going astray," rejoined Prettyface with some spirit. "Has your father turned to be a Union man?" asked the leading lady with a curl of the lip. "No, he didn't have to turn. He always was one. He believes in a united country, and takes no stock in this attempt of the South to break off to itself; and there are many more like him right out of his own party," and Prettyface was becoming flushed with animation. "Turned Abolitionist, I suppose?" snapped the leading lady. "I would put it this way: He has turned to our country's flag, for that always comes first," replied Prettyface. "Not volunteered, has he?" queried the leading lady. "He is a member of the Jamestown Company, and that's the same thing-they're all going. The company drills at the Fair tomorrow afternoon. What would father think as he marches past the amphitheater to see me with a butternut on my bosom? Would he deem me patriotic and true to him and the cause he will soon be fighting for? I would not wear a butternut on anything, or to anything, much less the Jamestown Fair, tomorrow, and I might say I don't believe anybody else will-for long." And Prettyface politely withdrew from further participation in the conference.
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