SOLDIER'S JOY BY GUY CLARK 1864

First I thought a snake had got me it happened dreadful quick T’was a bullet bit my leg, right off I got sick I came to in a wagon load of ten more wounded men Five was dead by the time we reached that bloody tent Gimme some of that Soldier’s Joy, you know what I mean I don’t want to hurt no more my leg is turnin’ green The doctor came and looked at me and this is what he said Your dancin’ days are done, son, it’s a wonder you ain’t dead Then he went to work with a carvin’ knife sweat fell from his brow ‘Bout killed me tryin’ to save my life when he cut that lead ball out Give me some of that Soldier’s Joy, ain’t you got no more Hand me down my walkin’ cane I ain’t cut out for war Red blood run right through my veins run all over the floor Run right down his apron strings like a river out the door He handed me a bottle and said, son drink deep as you can He turned away then he turned right back with a hacksaw in his hand Gimme some of that Soldier’s Joy you know what I like Bear down on that fiddle boys just like Saturday night Gimme some of that Soldier’s Joy you know what I crave I’ll be hittin’ that Soldier’s Joy til I’m in my grave We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream

"Soldier's Joy" played by Marguerite Taliaferro Garrison 9/13/12

This is Marguerite Taliaferro Garrison and her mother seated beyond her at the old piano here at Green Mount yesterday, September 13th. She is playing "Soldier's Joy". This is the same piano the Evergreen Society girls played during their meetings. What a treat to hear it making music again.

Green Mount Parlor

The meetings of The Evergreen Society were held on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 PM and most always began in the parlor then moved to the music room. This is a picture of the parlor taken today, September 14, 2012. The dress on the form is one that belonged to Ma [Maria Louisa Wacker Fleet] about 1858. She had by that time given birth to 9 babies, 2 of which died in infancy. Her waist measured 22" and she would have been 5' tall or a little less. She managed to survive the Civil War, a widow by its end and having suffered the loss of her beloved son Benny. She not only survived, but put her remaining 6 children through college, even her three daughters, Lou, Bessie and Florence. They came back to Green Mount and were teachers for these girls at Green Mount Home School for Young Ladies. You are reading the minutes of their meetings.

Green Mount, Feb. 9, 1881

I am again reminded of the rapid flight of time by the coming of my turn to write before I know it.  Lucy played for us the grand old hymn we love so well, Rock of Ages, after which M.K. [Mattie Kate Faunt Le Roy] volunteered to read us a very interesting & instructive piece about Shetland Ponies.  It taught us a good lesson of how joyfully God adapts his creatures to do their appointed work.  Loulie played Wild Ashe deer for us very well. Sallie read us what the printer poet Benjamin F. Taylor says of the The Printer & His Types.  It is strange how little we k now of the art preservative, the achievement of the types.  I am sure after this we will try to learn more of it as we have the opportunity.  Mattie repeated "The Book of the New Year" a piece we ought to think of every new day, as well as every New Year.  Nannie read the extract from Mrs. Browning beginning "let us be content in work To do the things we can & not presume to fret because it's littlle. Lou read us of the beautiful things that will make up presently from under the snow.  Ma came in to bring us some Va. dates & stayed to hear M.K. sing "Birdie Darling."
We were very glad to welcome Mary back.  I read the sad announcement of the death of Thomas Carlyle, with an account of some of his writing.  Sister [Lou] played for us Prof. Gambel's lost "Valsi, Bon Lou (?) after wh. we adjourned to see the wonderful fr??ks the frost has played with our falls. 

Florence Fleet

What were the girls enjoying in January 1881?

Green Mount

Jan. 16th, 1881

We opened our Society by reading the 42 Psalm, and then we went into the music room. Then Lou played Old Rosin The Beau, very well indeed. Then Lucie read The Closing Year which is a lovely piece and she read it better then usual. Nannie then played Fra Davolo which she said she did not know but proved that she did. Lulie read a very amusing scrap from cousin Lou's Scrap book which we all enjoied though it was so short. Mattie Kate read If We Only Knew, which is a lovely piece, Sallie first played Drippin Fountain alias the scale of C major but afterwarde played Spinlie a very difficult piece but she managed to get throug with it very creditably. Cousin Lou and cousin Florence sang some duets for us which closed a very pleasant evening.

Mattie Ella Fleet

(all spellings are as written in the journal)

Undated Entry

Before writing out this undated entry, it's a bit odd because the one following it is dated Jan16th which is 1 week after the last one posted. I'm not sure why this entry is stuck in between the two and is undated. But, it is so I will surely post it. The roster for the 1880-1881 school year reads as follows:

Blount, Sallie Lee

Fauntleroy, Mattie Kate

Fleet, Lucy

Henley, M. Lou

Sale, Nannie F.

Starke, Loulie

The school's rosters are in the back of the second book Betsy Fleet did which is titled Green Mount After the War. There are rosters for each year the school existed which began in 1873 and ended in 1888. If you want a list of the rosters please contact me. It's something I should add to the blog and will do so at some point, but tonight I'll just do this one undated entry.

I would like to add that there was a 5.8 earthquake here in Virginia on Tuesday, August 23rd. I sure felt it. I was here in the house and had just sat down on the sofa to call my mom. She and I were talking and both realized we were experiencing an earthquake. I told her, "I'm going to the basement" and sat the phone down and called all 5 of my dogs to go with me. I got 4 of the 5 down there and the fifth one who only has 3 legs (Annie) was at the top of the stair to the basement so I sat on the top step holding her collar. Then I realized, NO! I should no be in the basement. I need to get outside! So I called all the dogs, grabbed the dog treat bag and out we all scurried. When standing on the ground the rumbling was still going on but fading. Then we had a 4.? tremor on Friday morning following it. I checked the house and chimneys for cracks and found nothing out of the ordinary. Then Saturday, August 27th we were hit by Hurricane Irene. It was a mess around here. Broken trees and limbs and debris was scattered all over the place. However, there were no damages to speak of to the house or garages or shed. We were fortunate. Power was out for 4 days and came back on this past Wednesday. I ran a generator and did fine. The weather was great and so air conditioning was not needed. My husband was in Kansas and didn't experience the hurricane, but he felt the earthquake as he was driving away on his trip that Tuesday. Ok, enough about current events...on with the undated entry!

We opened exercises, as usual, by reading a Psalm. We then went into the music room where Lucy played much to our enjoyment Hack's (?) "Home Sweet Home." I think it a beautiful copy of "Home." Sallie read a very instructive piece called "How Frank Entertains the Boys." It shows that making "snowballs" & such things does not make the real sum of what a genuine boy can learn & do. Mattie Kate played "El Fresco," which we enjoyed very much especially Nannie. Mattie read "Frankie's First Steps,"(when clicking on Frankie's First Steps, once the site comes up click to view the book and the poem is on pages 51 and 52.) a very sweet little piece. Loulie played "To the Woodland Come Away." This is one of the pieces which we learned to sing by note, & all of us joined in & sang a verse. Nannie read "Doing" very well. Lou read "Influence." Last though not least Cousin Lou read What Will We Make of It.

H.L.M.

(this is probably Lou Henley)