"Ammadelle" in Oxford, Mississippi, 2025. Photograph by Jim Hendrix.
Nathan Bedford Forrest had made Oxford, Mississippi one of his headquarters in January of 1864. In August of 1864 Union General A.J. Smith came to Oxford with 18,000 men looking to catch Forrest. Forrest had about 5,000 men, so he knew he could not win in a standup fight. Forrest outwitted Smith. He left Confederate General Chalmers, and about 3,000 men at the Tallahatchie River North of Oxford. It was a very defensible position.
Forrest and 2,000 of his Cavalry rode straight west to modern day Batesville, and then they turned North to go raid Smith’s base at Memphis. The two Generals circled each other. Smith arrived in Oxford only to find out Forrest had occupied his base at Memphis the night before! Out of pure anger, Smith ordered the Oxford Courthouse, the Square, the University, and several houses burned. The University was spared by two young yankee Captains who got out to the University, and who “refused to carry out such a vandal order”. God Bless them.
Eighteen year old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Pegues was at home at Ammadell (shown) on North Lamar Street in Oxford, when the raid happened. She wrote a letter to her uncle to tell him what happened:
“Monday morning, on the 22cd of August, about eight o’clock, the yankees entered Oxford. The morning passed very quietly, most of the citizens had guards (on their houses) till 12 o’clock. About that time, they heard General Forrest was in Memphis and they only wanted an excuse for doing so, so the whole town was given up to the Soldiers. Every house was plundered, and several burned. Mrs. Thompson’s, Mrs. Butler’s, Mr. Kendall’s, Dr. Branham’s, Colonel Brown’s, the whole Square, (the Courthouse), Mr. Turner’s workshop, and all the (railroad) depot buildings. The Square is a horrid sight. It would break your heart to look at it.” (Local Oxford historians, here are ALL five houses that got totally burned.)
“All our friends have suffered more or less. Mrs. Rascoe lost a great deal, and her house was set on fire three or four times, but she managed to put it out. Mrs. Quinche, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. (unreadable), Mrs. Sheegog, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Jones, in fact all our friends, have suffered about as much as we did. Miss Julia lost nearly all her clothes, and a great many of Mrs. Longstreet’s things. A hogshead of fine bohemian glass, and another of china, papers, books, and letters. Her house was fired twice but put out.”
“We thought we were escaping finally for no yankees came into our house till between four and five o’clock. Then about 100 rushed into the back yard and screaming for sugar. They tore down the old smokehouse and dragged out Aunt Rebecca’s half barrel of sugar. We had bolted the front door and all the back doors. They came up and demanded meat. We told them we had none and begged them not to come into the house, but it was no use. They just pushed us out of the door and came pouring in. None of us know how many there were, but somewhere between 150 and 200, I think. Mother says there may have been more.”
“They took whatever they wanted, tore open trunks, took off books. Every book is gone out of the parlor, and about 12 to 15 of Aunt Rebecca’s. I hardly know what they were. They brought (tracked) about 20 bushels of dirt into the house. It was fearful indeed. I hope that I never pass through it again.”
“I forgot to tell you the house was set on fire in four rooms. Mother C, Little Kate, and I put it out, with the help of four yankees. There is a great hole burnt through the floor upstairs, and another in the kitchen.”
I now know of the five houses burned to the ground in Oxford that day, plus five others, and a Church, set on fire and put out.
In 36 years of research, I have read well over 100 Southern stories very similar to this.
This is ANOTHER beautiful Jim Hendrix photo. They are all available, hint, hint!
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