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strife, himself and those nearest and dearest to him between their lines of battle;- yr petitioner thus acted for the safety of his family, not knowing but that the same scene might be re-enacted as in 1862, when the Gun boats attacked the entrenched camp of the Confederates on the same farm, shelling it and the surrounding country with great severity to the imminent danger of the lives of himself and family;- that yr petitioner, after securing for his family a place of safety, started on his return to his farm, but was stopped by the Confederate authorities, and even prevented from sending a message to his place;- that yr petitioner, thus forced from his home, his dwelling house [[strikethrough]] was [[/strikethrough]] occupied by the Military authorities and the place used as a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers, lost his entire growing crops, all his stock, farming utensils, clothing, furniture, books and papers and all his yearly supplies, thereby entailing upon him severe loss;- that yr petitioner made no further effort to return to his farm thus occupied and in the use of the Military authorities of the United States, till after the surrender of Lee's army (yr petitioner having remained at his temporary place of sojourn in the County of Chesterfield sixteen miles from "Point of Rocks" and not leaving as the Confederate Armies evacuated) at which time yr petitioner visited his farm and there met with General Ord, who informed him, "that he was then about to break up, dismantle and turn over the farm to yr petitioner - that yr petitioner thereupon made contracts with most