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1864
July 14th
of losing their horses. They [[visited?]] the scene of action & gave us a great desire to do so. Mary picked up a diary of one of the rebels who was interred while they were present  One poor fellow had been burried so hastily his feet [[protruded?]] from his grave  The nurse of her little brother whose husband was in the employ of Mr. Blair ^[[& now a capt in the army]] told them the rebels had entered the house burnt & tore her clothes before her face in retaliation they said for what her husband had probably done in the South - took all the food she had for her children & then told her they would fire the house  She was leaving it when Breckenridge rode up & exclaiming indignantly at the brutality of the men ordered them from the premises & placed a guard there so that she should not suffer further molestation. Her little sons were much attached to a small donkey owned by Mr. Blair & left in their charge which had been seized by the rebels this they asked Mr Breckenridge to restore to them  He did so but it was [[end page]]

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1864
July 14
afterwards seized again [[strikethrough]] by [[/strikethrough]], the rebels declaring it was old Blair's donkey & they must have it  Much of Mr. Blair's furniture was destroyed before Breckenridge could prevent but he succeeded in saving private papers & silver which were carefully packed & sent to a place of safety with a card saying  "for the sake of old friendship". Breckenridge had enjoyed Mr Blair's hospitality while planning a duel in the vacinity & had been treated with great kindness. At the house of Mr ______ she found devastating traces of the rebels. The furniture was entirely destroyed and the yard strewn with letters of the most private & affectionate nature.
At 2 P.M we started to view for ourselves. The first mark of the recent troubles we encounter near Fort mass. A woman stood disconsolately ^[[by the side of the road]] near ^the remains of a house which had been burned. We asked her if she had suffered by the raid. She pointed to the ruins and told us that had been her home  A union officer came to her & asked her for some kerosene oil, supposing it was needed for the Fort - she went