history’s stories: christmas 19s0”s history in our backyard: civilians caught in crossfire

Imagine a world without I-phones, computers, and some neighbors without a TV or even an automobile. If your home had a telephone you had to share the line with at least three neighbors, who could listen in on your calls (Party Line). This may sound like ancient history; however, this was my life growing up in the 1950's. Christmas was and is still my favorite time of the year as was July 4th and Thanksgiving. The Christmas season was much different than it is now. You did not see any Christmas decorations in the stores until after the Thanksgiving holiday. Unlike today when all the stores have Christmas decorations up weeks before Thanksgiving. The city even has the decorations up in advance of Thanksgiving. The hours of operation have seen many changes as most stores closed at 6PM daily and were closed on Sunday. For families, Christmas was a special time for family gatherings, I remember some family members coming into the RF&P train station or Greyhound bus station instead of arriving by automobile. Christmas cards were different in that they would include a handwritten message from the friends and relatives as written communication was a common means of staying connected about family events. Several days before Christmas we would all go to Montgomery Wards to see Santa and request those unique gifts. I remember my dad getting his axe and taking me into the woods looking for running cedar, holly, and that special tree to decorate close to Christmas eve. Those long-ago aromas of the tree and burning fireplace logs still linger in my mind. We would visit relatives in Fredericksburg and enjoy the Piano music with everyone singing Christmas carols. I remember the bubble lights and the large tree with silver tinsel on it with many of the special ornaments that I had made at school. My Grandmother made her special Eggnog for the adults and a special

history’s stories mixture for us children. Mom would always have a special Yule log. We did have a new invention called a Television that has a small screen, which had very few shows and not much about Christmas. Oh, I still remember the Christmas 1950' s By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks "FRUIT" cake, the one food for Christmas that was not my favorite. I can still recall "Christmas Eve," with sighting of Santa peeping in the windows, with Mom saying, "time for bed Santa is close." I had told Santa that I wanted a bicycle, Daisy air rifle, punching bag, erector set and other things. Back in those days you may get just a few gifts, unlike today when Santa's sled turned over in your yard. Off to bed I went listening for the bells, I often heard a HO! HO! HO! which did sound like it came from the bathroom. I was always up early Christmas morning, Mom and Dad would be there smiling. Mom would always remind me that it was Jesus' birthday, and I could open my presents, I would wonder how Santa could wrap the presents so nice. My first present was the erector set, then the punching bag and Daisy rifle. Then there was a View-M Master and then the "Huffy " bicycle with a horn and light. I remember a few days later I added the motor, which was a playing card attached to the fender with a clothes pin. Christmas Day, we had a big meal similar to Thanksgiving. I remember that the Milkman came on Christmas day and before he left Dad gave him an envelope. The milkman left with a smile and said " MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL" Anne & I wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy 2023 Dedicated to: Doc Thompson,Tommy Rose, Johnny Johnsonon, Gary Leitch, C. M. Williams, Pauline Jett, Doris Coble Tuffy is Front Porch’s Resident Historian

Civilians in the Crossfire

By tim talbott

During the evening of May 2, 1863, Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson unleashed a 28,000-soldier strong flanking force on the unprepared Eleventh Corps of the Army of the Potomac just west of Chancellorsville. Among the farms and homes that stood in the path of the assault was that of the Hawkins and Downer family. Their house stood about onequarter mile northwest of Wilderness Church.

On the day of the battle, Pvt. Jeremiah Tate, 5th Alabama Infantry, along with others in his brigade spilled across fields and woods in their route of march. Tate wrote home to his sister about a week after the battle telling his experience. Spelling in a phonetic manner, Tate explained that Jackson "gave orders to move forward and attact the enemy." Marching east for about a fourth of a mile, "we cum in contact with the enemys Picketts the firing comenst, volla [volley] after volla of musketry was pourd in to them, whitch soon put them to flight," Tate wrote. Tate's brigade maneuvered through a portion of what was locally called "The Wilderness," and which Tate referred to as "the roughfest woods I ever saw."

Part the rough woods that Pvt. Tate maneuvered through likely belonged to the Hawkins and Downers. "Harkness, " the family house, probably built in the early 1850s, by James Hawkins housed Thomas Downer, Martha (Hawkins) Downer, Sarah Downer, and Huldah Hawkins when the 1860 census was recorded. James and Frances Hawkins, the parents of the large Hawkins clan do not appear in the 1860 census. However, by the time of the battle, additional family lived in the home including Alxander Hawkins and several of his sisters. Apparently, a number of refugee neighbors were also at the house. It is not known if the seven enslaved people, who Thomas Downer owned in 1860, were still there at the time of the battle or not.

On May 1, Harkness became the headquarters of Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz, who commanded the Third Division of the Eleventh Corps. Apparently the Hawkins and Downer clan gave up a couple of rooms to accommodate what were probably unwelcome Union officer guests. Witnessing the attack on May 3, Alexander Hawkins remembered years later that "as I stood in the door of my house, my old company [G, 47th Virginia Inf.] came rushing across my garden." The 47th Virginia, a regiment in Gen. Henry Heth's brigade, were among those making up the third line of the attack. Hawkins, who had received an earlier discharge from Confederate service, grabbed a rifle and rejoined his old comrades.

As civilians, the Hawkins and Downers tried to go about their lives as much as possible with the Union army camping on their land. When the attack occurred, Alex Hawkins explained that Hulda Hawkins, yelled "Here they come!" The civilians hurried to the cellar of the house for protection while the first two lines of Jackson's force flowed over their property and around their house. Capt. Wayland Fuller Dunaway, who also served in the 47th Virginia remembered later in his memoir that, "On the way we crossed a little farm, and as I passed the dwelling I saw several ladies who were wildly rejoicing."

Just west of where the Hawkins/Downer house once stood, CVBT acquired over five acres in 1998 to prevent development on this part of the battlefield. The following year CVBT conveyed the property to the National Park Service for inclusion to the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park.

Tim Talbott is the Chief Administrative Officer Central Virginia Battlefields Trust

photo courtesy of the Library of Congress and shows women from the Hawkins family in 1866