Item Description: For the next several days, we will be posting diary entries from Fanny Cohen Taylor as she chronicles the Northern occupation of Savannah, Georgia. Here is her first entry from 21 December 1864.
Item Citation: Folder 46, Volume 7, Phillips and Myers Family Papers, #00596, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Item Transcription:
Journal
Of what occurred during my stay in Savannah while the Yankees had possession of it.
On Wednesday morning December the 21st the Yankees entered our peaceful little city in a much more orderly way than I anticipated, although of course there were many robberies Committed, the lower classes and the negroes, whom they came to befriend, being the greatest sufferers. They gave three very orderly and unimpulsive cheers when they raised the Flag on the flag staff in the Barracks’ yard and after that military move every thing was comparatively quiet for us until one o’clock when General Howard and his Staff Came in Search of Quarters and liking the appearance of our house gave us until five in the afternoon to vacate it. When Father remonstrated with them and told them there were ladies in the house and it would be exceedingly inconvenient for them to move one of them politely answered “Well! I suppose it will inconvenience you but you know you Rebs will fight and when you are Conquered you must submit to what ever will contribute to our Comfort.” Father, however, by dint of great persuasion enduced them to take an empty house opposite to ours with the promise of allowing them to keep their horses in our stable. That day we were applied to from every source but Father’s management we kept them out of our house; in the evening we went to bed at eight o’clock thoroughly exhausted from the day’s excitement.
