Sunnyside 1865

 

GW enjoyed the pleasant breeze on a cool spring afternoon, the delightful sweet scent of wisteria that blended so perfectly with the far-off calls of the Bobwhite. Sitting on the porch in his favorite chair, he couldn't have asked for a more peaceful way to spend Easter Sunday after a packed church service and delicious dinner.

Although he was enjoying the Saturday edition of the Macon Daily Telegraph and Confederate, his heart grew heavy when he read that just five days after Robert E. Lee, surrendered his Army to Ulysses S. Grant, President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre, on April 14th, Good Friday. Reflecting on the terrible toll the war had taken on the country, it saddened him to think that we had once been so united.

Sallie wandered over to GW as her brothers and sisters were engrossed in their egg-rolling competition. GW asked her why she wasn't playing, to which she replied sadly that Henry had broken her egg while they were trying to knock the ends together. GW kindly said, "Awe sweetheart, don't worry - you can get another egg if you want to join in." Sallie said it was okay though - she wasn't that interested in playing anyway. She then asked, "Hey father, why did Grandpa settle here? I mean, how did we end up in this place?"

GW sympathetically responded to Sallie's inquiry. “Well, why do you ask?” Sallie responded, “Well, I got a little bit of dirt on my dress and Mother was trying to wash it off, she said it's going to leave a stain, and she didn't understand why my grandfather chose this God-forsaken red dirt place to settle down in”GW comfortingly replied, “Tell your mother that this is the best red dirt around. Let me now tell you something about your grandpa. . .”