Volume 03 Page 0062

upon no plantation in the Savannah River Swamp was there a Building
of this size and of brick. The Steam Engine was of 12 Horse Power.
At present not a vestige of the Engine, or any iron-work whatever
of the Thresher remained, all had been stolen by the negroes & sold in
Savannah. This Thresher was burnt by the Yankees 24th Dec'r 1864
and with it 10,000 Bushels of threshed rice, besides eight or twelve
Stacks of non-threshed rice (about 6,000 Bushels). The Conveyor House
(of wood) near the Thresher was also consumed & full of unthreshed
rice. At the Termination of the War Rice was selling for $3 per
Bushel. In our Plantation History from 1833 to 1867 the loss
of the "East Hermitage Settlement Seven large Double Negro Houses well
constructed on high brick foundations (by Mr McAlpin in 1843) besides
the Overseer's House (built as the Planter's Residence & superior to an
ordinary Overseer's House) and Kitchen, making a Total of Nine
Buildings in this Settlement. Passing through the Settlement and
about leaving we were met by Twelve of our former Negroes.
They all seemed pleased to see me, calling me "Maussa" & the Men
still showing respect by taking off their caps. It was singular that
after an absence of two and a half years from the Plantation
I should now return to visit the place just after the Death of one
of the Original Negroes purchased with Gowrie, January 1833. A Woman
known by the Name of "Currie Binah" from having belonged to a Mr
Currie below Savannah, died yesterday and was buried this morning.
Two of the Original Negroes now remain both as cunning as Negroes
can be, These are "Charles the Trunk Minder"; and "Capt'n Hector" for
Thirty Years our chief Boat Hand always spoiled both by my Father
and Myself, greatly indulged, and one of the first to give trouble upon
the out-break of the War. Amongst the twelve Negroes who
advanced to meet me at East Hermitage was strange to say,
the greatest Villain on the Plantation, the most notoriously bad
character & worst Negro of the place. Tall, black, lousy in rags, &
uncombed, kinky, knotty-hair approached "Jack Savage". This Negro was bought in 1839 out of the Estate of Mr Savage of Ogeechee, hence
his name to distinguish him from other "Jacks." He was an exceedingly