First Entry

For my first blog entry I would like to tell you about my Reenacting Armoire.


Once I began Civil War reenacting, I quickly accumulated lots of clothing and gear and needed a place to store it. I came across this old armoire at a local thrift shop and thought it would be perfect to store and display these items.

The inside holds my jackets, shirts, pants, shoes, and gear. My wife has her skirts draped across an open door and the top of the armoire holds photos and other small items.

As I gained an interest in reenacting, I wanted to know about my ancestors who had fought in the Civil War. I found 3 great great grandfathers who had fought for the Confederacy. I joined the Sons of the Confederate Veterans in honor of my Great Great Grandfather Ladson Hutcheson who fought with the Clayton Dragoons Calvary. This is a photo of Ladson and in the background on the left you can see my SCV membership plaque that documents Ladson's service.

We had this old timey family photo taken in the mountains a couple of years ago and since it represents the same time period, it is on display here too.

This next photo might be offensive to some, but it isn't meant to be. I hope that once you read the story of this lady and her ties to our family, you will understand that our family wants to remember her as someone who became a part of the Hutcheson family.
This is a photo of a lady named Kate who was a Hutcheson slave before slavery was outlawed. Ladson's grandfather was not a large plantation owner, but he did own slaves. Kate was one of them.
During the late summer of 1864, everyone at the Hutcheson farm knew that the Yankees were coming from the columns of smoke getting closer as neighboring homes were being burned . Fearing that she might be taken away, Kate hid or was hidden in the cotton house. The family decided that Kate needed a safer hiding place since cotton is highly flammable. The Yankees were almost at the Hutcheson place so there wasn't much time to find a new hiding place. Kate got out of sight by hiding under the wide hoop skirt being worn by Frances Hutcheson, the aunt of Ladson. In a short while, the Yankees arrived and took Kate's father and brother away. It didn't take long before one of the Federals realized that something was not right about the skirt. He ordered whoever was hiding to come out. A terrified Kate emerged begging the Yankees to let her stay at the old place. This wish was granted and Kate lived with the family until January 1933.
Frances and Kate remained very close over the years. After her own death, Frances' wish was that Kate should be taken care of by someone in the family. A wealthy doctor's wife, Frances left no inheritance to her own children. Instead, she left everything to a grandson with the instructions that he was to care for Kate for as long as she lived. He and his wife took Kate to their home where she remained until dying of cancer. Kate Hutcheson never married and is buried at St. Elmo Cemetery near the base of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

You may have noticed a set of keys hanging next to the armoire. They are in memory of Leander C. Hutcheson, my great great great uncle who was the sheriff of Clayton County, Ga. for 17 years and through the siege of Atlanta.