across the run towards the “Old Richmond Road", the

across the run towards the “Old Richmond Road", the Miller girls of “Poplar Shade” Joined the group. Furtherest away was Eliza Anderson of Locust Shade on the Richmond Road. After the war she married Col. Tom Massie of the Confederate Army and lived at Meadow Grove just a few miles away, A lovely sight it must have been as those pretty girls sat around large open fires, or on grassy lawns knitting for the Confederate soldiers. There was quite a'lot of competition and every Knitting Bee had it's champion knitter of the day. At first they would, all together, measure their yarn by their arms. . .ten. . .fifteen . . . twenty yards at a time, letting the loose coils of yarn fall to the floor beside them. A signal would be given. . .“Go!". Needles began to fly and the loose yarn would disappear into a sock for a soldier boy. The one finishing first scored and it was marked up by the score keeper. Time and again they measured their yearn until the day was spent. The girl making the highest score was declared the day's champion. Sometimes she received a prize. . .a big bag of roasted chestnuts! They were constantly popping in the ashes and coals on the hearth. . .an unusually big pop caused much merriment as some one scurried across the room to retrieve . .and claim. . .the “Big Boy”. If the knitting bee was being held at the Roberts Home the prize was likely to be the biggest piece of Mrs. Roberts molasses pie, always a favorite. Sorghum cane did well along the sandy banks of Battle Run and large Jugs of “Long Sweetning , as it was sometimes called, were to be found in all of the homes of the area.