Boxwood Manor in Callaway, Virginia

The land for the Manor was a dowry of 6000 acres and 30 slaves given to Susan E. Callaway by her father Henry Tate Callaway (it now includes only 600 acres). The Manor was built and completed about 1845. It was a 6 room home with 5 fireplaces. The ceilings downstairs are 10 feet and the upstairs are 9 feet high. All rooms have transoms to the center hall to allow air to circulate when the doors are closed. The lower level was a dining room, pantry and ‘root’ cellar (dirt floor). The first level had a parlor, a center hall, and a combination living, bedroom. Upstairs has a center hall and 2 bedrooms. The kitchen was located outside the Manor and the food brought to the main house basement dining room by slaves. There was a unique fan over the dining room table that was connected to a foot pedal and operated by a slave to keep the air moving. The fireplace had metal arms to keep kettles warm.

There was a semi-detached building of 3 bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen that was never completed and no one in the family could give a satisfactory answer as to how and why it was there. The floor levels did not match the front house, the walls were not completed upstairs and was torn down by Flanders Callaway, Sr. in 1945. He then built an attached building with a bedroom, a kitchen, pantry, and a bath. This changed again in 1985 to be kitchen, 2 full baths, a foyer and a large bedroom.

Family legend as told by Russell Callaway, present owner of Boxwood Manor:

When Gen. Jubal Early was looking for some soldiers that had not surrendered, he was being pursued by the Yankees. He stopped here at Boxwood Manor to change horses and my GG grandmother gave him her favorite horse “Sweet Nancy” The General's worn out horse was supposed to have been led down a set of circular stairs into the basement to hide it from the following soldiers. Hard to believe when you realize how steep the stairs were. The stairs have been removed during modifications to the house. Following is the story.

SWEET NANCY
by
C. R. Perry

Lizzie was almost out of breath when she reached Thomas Callaway's office door. "Dey's men a comin' dis way, Massa Thomas," she said as she peered through the open doorway. Then she added, "Looks as though dey might'n be in a hurry."
Thomas turned and looked out the window just in time to see the riders turn their horses into the roadway to Boxwood Manor. "I believe they're stopping here, Lizzie," he said as he rose. "You go on back to your work and I'll greet our guests," he added as he grabbed his rifle from the corner and headed out the door.
Lizzie replied with a "Yes'er" and headed back toward the manor house as Thomas cautiously headed toward the hitching post, but before he took ten steps he could plainly see that one of the approaching riders was none other than General Jubal Early. He relaxed as he eyed the other three riders. He recognized one as the General's nephew, but he did not know the other two.
Thomas called over his shoulder, "Lizzie, tell Mrs. Susan we're having guests for dinner."
"Yes sir, Massa Thomas, I'll tell 'er," she replied as she scurried into the house.
"Good evening to you, Lieutenant Callaway," Jubal Early said as he reined in his horse.
"And a good evening to you, General, and welcome to Boxwood Manor," Thomas replied as he reached for the reins of his horse. Then he added, "You wanting to kill this animal? It looks pretty poor."
"No," came a sharp reply. "You fixin' to shoot him?"
"No, sir," Thomas said as he looked down at the rifle he was clutching in his right hand. "Can't be too careful these days though, General. No telling who might be riding up. Could be some fellows up to no good, you know."
"I've heard there are some bad ones running around these mountains." General Early replied. Then he added, "I reckon they are cowardly deserters from what was General Lee's army."
"Could be, I don't rightly know, General," Thomas said as he tied Early's horse. He continued, "When I was off fighting in the 42nd with General Lee, some boys deserted after we left Petersburg but I don't know where they ended-up."
"They ended-up no good, that's where! They all need to be hunted down and shot!," was the General's terse reply.
General Early and the other riders were dismounting as Susan Callaway came out the door of the house. General Early's rheumatism was very evident as he slowly and purposefully got down from his horse. He moved around his horse, looked to his three companions and motioned toward one of the big ash trees in the yard. "You three rest yourselves under that shade tree while I take care of my business with Lieutenant Callaway."
As he and Thomas walked toward Susan he added: "If you see any of them damn Yankees that are after us -- shoot the bastards!"
"You got Yankees chasing you?" Susan asked as she motioned to the gentlemen to enter the door she had just exited. She kept talking, "You all just go on in there and I'll make sure enough dinner is being cooked for you and your men."
She did not wait for a reply; but, instead, turned toward the kitchen as Thomas and the General entered the house. Susan walked to the kitchen in back of the manor house as Thomas led General Early toward the parlor. As they entered the room Thomas repeated Susan's question: "You got Yankees chasing you?"
"I suppose. Last night I stayed at your brother Watt's house, and this morning I had to hide in his garret when some Yankee soldiers showed up looking for me. Watt's servant, Surry, sent them off looking for me down the Carolina Road," General Early replied as he took an offered cigar.
He bit off the end and spit it into the fireplace and took a flaming match from Thomas. He lit his cigar, shook out the flame and tossed the match into the fireplace. He sat in a nearby chair that Thomas had gestured toward, and then he continued: "As soon as they were gone I got on that damned old horse out there and headed this way. I'm hoping those Yankee's won't pick up my trail again until I'm long gone from here."
"Why you running from them anyway, General? The war is over! We've been surrendered! We all have amnesty! Thomas said.
Early rose abruptly in spite of his rheumatism and, with one finger raised in the air, as if talking to a larger audience, stated: "I surrendered to no one! I was not a part of any army that surrendered! General Lee surrendered after he had relieved me of my command. So now I'm on my way to join up with the only Confederate Army still fighting for our cause."
"And what Army is that, General?" Susan Callaway asked as she entered the parlor.
"Why that'd be General E. Kirby-Smith's Trans-Mississippian, Mrs. Callaway," General Early replied. "He's fighting down in Louisiana right now and, I think he is looking to move back across the Mississippi as soon as his army is large enough to offer a formidable force against the Yankees on this side."
"Do you think he can succeed, General? The last I heard every Confederate army this side of the Mississippi had been surrendered. How long do you think he can hold out?" Thomas asked.
"I don't rightly know, Lieutenant, but I do know that I'll fight for our cause as long as I can," was the General's reply. Then, as he patted the pistol holstered under his frock, he added, "I don't intend to surrender to anyone."
"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," Susan said as she eyed the pistol. Then she added, "One man, with one gun against a whole army won't amount to much."
"When you put it like that you might be right, Mrs. Callaway; but, it was one man, with one gun, that turned many a battle from certain defeat to realized victory," the General replied. "I'm no fool, Madam. I'll not stand alone against an army but I will fight with one until my last breath, if need be."
"I understand, but don't be like those misguided souls up in Floyd," Susan said "Oh, what happened up there?" The General ask.
"Three fellows attacked several hundred Yankee soldiers at the courthouse up there. They wounded a few of them and then retreated," Thomas said.
"Where did they go?" the General asked as he flicked the ash from his cigar into the fireplace. "Maybe I could recruit those brave men to ride with me down to Louisiana."
"Too late, General," Thomas said. "I heard they were shot dead in a grave yard."
"Well, that's a hell of a place to get killed. Did they take any of those damned Yankees with them?" Early inquired.
"Don't think so, General. Did hear, though, that the Yankees had them buried there where they fell," Thomas answered.
"Those bastards," Early said as he shook his head in disgust. "They probably didn't even give them a proper burial."
With that Susan excused herself to ready the dining room for dinner. General Early returned to his seat and he and Thomas set silently smoking their cigars. After a few minutes General Early spoke.
"Lieutenant, I stopped by here because your brother, Watt, said you might have a good horse I could purchase. As anyone can plainly see, my old horse is about worn out. I dare say, I doubt the old nag'll make it to Carolina, much less to Louisiana."
"Well, General, I have several horses any one of which you're welcome to have. They have all been worked or ridden hard this Spring and if any of them are pushed hard they might not make it to Louisiana either."
"I thank you Lieutenant. Can we go look them over now?"
Just then Lizzie came to the door announcing that dinner was ready. Thomas thanked her and said to the General, "Let's have dinner first." Then he motioned for the General to follow him. He led him to the back porch wash basin. After washing up they went down the outside spiral staircase to the basement dining room.
As they entered the room Susan motioned for the General to sit at the head of the table. As she did so she said, "You sit there, General, you are our special guest. We don't have a special guest too often these days."
"Well, I imagine that is so," the General said as he moved around the table past Thomas and Susan's standing children, "but it looks like you have some special people here already."
"Oh, forgive my manners, General," Susan said. "These are our children, Lavinia, James, George and John Peter."
The General patted John Peter's shoulder as he sat at the head of the table. Then he said: "They are fine looking children and this is a fine looking meal you've prepared, my dear lady. Fresh greens are my favorite -- and I'm really surprised to be able to partake of ham this time of year."
"Well, it may be a little strong, General, but I think it'll be just fine. A fellow down the road brought it to us this morning to pay his grinding bill," Thomas said as he motioned to the children to sit.
"I sent some greens and cornbread out to your men, General. Since I didn't have enough ham for everyone I had some extra fatback put in theirs," Susan said. "Also sent them some of this fresh buttermilk," she added as she handed a glass of it to the General.
"Thank you, Ma'am. This is mighty fine, mighty fine," the General said after taking a big drink from the glass. "And thank you for taking care of my men; I'd most forgot about them." "You are very welcome," Susan said as she proceeded to move around the table to her seat. When she was seated she looked to her husband and said, "Thomas," and then she bowed her head.
Everyone, including Lizzie, who was standing nearby, took the cue and bowed their head. Thomas ask the Lord to bless the food, his family and home as he usually did but then he asked a special blessing for General Early and his men.
After his "Amen," amens could be heard around the table. Then, as everyone began serving themselves and passing the food around the table, General Early thanked Thomas for remembering him and his men in pray. Then he added, "What I need more than pray, though, is a good horse if I'm going to stay ahead of those Yankees all the way to Louisiana."
"Well, as soon as we are finished eating we will go down to the stables and pick one out for you," said Thomas.
"You'll do no such thing," Susan said. "If General Early needs a horse then I'll give him Sweet Nancy."
"But Mother," James Henry said, "That horse was a present to you from . . . "
Susan cut him short with, "That's right, son, and that makes Sweet Nancy my horse and I just gave her to General Early."
"But Mother," John Peter said, "Sweet Nancy is the only horse I can ride." "Then you'll just have to learn to ride another, won't you, Dear," Susan replied.
Lavinia started to enter the conversation but her Father raised his hand to quiet her. Then he said, "Your Mother has decided. General Early will ride Sweet Nancy to Louisiana." Thomas looked at George and said, "As soon as you are through eating I want you to go the stable and bring Sweet Nancy to the hitching post so we can put the General's tack on her." Then he spoke to James, "I want you to get my spy glass and go to the upper front porch and keep a look out up the road. If you see any riders coming let me know quickly."
James eagerly responded with, "I'll go now! I done eat all I want," and he jumped up and left the room.
"Can I go with him?" John Peter ask.
"No, I want you to go to the grainery and fetch a sack of feed up here for the horses," came Thomas' reply. Then Thomas turned to Lizzie and said "Lizzie, can you please put some traveling food in a sack for the General and his men. Maybe some biscuits and fatback if you got any."
"I'll get'em something, Massa Thomas," Lizzie said as she left the dining room.
Thomas then said to Lavinia, "Would you water the horses as soon as you finish eating."
General Early looked over at Susan and said, "And that, dear lady, is why your husband was an officer in our army. He always knew what needed to be done and who to tell to do it. They should have made him a major -- may be even a colonel."
The General started to say something else but James came running into the room. "They are coming, Father, they are coming," he said as he tried to catch his breath.
"How many are there?" Thomas ask as he stood up.
"Don't know, I couldn't really see them. Just a cloud of dust over the road beyond the church," was James' answer.
General Early got up, Thomas motioned to the other children to do what they were told and they, the children, scurried up the spiral staircase. He then told James to go back to the upper porch and let him know when he could tell how many men were coming. He then turned to the General and said, "We got no more than 15 minutes before they are in the yard. That won't give you much of a head start but we will keep them here as long as we can."
"I'm sure, Lieutenant," came the General's reply. "But I don't want you doing anything that will bring harm to you or your family."
"I don't plan to do anything drastic, General," Thomas said as he motioned for the General to head up the steps.
When the General, Thomas and Susan got up the stairs and into the yard they headed straight for the hitching post where General Early's nephew was already unsaddling the General's old horse. He look over the horse and said, "The boy up on the porch told me that four riders were a coming. I sure hope you got another horse a coming to put under this saddle 'cause we got to go now."
"There's one coming up from the stable now," Thomas said as he pointed to George riding Sweet Nancy up the hill from the stables.
As George reined her in Susan walked to her side to say her good byes. George dismounted and Thomas took the saddle and put it on Sweet Nancy and instructed George to cinch it.
Thomas then turned his attention to John Peter who was struggling up the hill with a sack of feed. "Hurry up, son. The General and his men have to be riding," he said. Then, speaking to General Early, he continued, "When you and your men leave go northwest along Blackwater and right on up Bent Mountain. When you get to the top turn southwest and keep going. I would avoid Floyd since some of those Yankees might still be there."
"We will heed your advice," the General said as he mounted Sweet Nancy. He continued, "And I want to thank you, Mrs. Callaway, for this fine looking animal."
"Oh, you are very welcome, General," Susan replied as she backed away from Sweet Nancy. Then she added, "You take care of this horse -- and yourself, too!"
General Early tipped his hat and then instructed his men to mount their horses and take the offered feed and food from John Peter and Lizzie. One of the men took the food and another took the feed and they all mounted and turned their horses toward the Blackwater River. General Early raised his right hand, motioned forward with it as if he was directing a charge, and they rode off. Thomas and his family watched as they headed down the path and out of sight. After a brief moment Susan said, "Well, let's finish eating and when those Yanks get here we'll be able to act as if nothing unusual has happened."
"Good idea," Thomas said as he motioned for the children to head back down the spiral staircase. As he approached the stairs he instructed Lizzie to gather the dishes the General's men had left in the yard and return them to the kitchen.
No sooner had the family sat back down at the table than James came running in saying the Yankees were just below the house, no more than three or four minutes away. Lavinia said, "The General's horse is. .." but before she could finish Thomas was already sprinting back up the stairs. When he got to the top he glanced around and then darted to the hitching post, grabbed the reins and looked for the closest place to hide the horse. After looking at his office and dismissing it as being too close, he looked at the horse and said, "I hope you can negotiate a spiral staircase," and he headed toward it.
When he got to the top of the stairs he met George coming up. "You gonna put that horse in our dining room?" he ask his Father.
"Last place they'd look for him if they suspect he's here," Thomas said. You get behind him and make sure he comes with me," he added as he started down the steps.
Well, it was a sight to see according to Callaway family folklore. Thomas and George did succeed in getting General Early's old horse down that spiral staircase and into the basement dining room. The horse remained in the dining room for sometime while the Callaway family entertained the General's Yankee pursuers upstairs. This gave Early and his men an ample head start.
General Early did make it south to Louisiana but before he got there General E. Kirby-Smith surrendered his Trans-Mississippian Army. General Early, still refusing to surrender, left the country.
Boxwood Manor still stands at the foot of the Blue Ridge in Franklin County, Virginia. It is presently occupied by John Peter's grandson, Russell Callaway, and his wife Heide. Thomas' office still stands but the spiral staircase is gone.
The fate of Sweet Nancy is unknown.
The End

The information about Boxwood Manor and the story of "Sweet Nancy" were submitted to CFA by Russell Callaway, who also provided the photo of the Manor which was taken October 2004.

Thomas and Susan Callaway were first cousins. Their respective lines of descent are as follows:
Joseph Callaway
William Callaway
James Callaway
James Callaway
Thomas Callaway Callaway

Joseph Callaway
William Callaway
James Callaway
Henry Tate Callaway
Susan Emeline Callaway

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Copyright © 2004 Callaway Family Association