Garrett Farm

[Dave Taylor]

Hi all. Sorry for the delay. Today was our 6th day of school so I've been so busy lately. The first few weeks of 2nd grade are always so hectic, getting all the materials ready and training the kids.

Here's the cliff notes version of Booth's at Garretts that I know from memory:

Willie Jett, Bainbridge, Ruggles, Herold and Booth all ride over to the Garretts. Herold and Ruggles (I think) stay at the outer farm gate while Willie Jett, Bainbridge and Booth go towards the house. Jett introduces himself to Mr. Garrett, and according to one account, Mr. Garrett is familair with Willie Jett's father from their shared days as merchants. Willie Jett asks Mr. Garrett to take care of their friend "Mr. Boyd", who is a wounded Confederate soldier, for a couple days until he can come back for him. The hospitable Mr. Garrett welcomes Mr. Boyd with open arms. Willie Jett and Bainbridge leave Booth, rejoin with Herold and Ruggles and ride towards Bowling Green, where they ultimately spend the night. Booth eats dinner with the Garrett family, entertains the youngsters, and sleeps in the house that night. The next day Booth eats breakfast and lunch with the family. Then, in the afternoon, Herold, Bainbridge and Ruggles ride past the outer farm gate. The two soldiers drop Herold off and continue towards Port Royal. Herold walks up to the house and Booth goes out to meet him. The two walk back to the house and Booth introduce Herold as his cousin "Dave Boyd". Herold asks Jack Garrett (the oldest Garrett son) for lodging for the night. Jack says he will have to wait until his father comes home to ask him. Herold and Booth agree to wait for Mr. Garrett to come back home from the fields. After a bit, Ruggles and Bainbridge come riding back from Port Royal. They ride up to the Garrett house and inform Booth and Herold that the Federal troops are crossing the Rappahannock river and landing at Port Royal. Bainbridge and Ruggles ride off back south and Booth and Herold make their way into the woods behind the tobacco house. After a short while, Herold comes out of the woods and starts conversing with Jack, who by this point is confused and suspicious by their behavior. Herold tries to play it off as nothing. Eventually, the Federal troops do ride past the Garrett farm while Herold and Jack are conversing. After they pass, Herold goes and retrieves Booth from the woods. Herold then asks Jack if he knows any where that he and his cousin could get a conveyance. Jack suggests Ned Freeman, a free black who lived right at the edge of the Garrett property. Herold asks how much he thinks it would cost them to hire Freeman. Jack says he doesn't know but that Freeman prefers money in coin rather than greenbacks. Herold does a quick calculation on the ground and gives Jack a $10 note. He asks Jack to go to Freeman and see if he would take them for the $10. Jack leaves and makes his way to Freeman's. Unfortunately, Ned is not home at the time. When he gets back home, Jack tells the Boyd cousins that he will take them where they want to go. Jack suggests leaving right away, as he is suspicious of these men, but they don't want to depart until the next morning. Booth and Herold eat dinner with the family. Later Jack easily realizes that Herold is lying about his own service in the Confederacy, as the company he said he belonged to did not exist. Worried that the two men would steal their horses and make their escape under the cover of night, Jack locks Booth and Herold in the tobacco barn. The rest, as they say, is history.

Forgive any small errors I might have made. I'm going from memory after all.

But, yes, Jack did offer to take Booth and Herold further south, just to get them out of his hair. Ultimately though, Jack had to go back to Ned Freeman's in the early morning summoning him and his wagon so that he could carry Booth's dead body back north.