The Journal of Susan Dade Langdon
Travels during the Siege of Vicksburg

by Kay Warren Kopycinski




Susan Dade (Canaday) Langdon, born in 1828, in Beaufort, Cartaret County, North Carolina, was the daughter of Capt. Asa Canaday and Frances Amelia Severn.1,2,3,4

Susan married William S. Langdon, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, on 4 November 1847.5 The couple spent the first years of their marriage in various towns in Kentucky and Tennessee where Dr. Langdon preached, studied and practiced medicine. Susan’s first child, William Owsley Langdon, was born in 1848 in Kentucky.6

In about 1852 they moved to Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.7 While living in Nashville Susan had three more children: Young Mitchel Langdon, Jonathan Severn Langdon and Frances Amelia Langdon.8 The couple bought Rosenvick,, a home with seven acres.9 It was the only home they would ever own.

By 1853 William S. Langdon was publishing three periodicals: the Banner of Peace (a Cumberland Presbyterian publication), The Ladies’ Pearl (a magazine for women) and a temperance newspaper. William S. Langdon and Company also did job printing, producing publications such as The Parlor Visitor, a publication of the First Baptist Church of Nashville. From 1856 until it was sold, Susan and William were co-editors of The Ladies’ Pearl. Eventually his health began to fail and William sold The Banner of Peace in 1857 and the Ladies’ Pearl in 1858.10

According to the 1860 census of Davidson County, William’s occupation was Cumberland Presbyterian Clergy, and the total value of his property was $11,000. The Nashville City Directory of that year lists him simply as Dr. W. S. Langdon. However, what appears to have been a happy, much simplified existence ended with the beginning of the Civil War.

Figure 1. Copy of Ladies’ Pearl Magazine, edited by William and Susan Langdon.

In 1861,11 Second Lieutenant W. S. Langdon was released from the Nashville Home Guards. According to Susan’s journal he became a special agent bringing in medicine for the Confederate soldiers. Susan recorded, “I will not call it smuggling. That word implies illegitimate business.” In January of 1862, the Langdons rented their house and servants. Susan left Nashville for what she hoped and believed would be a short stay in Carter’s Creek, Alabama where she and the children boarded at the home of a Col. Polk. She told of the Yankee search party that surrounded the house looking for William, who was fortunately not there. William was seldom in residence and Susan missed him greatly. She formed a school in May 1862 where she taught thirteen children, including her own three.12 Late in 1862, the family decided that for safety reasons they must leave Alabama.

Susan traveled first to Nashville where she collected the servants, two wagons and the mules. The family had a slave named Jim, without whom it’s doubtful she could have made the trip. She bought whiskey for trading and other provisions. She then returned to Carter’s Creek and collected the children.

The family arrived in Corsicana, Texas early in 1863. William was elected Chaplain of the Senate for the Tenth Legislature of the Sate of Texas in May 1864. In 1865 they moved to San Marcos where Susan ran a store. They moved on to Houston in 1866, where they purchased property hoping to build another house. William, however, feared the yellow fever epidemics, so they moved again to St. Louis, Missouri in 1867. During these years William was away from home most of the time, traveling in the service of the Confederacy or on business. Susan always packed and moved with the help of children and servants.

William Langdon continued to preach and practice medicine, but was never able to successfully re-establish himself in business. Susan Langdon died in St. Louis, Missouri in September 1868;13 William S. Langdon died 12 Oct 1869 in Mattoon, Illinois.14 In spite of being almost penniless, he paid tuition for medical school for his oldest son just before he died. William and Susan are both buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.15 There are no head stones.

Both William Owsley Langdon and Young Mitchel Langdon remembered Texas. They moved back to Texas and established homes in the Dallas area. Young Mitchel Langdon was killed in Dallas, Texas in 1893.16 William Owsley Langdon died in Hutchins, Dallas County, Texas in 1914.

The transcript which follows is from six pages of a journal written by Susan Dade Canaday Langdon between 01 December 1862 and 17 January 1863. Susan Langdon first started keeping a journal in October 1845 when she was just a girl of 17. Her journals ended in 1865, at which time she began to keep copies of her correspondence in place of her daily jottings. Her daughter in law, Stella Farrar Langdon, carefully labeled the eight pages of this particular journal. They became a special part of the numerous papers of various kinds that Stella Langdon passed down to her son, Young Mitchel Langdon, and that subsequently were inherited by his daughter, Katharine Langdon Warren, and then by myself, Kay Warren Kopycinski. Though her writings, we each have learned not only about how an average woman viewed the events of her days, but also about our very specific fascinating ancestor, Susan Dade Canaday Langdon.

(The following journal was transcribed by Kay Warren Kopycinski. Please Note: all grammar and spelling is as in the original. Some matters of form regarding paragraphs and punctuation have been amended in order to make it more accessible to today’s reader.)

Trip from Tenn[essee] to Texas continued

Dec. 1 Friday Passed through Strarkville early. Sold thime to a drugist – one bll. whisky at $10 per gal. Traveled 18 miles and camped at “Good Fire”.

Dec. 20 Made early start and traveled 28 miles and camped at Muddy Coffee Water (Chapman’s). Scarcity of corn and fodder. Mr. C offered the corn his wife and children made which he was in service. Declined it. Sent her pan flour. She returned pan baked sweet potatoes.

Figure 2. Page from Diary of Susan Langdon describing their journey from Alabama to Texas in the winter of 1862/3.

Sabbath 21 Traveled again today desiring to cross the Miss. at Vicksburg before the Fed’s interfere. I have not yet met my Willie. Am anxious about him. Make 16 miles only as tis Sabbath. Camp at “Good Coffee”, (Judge Wells) 2 miles from Koscinsko.
22 Monday Passed through Koscinsko early stoped and sold 3 blls. whiskey, 10 dollars per gal and 241 lbs. bacon 50 cts. pr lb. made 16 miles, camped at New Moon.

23 Tuesday Passed on and arrived at Canton early, 5 o’clock passed on through and camped at “Sneezeweed” 7 miles. Sold last bll. whiskey in Canton, also 400 lbs. Bacon, all we can spare. Canton is quite a town.

24 Sold 12 hoop skirts in 30 dollars in C. Dr. gone to Jackson today. We still in camp. Last night, Vick came near dying, is well today. Much to my joy my Willie overtook us today, going from Oxford to Pontotoc & Fulton & Frankfort & Nar___ & Russellville, and then having heard of our passing through a week before, he turned his steps southward and traveled hard and overtook us today at this camp, 2 miles from Canton. When he arrived at Oxford, where Dr. L had left John some months previous, he found that the Yankees were there and John had left for Tenn., he said. So Willie had to come back without him, trouble and expense for nothing. He had to pay from 3 to 5 dollars per night for self and horse.

25 This Christmas day we have spent in traveling and bustle. Started from Canton “Sneeze weed Camp” about 12 noon. Dr. L got back from Jackson and started back with one of the wagons. He is to overtake us on our way to Vicksburg. Have heard cannon in that direction all day – dread a nearer approach.

27 Saturday Dr. L[angdon] overtook us this AM. A short time afterwards met some men from Vicksburg who said we could not cross for V. was being shelled by Yankees. So we turned our course towards Grand Gulf. Dr. returned towards Clinton to sell 2 gray mules for $500.

Sabbath 28 Dr. has returned from Clinton. Says that Jackson, Humboldt, Memphis have been taken by Confederate Soldiers. Have read in a Vicksburg paper this morning of the disaffection of the north and desire for peace of them. Will we have peace? Have heard for 3 or 4 days the thunder of artillery shelling on Yazoo and Miss. Rivers.

29 Made a very early start this morning and traveled 28 or 30 miles. One of Willie hound got his leg hurt with wagon wheel and was left, the other he gave away about 9 miles from Edwards depot.

Tuesday 30 Last night we camped near Port Gibson. A dreadful rain that had threatned us a day or two – came down in torrents. And nearly washed us away wetting all our bedding during the night – our tent blew over and there we were in the dark and rain out of doors. The rain put out the fire.

Wednesday 31. This is the last day of the old year. This morning a sad accident occurred as Mr. Ezell our traveling companion was rubbing Ebony a fine stallion of Dr. L’s. The horse bit him on the arm, making him very sick for a few hours and hurting him badly so that he cant drive his waggon. We camped last night 8 miles from Rodney where we cross the Miss[issippi]. R[iver].

Jan 1st 1863. We are at this moment on the bosom of the turbulent Miss. Have just left Rodney and are on our way across the ferry, the river here is about one mile wide, have seen many ducks but no fish. Rodney is a small place, one or two churches some good stores, houses but very little in them now, and all articles of high prices, nutmegs 10 cts each etc.

Saturday 17 Jan.1863 It has been over two weeks since I have written in my journal. I feel badly about it, much of interest might have been noted. Our passage through _enson swamp was attended with much labor. The swamp lies west of the Miss. R. and where we crossed is 6 miles wide. Met several droves of beef cattle from Texas for the Confederate Army. Mr. Ezell is not yet able to use his arm. Since he was bitten. Mr. James Hays a man driving for ____ has been bitten by Ebony, on the ____ but not so badly. He drives still. We have had a great deal of rain. Sundown. Now the wagon is just out of the mud and we shall start again. Have not traveled more than 12 or 15 miles today. Yesterday myself and Mrs. Ezell had hard words and thoughts. It is strange that two women cant manage family matters in partnership with out bickering over very small matters. I hope twill be the case no more. I feel certain almost that I shall not give the provocation. Yesterday met Bro. Searcy a C[umberland] P[resbyterian] minister living 18 miles east of Casto swamp.

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Kay Warren Kopycinski, a native Texan, graduated from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She is married to Vic Kopycinski and is currently researching his family lines (Kopycinski, Bartkowiak, Malinowski, Derkowski), her family lines (Brent, Warren, Farrar, Langdon).
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1 Henrietta Herndon, comp. On the Wing from the Journal and Letters of Susan Langdon, Unpublished ms copy in possession of Kay Kopycinski, July 2004.

2 Frances T. Ingmire, Carteret County North Carolina Marriage Records 1755-1868, (Athens, Georgia: Iberian Publishing Company), 0006.

3 Asa Canaday household, U S Census Record 1820, Beaufort, Cartaret County, North Carolina, page 134; National Archives micropublication M33, roll 83.

4 Asa Canaday household, U S Census Record 1840, Beaufort, Cartaret County, North Carolina, page 6; National Archives micropublication M704, roll 356.

5 Herndon, Henrietta, comp. On the Wing from the Journal and Letters of Susan Langdon. Unpublished ms copy in possession of Kay Kopycinski, July 2004.
6 William S. Langdon household, U S Census Record 1860, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, Aug. 9, 1860, Heritage Quest online.

7 Harold E. Holland, Religious Periodicals in the Development of Nashville, Tennessee as a Religious Publishing Center 1830-1880 (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International 1979) 518.

8 William S. Langdon household, U S Census Record 1860, Davidson County, Tennessee, Nashville post office, page 232, dwelling 1006, family 981; National Archives micropublication M653 roll 246.

9 Davidson County Deeds, Book 27: 126, County Courthouse, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.

10 Harold E. Holland, Religious Periodicals in the Development of Nashville, Tennessee as a Religious Publishing Center 1830-1880 (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms
International 1979) 521-23.

11 Janet B. Hewett, The Roster of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 (Wilmington, North Carolina: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1996)
IX: 311.

12 Herndon, Henrietta, comp. On the Wing from the Journal and Letters of Susan Langdon. Unpublished ms copy in possession of Kay Kopycinski, July 2004.

13 Bellefontaine Cemetery Records, St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri.

14 William S. Langdon probate file, Circuit Court, Cole County, Illinois.

15 Bellefontaine Cemetery Records, St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri.

16 Young M. Langdon obituary (St. Louis Dispatch), St Louis, Missouri, 25 October 1893, column 5.