i think sitting up here, as quiet and peaceful as this place , it was a chance to recharge the batteries. >> next saturday, american history tv takes you live to the museum of the bible in washington dc for symposium on the bible and its influence on the founding of america. historians explore references to the bible in 18th-century political discourse entering the american revolution, and examine benjamin franklin's much debated faith. our coverage begins at 9 a.m. eastern on february 10. >> our cox communications cables partners worked with c-span cities tour staff when we travel to fayetteville, arkansas. settlers established the town in

1828. learn more about fayetteville all weekend on american history tv. >> this is a house that belonged to a family that lived in fayetteville, arkansas in the 1850's to 1860. they were here during the civil war. they experienced the civil war. when the war came it changed everything. we are at headquarters house in fayetteville, arkansas. it is the home of the washington county historical society. they purchased the house in 1967. the house was built by jonas tebbit. he came to study law in van buren. when he was traveling the law circuit he came to fayetteville and met matilda.

he and matilda winlock got married in 1847. in 1862 in february, the confederates were being driven out of missouri and into arkansas. as they were being driven through arkansas, as they came through fayetteville, they decided to burn all of the confederate stores. where all of the food and ammo was held. basically, the soldiers ransacked the town. it is said some citizens participated also, but it was a pretty dark time for fayetteville. headquarters house was directly threatened when the fayetteville city institute, across the street, was used as an arsenal for the confederate army. they decided to set fire to it. when the building caught fire, the faulty shells that were left started to explode, endangering this house.

they were able to save it. here is a picture of the arkansas college and the tebbit 's house. the president of arkansas college lived across the street. arkansas college was not burned in the initial firing of fayetteville. when the confederates were on their way to pea ridge, they did burn arkansas college. alexander as bath came and proclaimed that he was going to see, that he was going to liberate fayetteville for the union and all of the union sympathizers could come out. he wanted a union flag to put on the town square. some people knew that jonas had a flag of the united states of america. they put it up on the town square. jonas also invited the general in to have dinner at his house and to make this his

headquarters, thinking that he was going to be here for a while. he did come to a house and dined with the tebbetts. then he was called north, leaving the town open to what ever army came through. general ben mcculloch says his soldiers to knock on the door. he told jonas tebbetts he was under arrest for being a traitor to the confederate states of america. he was taken to fort smith where he was to be tried and hung as a traitor for having the union flag. for not accepting confederate money.

for allowing eight union general into his house. many people wanted to help jonas tebbetts as much as they could. members of the confederate army, even. they were working with the union army to get him released. there was a union jailer who sent a letter to matilda tebbetts, saying that he would do everything that he could to help jonas and to make his stay comfortable. he was sure everything would turn out all right. while he was in jail in fort smith he would watch out for him. matilda was allowed to send one of their slaves to fort smith to tend to jonas' needs, as he was a gentleman. matilda sent some messages through the slave. the slave was also allowed, by his status, to stand around and absorb information he could pass on to jonas.

in the meantime general mcculloch was called to the battle, and he was killed by a union sharpshooter. because of this, jonas was exonerated and the charges were a dropped. he was allowed to come back home. he came back to the house. not long after he got back, a neighbor came and told matilda, mrs. tebbetts, there are a group of confederate sympathizers that will finish the job did mcculloch could not finish. matilda left the parlor where she was entertaining the neighbor, talked to jonas. jonas came in, said hello, and walked down the front walk and waved goodbye to matilda, got on his horse, and rode out of town. when he got just past the

confederate lines he went up to the union line. when he was there, he shared information about the area and the people, and never lived in this house again. the information that we have is from the oldest daughter's journal. it was her memories that she wrote in her late 80's. what she said was while jonas was in prison in fort smith, the confederate soldiers demanded the drapes and carpets to be used as blankets and saddle blankets. instead of just giving it to them, matilda had the slaves take them down, beat out the dirt, fold them nicely, and give them to the army. matilda hid any hard feelings that she had. she did where several pieces of

gold coins sewed into her undergarments in case the family had to fully in the middle of the night. she was gracious in all that she did. when jonas had left after he was exonerated, when he left the state, matilda was here by herself with the children. eventually, the union army came back. the union army watched over matilda. when they were going to be pulling out again, they told her, we are leaving and you should go with us. she packed up what she could thinking she was -- and she was, she was leaving the next day. it so happened that jonas came in with a message to deliver to the officer in charge. he was able to leave with his family. when the family left in october

of 1862, they took what they could and left. they found a home in missouri. then they found a home -- actually, they traveled through panama to california looking for a home. while they were there abraham lincoln was assassinated. they decided that california was not the place for them. they tried wants to come back after the war to fayetteville. it was too changed. the people were changed and living was hard. it had been almost a cold roll center on the edge of the united states of america, just before indian and wild west territory. it was not that anymore. they did not feel good feelings to stay in fayetteville. they settled in kentucky, and they never lived here.

jonas did help some confederates to receive their pardon after the war. he had some communication with the people, but not living here. our staff recently toured to fayetteville arkansas to learn about its rich history. learn about other stops in our tour at c-span.org/cities tour. watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span3. >> next, catherine west general weste of moreland, talks about her life as a military daughter, sister. she recounts her time living in vietnam and serving as the red kosice aid