Letter from Arthur H. Harris to his brother George Carroll Harris in Nashville. He writes of the pervading excitement that has surrounded the 1860 presidential election in his area. Though he is glad the contest is over, he acknowledges the death...
This nine-page letter written from Arthur H. Harris in Monroe, Louisiana, to his brother George Carroll Harris in Nashville is a conscious political treatise. The author is advocating and justifiying the secession of Louisiana at the upcoming...
Five-page letter written from John S. Brien in Nashville, Tennessee, to R. M. C[ornin], Esq. in Cincinnati, Ohio. The author expresses his views on secession, the Union, and Southern Rights as well as his hope for compromise. Says Brien, " I...
Letter from Thomas Crutchfield Jr. to James R. Hood. Crutchfield makes an effort to prove his loyalty to the Union by recounting his opposition to secession, his informing the Federals of troop movements, his supplying of the Union army with...
Letter from Joseph Gerald Branch in Davis Lake Plantation, Arkansas, to his wife, Mary, in Maury County, Tennessee. He is concerned that his letters are not reaching her, and he observes, "What is property or anything else compared to one's...
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband, Samuel, conveys her anxiety at not hearing from him and her disappointment both in his defeat for promotion to Lt. Colonel and in his inability to come home for Christmas. She also relates...
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to husband Samuel expresses anxiety over not receiving a letter from him and the fact that this worry has infiltrated her dreams. She writes of receiving visitors, of the children's exploits, and of managing...
Four-page letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband Samuel details news of their children and other family members. References are made to a scarcity of food and civilian transportation and rumors of battle. Mary proclaims her hope that her...
Four-page letter from Beck Wallace to her cousin, Samuel R. Latta, of the 13th Tennessee Infantry, conveys her sorrow at his leaving home to fight for the Confederacy. She is deeply concerned for his wife and children. Beck, a teacher in Fayette...
Excerpts from a diary, 1834-1865, and memoir of early life, written by Jesse Cox (1793-1879), a Primitive Baptist minister and resident of Williamson County, Tennessee. He describes the hardships of life as an itinerant preacher, some religious...
Two-page letter to his son George Carroll Harris of Nashville, Elisha W. Harris writes from his plantation Waco Place in Louisiana of attending a local political meeting. He details the zest the crowd displays for politics and the presidential...
Excerpts from the diary of William Luther Bigelow Lawrence. He details joining the Nashville Guards, the scarcity of provisions, and the surrender of Nashville. He proclaims the trampling of private rights by Federal soldiers, the fleeing of his...
Letter from A. C. Montgomery to G. R. Rutledge describing status of business in Maryville, local elections resulting in the election of "Union men," the outcomes of battles involving Sterling Price, the death of Benjamin McCulloch, and the status...
Letter from Robert Rutledge expressing concern for his sick son, correcting an earlier assertion that a member of his company was killed, and describing plans to buy land in Texas. He asks his wife to buy needed provisions without concern for...
Civil Wars; War; Slaves; Agriculture; Political issues; Cities & towns
Excerpts from the Robert H. Cartmell Diaries. They contain full commentaries on the nature of his farm operation, the weather, and the fluctuations of the cotton market. They contain thoughtful comments on politics and candidates for office and...
Correspondence; Children; Families; Mothers; Spouses; Civil Wars; War
Correspondence from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband, Samuel R. Latta. This four-page letter provides information about the homelife of Mary Guthrie Latta since her husband's departure. She states that the family "is getting along as well and...
Correspondence; Cities & towns; Campaigns & battles; Troop movements; Surrenders; Military retreats; Generals; Civil Wars; War
A three-page letter dated February 28, 1862, from John S. Brien to John C. Crittenden. Brien rejoices that Buell's troops "occupied the city and country without the necessity of shedding one drop of blood." He argues that property rights must be...
Two-page letter from J. W. Maybin of Vicksburg, Mississippi, to John S. Brien. The letter requests legal advice from John S. Brien, "one of the first legal minds in the United States," regarding his legal options after having seen much of his...
Correspondence; Fathers; Children; Families; Mothers; Civil Wars; War
Correspondence from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband, Samiel R. Latta. In this four-page letter, she expresses concern for the safety of her husband. She states that she is "beginning to feel the terrible realities of war in earnest now."
Correspondence; Fathers; Mothers; Campaigns & battles; Civil Wars; War
Letter from Mary Guthrie Latta to her husband, Samuel R. Latta, dated August 19, 1861. Although she has hoped that Samuel Latta's unit would be ordered into retreat in Tennessee, they have instead been ordered to New Madrid, Missouri.
