Willis writes from near Orange, Va., that he does not expect a vigorous campaign in the short term, complaints about lack of good clothing and reminiscences about home
Letter from William H. W. Barnwell, Greenville, SC, to Catherine Barnwell in Charleston. Barnwell writes to his wife about his travels to upstate South Carolina, including Caesar's Head, and Flat Rock, NC. October 12, 1846.
Letter from Samuel Wragg Ferguson at Fort Walla Walla in the Washington Territory to his godmother. Ferguson comments on his daily routine and writes about his beloved horse, his dogs and his whiskey-drinking friend Major Green. 4p.
Willis writes from near Orange, Va., that he is upset by the dissatisfaction in some of the Confederate States, that he wishes a dictator was put in place (he would support Jefferson Davis in this role) and that civil law was abolished. He has lost all faith in England.
Samuel Wragg Ferguson, aide-de-camp to General P.G.T. Beauregard, writes to his godmother from Manassas Junction, on July 10th, 1861, just days before the First Battle of Bull Run. He mentions preparations being made to set up hospitals for the sick and wounded, the capture of the privateer Savannah and Jefferson Davis' warning to Lincoln not to deal harshly with the crew. He writes that Union prisoners in Richmond, who were allowed to roam freely, were "arrested and confined in consequence of the accounts received of the trial of the crew of the Savannah." 4p.
Letter from Rev. William W. Spear, Philadelphia, to William H. W. Barnwell expressing his desire to return to St. Michael's Church in Charleston and his ideas concerning the Episcopal press. December 5, 1846.
Samuel Wragg Ferguson, aide-de-camp to General P.G.T. Beauregard, writes to his godmother from Fairfax Court House, Virginia, September 13th, 1861. Ferguson details a recent skirmish in Lewinsville pitting Union troops against Confederate Col. J.E.B. Stuart's men in which "we got seven killed, wounded and prisoners and know that they carried off many of their dead...fact is they wont stay to be killed." He writes of the secret construction of a battery along the Potomac that "will entirely stop the navigation of the river" and warns his godmother not to let "any communicative person hear any thing of this." On the envelope is written "there is a secret in this." 5p.
John writes that Union forces are putting torpedoes in the Stono river to blow up Confederate boats, but that all attempts, thus far, have been unsuccessful.