Letter from Joseph B. Morgan to Patrick H. Morgan

Scope and content:

Written from Currituck County, North Carolina. The letter includes a detailed account of the journey of a committee of citizens to appeal to Union General Butler to "secure their property from destruction."

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Currituck County
Jany. 3d 1864

My Dear Son-
It is a long time since we have had a letter from you & we are beginning to feel very anxious to hear from you. I wrote you a short time since giving a short statement of our troubles & the devastations & excitement produced by a Brigade of negro troops under Gen. Wild passing through our county. But it is utterly impossible for me to give you anything like a correct idea of the state of things in our midst.

I have just returned home from Fortress Monroe. The citizens of our county held a meeting & appointed Dr. Cowell, A. J. Lowe, B. L. Dey, B. M. Baxter & myself a committee to proceed to Old Point, the Headquarters of Gen. Butler, who is in command of the Department of Va. & N. C., for the purpose of ascertaining what was required of the peaceful inhabitants to secure their property from destruction & their dwellings from the flames. We left home last Sunday & passed through their lines by way of Deep Creek. Col. DeForest in command at North West treated us very courteously & and gave us a passport to Gen. Getty's headquarters, which is some three miles back of Portsmouth. We had a very pleasant interview with Gen. Getty, who seems to be a perfect gentleman, and who kindly facilitated our business by giving us a passport and transportation to Gen. Butler's Headquarters.

Tuesday morning at 8 o'clock we took the boat for Old Point, where we arrived about ten A.M. We obtained an interview with Gen. Butler about three o'clock P. M. He received us very respectfully & treated us very courteously, and after hearing our statement conversed with us some half an hour or more very pleasantly. He said nothing was required of us only to remain peaceful and use our influence to put down guerrillaing & blockade running; that being accomplished we should not be further molested by his troops; that he did not include us in his general order no. 49, nor did he consider us within his lines.

We returned home & reported the result of our interview with Gen. Butler. We had hardly got home when a squad was sent out to enroll the inhabitants of Camden & Currituck. We are inclined to believe, however, they are recalled & we may be allowed a short respite.

Your Ma has been quite ill but is now fast recovering. Jodie is suffering from croup very much. All the rest are tolerable well. I am not very well but hope am improving. Everything is excitement & suspense & God only knows how we are to get along. All is gloom & doubt around us, but God governs in the affairs of men & will bring all things right in the end. You Ma is trying to get some shirts ready for you, and whenever we can procure anything for you will send by the first opportunity. Some of my friends talk of going to Richmond & if they do I shall try to send my horse by them with instructions to sell him & send you the money. It may come when you do not need it & if so take care of it for future use. You must be economical & make the best use you can of both time & money. Should they bring him out, I shall instruct them to sell him and have the money insured & sent by express to you.

All send their love & best wishes, and I pray that a kind Providence may preserve and protect you my dear son.
Your Father. J. B. M.

P.S. Since writing the enclosed your two letters of the 13th and 27th of Decr. have come to hand. We are glad to learn you are so well after your exposure & hope you will not suffer any very serious consequences. All are well at present & send their love. Those gentlemen I spoke of coming out have returned. They sold my horse for $600 & I trust you have recd. the money. J.B. M.

Subjects:

United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Home life
United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865
Correspondence

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