Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Dates of Creation |
05/16/1862 9/22/1859 |
Scope & Content |
Letter headed Grove Hill, May 16th, 1862 from Emma W. G. Breckinridge to her son John telling of her concern for him while a battle is fought and thanks God his life has been spared so far, her concern about wagon Strother [slave] is returning to Richmond after delivering items including Gilmer's trunk (that held his clothing and payroll money for his company at Williamsburg) and she is afraid he was captured by the Yankees at Williamsburg. John's Uncle John [Gilmer] is to sell the wagon and horses in Richmond. Gilmer also had money being sent home to Fincastle in his trunk and is concerned about paying the local people the funds they were to receive, hoping Gilmer gets a better position if Floyd is put in command of an army, that brother Cary was in Rockingham a week ago, but is moving about a lot, as much as 40 miles per day, Major Pitzer has come home so she supposes that Watts is Lt. Colonel, Cary is Major and James is Captain in the Calvary Regiment, describes a horse being sent to Cary along with a hat and boots, of a report that the Yankees had taken Lewisburg and White Sulphur and were moving on the Sweet [Springs], fearing for Mary Breckinridge Woodville being captured from her home near the Sweet, her brother George and their slave Phil rode toward the Sweet Springs, but Captain Engle's [Confederate] Calvary met them on the way and advised them to return as they would be surely captured by the Yankees. An armed group sent out from Fincastle to the Sweet Springs found this was a false alarm, Dr. Woodville has moved his patients from the hospital at the White [Sulphur Springs] hospital and many negroes to Fincastle, mentions they are attempting to manufacture salt peter for the army at Grove Hill. She tells of planting crops, the great need for grain and hay and having to feed the government mules and horses, and a commissary depot has been built at Fincastle, news about Julia and Nannie staying at Grove Hill while Gilmer is home and baby Nannie has learned to say "Hurrah for Davis". |
Year Range from |
1862 |
Creator |
Emma W. G. Breckinridge |
Year Range to |
1862 |
Subjects |
Bad roads Baggage Battle Blanket Boots Bread Calvary Calves Captain Capture & imprisonment Chickens Clothes Clothing commissary depot Company Corn Cowardice Danger Election God Grain Grass Horse Guns Hack Hat Haversack Hay Horse horse, named Red Fox hospital, store Hospitals Hospitals, Military ink Lieutenant-Colonel Major Meat Mercy Money Mules Negroes Officers, Military Packet boat Pastures Payroll Pens (writing) Picket duty Planting Prayer Book Private, military rank Road Road conditions Saltpetre Tobacco house Trunks Wagon Yankee |
Search Terms |
Breckinridge family Civil War letters Fincastle Fincastle Rifles Fincastle, Virginia Grove Hill (residence) Lewisburg, Virginia (Now West Virginia ) Richmond, Virginia Rockingham County, Virginia Scotts, (Barbour's Creek), Craig County, Virginia Sweet Springs, Virginia White Sulphur Springs, Virginia Williamsburg, Virginia |
People |
Betsy, (slave) Breckinridge, Cary, Jr. Breckinridge, Emma Walker Gilmer Breckinridge, George ( William ) Breckinridge, Gilmer Breckinridge, James Breckinridge, John Breckinridge, Julia Anthony Breckinridge, Nannie Engle, Capt. Floyd, Governor Gilmer, John H., Jesse Kelly, Calvin Phil, Uncle [slave] Strother, [Breckinridge slave] Watts family Watts, Lt. Col. Woodville, J. Lewis [Dr.] Woodville, Mary Ann Breckinridge |
Collection |
Breckinridge Collection |
Imagefile |
058\196951659-4.JPG |
Number of images |
4 |
Object Name |
Letter |
Object ID |
1969.51.659 |
Extent of Description |
6" x 7 1/2" four pages |