Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
letter |
Dates of Creation |
12/24/1861 9/22/1859 |
Scope & Content |
Letter headed Ivy Creek Dec 24th, 1861 to his sister Emma W. G. Breckinridge from W. W. [William] Gilmer tells of suffering a muscle injury that kept him from answering an earlier letter from Emma, had a slave Henry who had hurt himself in the same way "loading stock on a wagon", they are now busy making a trough 20 feet long from 1 1/2" planks for their new barn, of saving "several hundreds of bs. [bushels] of top quality wheat to make flour this year, of having a buyer (S. Garland White) for his farm at $50 per acre to be settled on January 1,1862, but White needed $50,000 he was to inherit after his uncle, Sam Garland of Lynchburg had passed away, and now another heir named Mr. Morris (who married a White) has threatened a law suit, so the sale cannot be completed. Gilmer said he planned to buy a smaller farm to live on in Pittsylvania County and to leave any excess funds to "Harmer, John, and Mr. Breckinridge." He "prays to God England may join us, and France too and blow the Yankee nation into unknown fractions". He saw a telegram today that "England has demanded the instant release of Mason and Slidell. The Yankee Govt. has vowed they will do no such thing, all I fear is, that the cowardly rascals will back out & that we may thereby loose the aid we so greatly want at sea." He passes on news he has heard from Price, Cary and James from a servant who had seem them recently, comments on Gen. Stewart who he feels lacks prudence, and states Col. Radford will be a better leader, comments on a long fox hunt recently, closing with words for George, asks about Prompter[?] and gives numbers on killing 3300 lbs. pork, & 8 hogs to kill and a fine beef, some bacon for sale, and states "we have 12 cases measles and all nearly well." Letter is folded to make its own envelope and a stamp was attached, but is no longer present. Word written in pencil below the addressee: Mrs Cary Breckinridge, Fincastle, Bot. County,, Va: Capt. P. G. Breckinridge is in Town at the Hotel and wished you to send the carriage for him. [Probably written by someone at the Buchanan post office.] |
Year Range from |
1861 |
Creator |
W. W. Gilmer |
Year Range to |
1861 |
Subjects |
Accidents Back pain Bayonets Beef Carriage Cash Chasing Christmas Civil War Corn Cowardice Doctors Flour quality Fox hunting Foxholes God Heirs hip bone Hogs Land sale Law suit Livestock Millers muscles, strained nephew Overseers Pain Painful Pastures Pork Prudence Seasons Servants (slaves) Shot Stables Telegraph Troughs Wagon Wheat Yankee |
Search Terms |
Botetourt County Breckinridge family England Fincastle France Ivy Creek James River Lynchburg Pittsylvania County, Virginia Virginia Yankee nation |
People |
Breckinridge, Cary Breckinridge, Cary, Jr. Breckinridge, Emma Walker Gilmer Breckinridge, George ( William ) Breckinridge, Gilmer Breckinridge, James Burwell, Thomas Garland, Burr Garland, Sam Gilmer, Harmer Gilmer, John Henry, servant of Mary Gilmer Jones Mason Morris, Mr. Nelson, Rev. William Price, (unknown) Prompter, [person or animal?] Radford, Col. Slidell, Sen. Stewart, Genl. White, S. |
Collection |
Breckinridge Collection |
Imagefile |
056\196951640.JPG |
Number of images |
4 |
Object Name |
Letter |
Object ID |
1969.51.640 |
Extent of Description |
7 1/2" x 9 3/4" four pages |