Letter from D. A. Clark to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; July 31, 1862
Title
Letter from D. A. Clark to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; July 31, 1862
Subject
Confederate States of America. Army.; Draft.; Mississippi. Governor; Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867.
Description
From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Pettus Collection. Letter from D. A. Clark in Kemper County, Mississippi, to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus concerning the great dissatisfaction with the draft by the local citizens.
Creator
Clark, D. A.
Publisher
Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (electronic version); Mississippi Digital Library. (electronic version)
Date
1862-07-31
Contributor
Funding for this project provided by The Dale Center for Study of War and Society-USM, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Digital Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Watson-Brown Foundation
Rights
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Language
English
Identifier
mdah_757-942-5-35
Coverage
1862
Text
Page 1:
July 31st 1862
Miss Kemper County
Gov, Pettus
Dear sir
I wish to call your attention to the situation of this county. in this first place call after call was made for volunteers & the people promtly responded till all the men from here is gone till but few except invalids & old men is gone & then their was & order to inroll the Militia & the men that was set apart for that purpose went out without Knowing their duty & Enrolled every invalid in the county & never there is & order for a Draft out of that sort of men & it has caused greate confusion & dissatisfaction what few men men was left was busily engaged in preparing & furnishing clothing & shoes to the soldiers that was gone, now take those men a way & how are they to be furnished, besides it looks like Treating the people badly after they have sent all but criples & old men & in addition to this there is no special order for what length of time The Draft is for whether for a man's life time or 12 month 6 or 3 months
Page 2:
& an other dissatisfaction is that Reuben Davis The General that is ordering this is a member of Congress who under the acts of Congress is not thought Elligble & on other objections he had command of the 60 days Troops at Bowling green last winter where they were badly Treated & badly managed till a large number them died & the people is much disturbed about it they say that Gen. Davis was very intemperate & if the Yankees had attacked them they would now have bin all of them have now bin with the Fort Donalson prisoners But this matter is now with you & for the satisfaction of the people I hope I may hear from you soon, There is not half crops mak-ing here & there is not men Enough left here To Take care of what little is making, I am verry certain there is not 400 men of all sorts left in this county the report made by the men inrolling the Militia is as incorrect as it can be for they have enrolled a many a man that is in The service thy just made a guest & but them down But their is no use in my multiplying words for the thing unfair here write to me soon to Kelle's Store Kemper County Miss,:
Your obt. Servt,
D. A. Clark
To
Gov. J.J. Pettus
July 31st 1862
Miss Kemper County
Gov, Pettus
Dear sir
I wish to call your attention to the situation of this county. in this first place call after call was made for volunteers & the people promtly responded till all the men from here is gone till but few except invalids & old men is gone & then their was & order to inroll the Militia & the men that was set apart for that purpose went out without Knowing their duty & Enrolled every invalid in the county & never there is & order for a Draft out of that sort of men & it has caused greate confusion & dissatisfaction what few men men was left was busily engaged in preparing & furnishing clothing & shoes to the soldiers that was gone, now take those men a way & how are they to be furnished, besides it looks like Treating the people badly after they have sent all but criples & old men & in addition to this there is no special order for what length of time The Draft is for whether for a man's life time or 12 month 6 or 3 months
Page 2:
& an other dissatisfaction is that Reuben Davis The General that is ordering this is a member of Congress who under the acts of Congress is not thought Elligble & on other objections he had command of the 60 days Troops at Bowling green last winter where they were badly Treated & badly managed till a large number them died & the people is much disturbed about it they say that Gen. Davis was very intemperate & if the Yankees had attacked them they would now have bin all of them have now bin with the Fort Donalson prisoners But this matter is now with you & for the satisfaction of the people I hope I may hear from you soon, There is not half crops mak-ing here & there is not men Enough left here To Take care of what little is making, I am verry certain there is not 400 men of all sorts left in this county the report made by the men inrolling the Militia is as incorrect as it can be for they have enrolled a many a man that is in The service thy just made a guest & but them down But their is no use in my multiplying words for the thing unfair here write to me soon to Kelle's Store Kemper County Miss,:
Your obt. Servt,
D. A. Clark
To
Gov. J.J. Pettus