Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-11-17
, Oct. Ia. 1865.

Yours, l.. S. T.
Oct. Ia, 1865.
My VERY DEAR BROTHER 1T has been
SO long since / have written to the loyal
States that hardly know how to begin
But this cruel war is over" and hope
hereafter to keep up constant and famil-
lar intercourse with friends, from whom
have heard nothing for so long time. l
was exceedingly glad to hear from you, but
| did not dream that you had sons in the
army. but am glad that they lived through
the hardships and dangers of the camp
and field. You heard of the war at dis
lance, but we had it among us. No great
battle was fought in our immediate neigh
borhood. but we were near enough to hear
the guns all day, especially from gunboat.
on the Mississippi river.
was opposed to secession from the be-
ginning, and told my friends that it would
terminate just as it has. And have new
err seen the time when the confedcracy had
any prospect of success neither did re-
.ioice at any victories on our side. l knew
it would only prolong the contest and make
our situation worse. Wishing well to the
South where my greatest interest lies,
believed that If we gained our indcpend-
ence. and if the United States should grant
every thing we could ask for,still the sepa
ration would be runous. am no ab0li-
ZIONIST. With the exception of that result,
| am glad the rebellion has been put down.
But with regard to freeing the negroes, no
possible good can ever grow out of it. but
immense evil, less TO the whites than to
the negroes themselves. do not propose
to make an argument in the case, but you
may probably live to see that. what you at
the North call philanthrophy to the blacks,
will eventually prove the greatest cruelty.
Hundreds who left their homes have starry
ed in Memphis and Helena. which places
are near. and from which have reliable
! information. | believe it is so in other
places. Two years ago last winter. four
hundred runaway negroes froze to death
in Memphis in one night. and the federal
army We're in possession of the city. The
next morning they loaded them on drays
like cord wood and tipped them into the
river.
am poor now. All had was in CON
fedcrate money. and it has died on my
hands. Daughter Marion's husband has
rs good a farm as can he faunl-it will
raise bale Of cotton to the acre He was
discharged from the army too hate TO make
a crop this year. He is repairing hi.
fences and putting the place in order with
the intention Of making large crop next
year. if he can prevail on the freedmen to
work. He was forced into the army as a
conscript. They did not take part as
You Yankees did, but took every man from
sixteen to sixty. without redemption
So many of the Young men have died in
the army that many girls will have to wait
long time for husbands or go without
We have been, suppose You know, un-
der blockade during the whole war, SO
that it wa. nearly impossible to obtain sup
plies. and if obtainab!e, at a ruinous price,
salt one dollar and half pound. One
kind of cloth, Cadet gray) was five hun
| bred dollars yard. - did not have any
new clothes after January 1861, till Au-
gust last. The shoes now have on cost
me one hundred and twenty dollars.
If your sons want to work they can find
plenty of good land here. Cotton is now
selling at 50 cents pound. and one man
with horse can make from six TO ten
bales. weighing four hundred pounds each.
We are now in a transition state. The
farmer does not know what to depend on.
He may hire half dozen hands, and all
leave him in week. The war has de-
stroyed great many mules and horses
a good mule is worth two hundred and
fifty dollars, and good horses arc hard to
find. The free negro men hire for about
ten dollars month, and that il all they
earn moreover, they will not work at all
as long as they can beg or steal anything
to eat.
Our State Legislature meets Tomorrow
and will try to get back into the Union if
possible. The leaders Of the rebellion find
Themselves obliged to submit to defcat,but
they do it with very bad grace, and seek
office with as much assurance as if they
had not been the means of running the
country. Some parts of this State. worse
in some other States. are complete des-
ert. Houses and fences destroyed. aud
fields uncultiyated are already growing up
in bushes. And know but few families
but have been bercaved of some OF their
members. But have said enough.
Mr.. Nelson Young Of East Trenton