The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-09
VANCE'S LETTER BOOK.
Correspondence During the Year 1S63-The Gov
ernOr Worried Over Desertions--The Pearson
Habeas Corpus Decision--Maintaining the
Rights of His State and People,.

- oCAEA IL / - ldL
battalion.
April 18th the first proclamation was
issued f~orbidding the export beyond
the state limits OF any salt, bacon,
pork. beef, corn, meal, -four, wheat,
potatoes, shoes, leather, cotton cloth
and yarn ard wooden cloth.
April 22rd General Hill notified the
governor of the probable invasion Of
the state. He wanted the militia call
ed out. The governor thought this a
bad policy as it would take the labor
ers from their crops at a critical time.
But he said he would call out the mill
tia officers Of whom there were two or
three thousand, if the general thought
that step necessary. General Hill said
General Longstreet had advised the
calling out Of the militia. He added:
But / don't know that any good could
come Of it, except the exposure of the
skulkcrS. The men staying at home
now are and nOn-producers.
They ought to he kicked into ranks by
some means. one of your stirring ap-
peals would do good. Your scathing
rebukes Of deserters and skulkers
make even towards blush. I fear that
the discomfort and generalization of
the troops ave been mainly caused by
unWise cbuliitiOns Of temper on the
part Of the local press. Would to God
that our editors could fight the COM
mon enemy and let their private quar-
rels lie over
April 23rd w. T. Muse wrote that
DOsher could not go as pilot and that
he had secured Joe Burruss, who agreed
to dispense with the $3.50 in specie on
his arrival at Nassau. Muse did not
like the blockading business and wrote:
Il am really afraid of the effect Of this
trade. I am satisfied it is Injurious"
Governor Vance said on the 25th
April: "DesertiOn is alarmingly on the
increase and their relatives and friends
openly protect ana feed them. The
army is losing almost as many by de-
sertiOn as it gains by cOnscriptiOn.
What is needed is the passage Of a
short statute against all who harbor,
feed or any way aid men to evade the
law. and to provide for allowing the
militia to make arrests. If this were
done / could clean out North Caro-
lima with my militia and occasional
help from the regular soldiers" This
letter was to w. t. Dortch, at Rich
mond.
Writing to the secretary Of war
Vance said that for months General
Lees army had been subsisting on
| supplies grown in this state, along the
Tar, Roanoke and Neuse rivers. He
added: From Roanoke island to the
late siege of Washington the history of
the war has been a succession of ca
lamities in North Carolina, which none
but the ungenerOus and truth can
| charge to a want Of bravery and pa
tient endurance on the part Of her peO-
pie" Vance then said that not enough
attention had been paid by the govern
ment to the defence of this state; not
nearly so much as to the defence OF
| other states. He added that all the
while males up to 40 had been taken,
twenty Of the richest counties stripped
of their slaves and that 1900 slaves
were at work on Qualifications. He
said the public mind in this state was
clearly dissatisfied with the govern
ment's neglect of it's defences.
s. * * y Il
Colonel S. D. Thrust0n Of the Third
North Carolina, writes that his brigade
had had six commanders, Holmes, OF
North Carolina, Walker Of Missouri,
Ripley of South Carolina, Doles of
Georgia, Taliaferro Of Virginia and
Colston of Virginia-only one North
C~arolinian.
He wanted to be brigaded with North
Carolina troops and said his regiment
and the First North Carolina were the
only regiments not so ~brigaded. He
begged the governor to have his regl-
ment put with North C~arolinians. His
letter is full of feeling and of great
length. He closed by saying: Il beg
YOU to give us justice and demand that
we be brigaded with our own troops
and commanded by our own briga-
der" Governor Vance sent a copy OF
the letter to the secretary of war and
said he mad talked with him and the
president about this very matter. He
endorsed all ThrustOn said and wanted
his wishes carried out.
x
Nav 7th General Hill advised Vance
to call out the militia, saying he was
gathering up all troops in the state.
The secretary of war said he did not
advise calling out the militia at that
season of the year.
May 9Th the governor turned over to
the c~onfederacy $50, 900 pounds Of bacon
and much corn, saying these We're state
stores, and that the danger of famine
was over. The secretary of war wrote
a very grateful letter for this liberal
and patriotic offer" He added that
the scare as to provisions was Largely
due to the unWOnted imitation of the
currency, which alarmed the people
LII SobSNo ~ e. 1Nf
plies.
= +
The secretary of war sent Vance May
9Th a letter from General w. D. Pen
der to Major w. H. Taylor, General
Lees adjutant general. This letter
says: Il call General Lees attention
to the condition of affairs in the North
Carolina regiments Of this army and of
brought it about. l think I am safe
in saying that at least 200 men have
! deserted from the Twenty-fourth North
Carolina regiment in this corps in the
last thirty days. l fear thi- is not the
worst. The whole trouble lies in the
fact that they believe that when they
Set into North Carolina they will not
be molested and their belief is based or
the dictum of Chief Justice Pearson in
a recent trial of persons who killed
some militia officers While in the dis
charge of their duties. Our men are of
the opinion that he held that the con-