Papers (1859-1928) including correspondence, receipts, oath of allegiance, etc. relating primarily to the Civil War and local conditions.
Solomon Carpenter, alongside his wife Mary, worked as a farm family in Chatham County, N.C. He had at least six sons, all of whom served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. William Carpenter served in the 1st North Carolina Infantry and was captured in Virginia and confined at Point Lookout prison camp before being paroled. Robert Carpenter served in the 3rd North Carolina Infantry and was killed in a railroad accent in 1863. Solomon's other sons (Thomas, Elbert, Wyett, and James) served in the 61st North Carolina Infantry. James Carpenter died of disease in 1862 and Wyett died shortly after.
Most of the correspondence (1862-1864) in this collection is to Solomon Carpenter of Chatham County, N.C., from his sons, Robert, Elbert, William, and Thomas, who are serving with the Confederate Army in Virginia. In one letter Robert asks his father to locate a substitute for him, offering to dispose of all his possessions in order to gain release from the army. Other letters complain of poor food, high prices, deteriorating health of the men, and high death rates at Camp Winder Hospital in Virginia. William Carpenter writes of inflated food prices, the abortive Maryland campaign, and the necessity of stealing food to stay alive while on the campaign. The Battle of Fredericksburg (1862) and its results were noted by William, a participant. Elbert Carpenter writes of the deaths of brothers James and Wiet [Wyatt], the wretched conditions in the battle areas, and the poor health of his remaining brothers.
Letters from Arkansas (1859 and 1868) give descriptions of that state, telling of prices of property and crops, richness and availability of land, and productivity of farms. The correspondent reports the state favorably and encourages others to join him.
Other items in the collection include tax and school receipts, an oath of allegiance to the United States government (1865), and a lien bond. The oversized file contains a newspaper (Raleigh, N.C., The Daily Constitution, August 19, 1876).
Gift of Mrs. Dessie Pleasants Poe
Processed by D. Lennon; M. Elmore, September 1984
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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