Letter from P. H. Napier to Colonel George S. Gaines; November 28, 1862

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Letter from P. H. Napier to Colonel George S. Gaines; November 28, 1862

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Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Gaines, George S.Gaines, Mrs. George S.Napier, P. H.Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867 Taylor, A.

Events

Finances Finances--Debt relief Legislation. Confederate States of America. Congress Legislation. Confederate States of America. Congress. Twenty Negro Law (1862)Military Events--Military service exemption Starvation

Military Units

Confederate States of America. Army

Organizations

Boards of Police Confederate States of America--Congress Mississippi--Legislature

Businesses

Railroads and Railroad Companies Railroads and Railroad Companies--Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company (Mobile, Ala.)Salt mines and works

Occupations

Clergy Judges Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Sheriffs Legislators Plantation Overseers

Places

Louisiana Mississippi--Greene County Mississippi--Greene County. State Line Mississippi--Perry County Mississippi--Warren County. Vicksburg Mississippi--Wayne County. Eucutta

Social Identifiers

African Americans African Americans--Enslaved People Enslavers Impoverished People Military Families

Vital Statistics

Death

Page 1

[seal]

Eucutta, Mississippi
November 28^th,, 1862

Col George S. Gaines:—

Dear Sir:—

Your excellent letter of recent date—date not remembered—was handed to me by our Sheriff M^r,, A Taylor some few days ago. I heartily concur with you in every sentiment your letter contains, and ^(would)^ most gladly do any thing and every thing in my power to assist our country in this her almost hopeless struggle for independence. But what to do I know not.

The Law exempting masters owning slaves (a certain number, twen-ty I believe) is a good one. It was not ^a^ hasty measure, but the result of a calm ^&^ a wise deliberation. As you say, the enormous expenses of this war must be paid by the property of the country; and as slaves are by far the most profitable operatives we possess, of course their labour must do the greatest share in defraying the expenses of the war. The slaves must be governed, and who can govern them so well as their masters? They must be worked, and who ^can^ work them so efficiently as their masters? Our sol-diers must be fed and clad, and the greater part of this tremendous necessity must be met by slave labour. Hence the necessity of the "twenty negro exemption law" as it is termed. The pressing neces-sity of the law is as palpable to my mind as the noonday sun. Now if our state legislatures would meet and provide for the indigent families of our soldiers, and make it the duty of the rep-resentatives to see that the provisional arrangements of the legisla-ture were faithfully carried out in their respective counties, there would be no just grounds for dissatisfaction, and I think all, murmuring and complaining would soon cease. But until

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This is done our soldiers and their families will be discontented. To see a large portion of the families of our soldiers living on dry bread and a scanty supply of that, when, at the same time, the future dont promise even bread itself, I tell you sir, it is en-ough to smother out the last spark of patriotism both at home and in the army. Look at the few men we have left in the country. The most of them had almost as let ^die^, as go into the service. And why? Because their wives and children are likely to suffer for the necessaries of life in their absence. Who could enter the service with a hearty good will under such circumstances? Our country too is run mad with a desire to get rich by spec-ulating on the necessities of the people. Poor soldiers' fam-ilies are compelled to pay two dollars pr bushel for corn and twenty dollars pr bushel for salt. Meat and other necessaries are out of the question. Men must be taught by the majesty of legislative enactment that this is no time to extor-tion upon and grind the faces of the poor, especially the poor sol-diers of this country. These are some of the main reasons why the spirit of our people are flagging and the once bouyant hopes of our country are fading and almost dying. Can they, will they be remedied?

I saw all the surviving members of our Board of Police and read your letter to them, and urged the necessity of prompt action upon their part in view of the dangers that threaten the corn producing rigions of our country. But what they will do I know not. Whether any thing at all to purpose I cannot promise you, as they did not promise me.

Our legislature must do something for the poor people of Mississippi or scores perhaps hundreds of them must starve. Our Governor ought to convene The legislature upon the spot, and let them make provisions for supplying at least the soldier's families with corn and salt. A few steamboats might be chartered to bring the salt frome The mines so opportunely discovered in Louis-ania, to Vicksburg; and then there is rolling stock enough stand-ing idle upon our railways to deposit corn and salt enough ^at all the different stations^ for all our indigent families in a very few months. This will look ^like^we intended to maintain our independence, and do justice to our patriotic soldiers and their families. We are well able to car-ry on this war if all our resources are directed by legislative en-actment into proper channels. The very fact that there is such a mania for speculation shows that these ample resources unappropirated to meet all our necessities. This floating mass of wealth must be converted into proper channels to make it efficient in aiding ^us^ to work out our salvation, or it will turn up on us as it is now doing and work out our distruction. How this can best be done is for the united wisdom of our state and national legislatures to determine.

But I will cease to write to you about matters that you have deliberately matured already, and close my epistle by thanking you for the pleasant hours I have spent with you and your amiable family at your pleasant home many years agone, when I was a poor travelling preacher wandering through the pine forests of Perry Green and Wayne; and asking you to present my most respectful compliments fo M^rs,, Gaines and daughters.

Also assuring you I am with the highest esteem yours most Respectfully

P. H. Napier

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Col Geo S. Gaines
State Line

Enclosing letter from Judge Napier—arguement in favor of Conscript Exemption Laws and urging a meeting, of the Legislature to provide means for indigent soldier families—

Eucutta Ms
Nov 27^th/62

Paid 10

Hon, Geo, S. Gaines.

State line
Mobile & Ohio R. R.

R. R. Mail