Letter from W. H. Hardy to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; December 2, 1862

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Letter from W. H. Hardy to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; December 2, 1862

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

People

Hardy, W. H.Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867

Events

Military Events--Military service exemption Starvation Weather and Natural Events--Drought

Military Units

Confederate States of America. Army United States. Army

Organizations

Confederate States of America--Congress Mississippi--Legislature

Businesses

Railroads and Railroad Companies Tanneries

Occupations

Lawyers Planter Shoemakers Tanners

Places

Mississippi--Smith County. Raleigh Mississippi--Warren County. Vicksburg Virginia

Social Identifiers

Impoverished People Military Families

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Raleigh Miss. Dec 2 1862

To His Excellency—Gov. J. J. Pettus—

Dear Sir—

A duty which I owe to the better feelings of Humanity and pat-riotism requires that I should address you upon the subject of the destitituion of the poor women & children of this county, and especially of the families of Volunteers, hoping that as there is to be a called Session of the Legis-lature soon, that your excellency may sug-gest to that Honorable Body some remedy.

There is now in the county much suf-fering amongst the poorer classes of Vol-unteers families—Much suffering for want of Corn and Salt—Owing to the droug-ht last summer the corn crop was a failure in this section of the State exce-pt on the rich Bottom Lands, owned principally by the wealthier planters of the County—These have made a super-abundance of corn and if it could be properly distributed through the Co. There would be enough to prevent suffer-ing—But the Demon Spirit of specula-tion which is doing our Government and our people more injury than the Yan-kees, has taken hold of them, and they are consequently holding their Corn at $250 per Bu—many holding back, saying they will get $300— thus placing the corn out of reach of the poor Women who are dependent on their Husband's $11—pr Month, earned in the army, for means to purchase with—then to

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deal with facts—The suffers are here—The fam-ilies of Gov Volunteers are here a large major-ity of whom are very poor people—They are suffering for Bread—The Bread is also here, but owing to the High price is be-yond the reach of these poor people—[?] the question is—can the Legislature place it within their reach?

Again—the Confederate Goverment has exempted all Tanners & Shoemakers from Military Service—There are in this county three Tan Yards at each of which Leather and Shoes are manufactured,—yet not a pair can be bought by a citizen in the county—and daily the wife of child of some Soldier is turned off barefooted with the plea that "we work for the Goverment—" Has goverment a right to monoplize this deportment of trade to the utter exclusion of all who are not in the Service of the Goverment even the Wives and children of Volunteers If so then the Goverment ought to fur-nish the families of those whom they have in the service with this indispin-sible article—If not then the State should interpose Her authority and require that a certain per cent of shoes and leather manufactured in the State should be reserved for the use of at least the famlies of volunteers, which ^now^ comprise nearly the entire population of the State—

Again The entire Monopoly exercised by the government over our Rail Roads is working a very great Hardship upon the country—To illustrate—upon my my re-turn from the army in Va—I vis-ited the families of the Volunteers of my Company and found them in many instances suffering for the want of Salt etc—I made a hasty trip to Vicksburg where I was fortunate enough to procure Salt and sugar &c for them—This purchase was made about a month ago, yet that Salt, after pay^ing^ 36 cts a lb for it out of money earned by soldiering at $11—per month is still lying at Vicksburg for want of trans-portation—and these poor women and children are stil without meat—The agent ^at^ Vicksburg told me the road was under control of the Gover-ment and hence could only trans-port such articles as the Goverment agts directed—

In the name of God, I ask is this to be tolerated? Is this war to be carried on and the Goverment upheld at the expense of the starvation of the women & children of the Country? I hope not—I hope the Legislature will compell these Rail Roads to transport all articles of prime necessity for family consumption

Another army besides that in the field must be supported—the army at home who are by their age and sex prevented from joining the army in the field except in their hearts and their pray-ers—these must not be ignored in

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the councils of our Legislatures in this dark hour of our Country's peril Their preservation and their comfort are as essential to our success as that of our Soldiers in the field—

I have thus taken the Liberty to address these suggestions to you as our imediate Representative is absent from the State and will not probably return in time to be in attendance upon ^the^ next session of the Legislature—

Should these suggestions be deemed worthy of your considera-tion the past acts of your Administration give full assurance that the proper steps to remove the evils of which I have spoken will be taken—

With great Respect I
Remain Your most humble & obd't serv't

W. H. Hardy

W. H. Hardy Esq Raleigh Miss Decr—2^nd1862

urging the necessity of speedy aid to the families of absent volunteers &c

Answered