Letter from T. E. B. Pegues to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark; March 30, 1865

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Letter from T. E. B. Pegues to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark; March 30, 1865

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People

Clark, Charles, 1811-1877 Pegues, T. E. B.

Events

Emancipation and self emancipation Military Events--Military desertion Starvation

Military Units

Confederate States of America. Army Confederate States of America. Army. Cavalry Mississippi. Militia

Places

Mississippi--Lafayette County. Oxford

Social Identifiers

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

Page 1

Oxford Lafayette Co Miss
March 30^th_,, 1865

Gov. C. Clark

My dear Sir

It is stated from various sources that you intend calling out the Militia for the purpose of getting up deserters. That deserters should be taken up, or in some way returned to their commands, is very desirable—It certainly is a great evil that there are so many of them in the land—In my opinion however, it would be a still greater evil to call out the Militia to hunt them up. If the boys of sixteen and the old men are now taken from their homes I see nothing but sta^r^vation and ruin for this county at least—I foresee also that so much disaffection will result from it, that the number of desertions will be increased rather than dimin-ished—Eight-tenths of the Militia of this county are made up of men & boys whose work at home is absolutely essential to the support of their families.

In many cases the families of soldiers in the field are on their hands—Take them away, and their own families and the absent soldiers family, are left without the means of making a support. Both the Militia man and the soldier will therefore likely desert—for say what you will men are not going to remain in service if their families have nothing to eat. Another difficulty ^in this part of the state^ is that the slave owners can do nothing—Pretty nearly all the negro men are gone, and those who have negro women

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~~women~~ and children find it as much as they can do to feed them. They cannot therefore, however well disposed they may be, do much towards the support of others. We have so few teams and the roads are in such condition, that we cannot get corn from more farmed portions of the state—Our own cavalry have consumed a great deal, and of course will continue to do so whenever they are here—for it is rarely the case that they are provided with corn even at this point—I have stated some of the evils which will result from the calling out the Militia—Now let us see if any good will result. If employed in their respective counties, so as obviate the evil effect of entire absence from home, they will not get up deserters from fear of the consequences, as well as from a fellow feeling of the hardsip of the case. I have seen it tried with so little success that I am confident nothing but failure will be the result= We had a company of Reserves, belonging to this county, here for a month or six weeks, & I do not honestly believe they returned five men to their commands who were worth the cost of transportation—I end therefore as I began, that in my opinion, the calling out of the Militia of this county, is a worse evil than letting the few deserters alone. To arm & mount the Militia, (otherwise they would be useless) will take time—and the mounting will be next to impossible, here at least. I submit these views of course with all due deference to your better judgment & greater experience; and have done so only from a conviction of the impossibility of this county making a support if the Militia are called out

Very respectfully Your Ob^t Serv^t

T. E. B. Pegues