Letter from James R. Gates to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; June 8, 1861
Title
Letter from James R. Gates to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; June 8, 1861
Subject
Confederate States of America. Army; Confederate States of America. Army. Mississippi Infantry Regiment, 21st; Mississippi. Governor; Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867
Description
From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Pettus Collection. Letter from James R. Gates, a soldier in the "Tallahatchie Rifles," (Company F, 21st Mississippi Infantry), to Mississippi Governor John Jones Pettus asking if he can be forced to stay in camp.
Creator
Gates, James R.
Publisher
Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (electronic version); Mississippi Digital Library. (electronic version)
Date
1861-06-08
Contributor
Funding for this project provided by The Dale Center for Study of War and Society-USM, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Digital Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Watson-Brown Foundation
Rights
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Language
English
Identifier
mdah_757-932-07-07
Coverage
1861
Text
Page 1:
Charleston Miss June 8th 1861
To His Excellency
John. J. Pettus
Governor of the State of Miss
Dear Sir
You will please let me know if a (Company or Captain of a company can force his company into camp and keep them there, Our Captain has forced us into camp and says he has the Power and authority to con fine us to it, Our Captain told his company that the time enlisted for com-menced on the 27 April last. at the time that we was mustered into Service and now we find [or?] understand from him that our Pay does not commence until we are Ordered into actual
Page 2:
Service and if one of the company happens to go off—say home and stay a little over time there is a squad sent out after him, with a written order to bring him dead or alive, alive if Possible but dead if he resists. and if one of the happen to do [among?] by mistake such as get a furlough for a certain time and come up at very [moment?]. There is an extra duty imposed upon him of from 6 to 10 hours Grand at night of drilling hard all day,
Now I want to know if I am forced and compelled to comply with such Rules as the above when we are not getting any Pay for it at all and be harrassed and abused by our Officer when they as I conceive have no Power over us at all more than just require us to drill
Now I ask these questions in behalf of My Friends as much as myself, and humbly beg and pray you answer immediately and by so doing you will confer the greatest that any Governor ever did to one of his Subjects,
Hoping soon to hear from you I am sir
Most Obedet
Your humble Servant
James R, Gates
Charleston
Miss
Page 3:
June 8th 1861
James R. Gates
Charleston
Miss
Military Affairrs
June 8th 1861
Charleston Miss June 8th 1861
To His Excellency
John. J. Pettus
Governor of the State of Miss
Dear Sir
You will please let me know if a (Company or Captain of a company can force his company into camp and keep them there, Our Captain has forced us into camp and says he has the Power and authority to con fine us to it, Our Captain told his company that the time enlisted for com-menced on the 27 April last. at the time that we was mustered into Service and now we find [or?] understand from him that our Pay does not commence until we are Ordered into actual
Page 2:
Service and if one of the company happens to go off—say home and stay a little over time there is a squad sent out after him, with a written order to bring him dead or alive, alive if Possible but dead if he resists. and if one of the happen to do [among?] by mistake such as get a furlough for a certain time and come up at very [moment?]. There is an extra duty imposed upon him of from 6 to 10 hours Grand at night of drilling hard all day,
Now I want to know if I am forced and compelled to comply with such Rules as the above when we are not getting any Pay for it at all and be harrassed and abused by our Officer when they as I conceive have no Power over us at all more than just require us to drill
Now I ask these questions in behalf of My Friends as much as myself, and humbly beg and pray you answer immediately and by so doing you will confer the greatest that any Governor ever did to one of his Subjects,
Hoping soon to hear from you I am sir
Most Obedet
Your humble Servant
James R, Gates
Charleston
Miss
Page 3:
June 8th 1861
James R. Gates
Charleston
Miss
Military Affairrs
June 8th 1861