Confederate Military Service Dossier

Confederate Military Service Dossier, Alabama,1862-1865, Lot of 33

Lot of 33 documents pertaining to Confederate military service in Alabama, including gubernatorial correspondence and tax, probate, and requisition documents, 1862-1865. Lot contains both manuscript and partially printed documents, ranging in size from approx 7.25 x 2.75 in. to 12 x 17.75 in. Letters primarily concern requests for appointment or release from conscription. Highlights include:

Banter, William A. ALS, 2pp, Greene County, AL. Addressed to Alabama Governor John Gill Shorter in endorsement of a petition from the citizens of Hollow Square to requesting the release of a local doctor from conscription. The petition demonstrates that the doctor is "a great necessity to the county [which was] very sickly in the summer." Banter mentions that the doctor is "not a strong man and is predisposed to consumption" to bolster his position.

Chaudron, Edward T. Editor of The Claiborne Southerner. ALS, 1p, Claiborne, AL. Addressed to the Adjutant and Inspector General of the Alabama Militia, concerning a monetary transaction. Chaudron writes that he has enclosed the receipt and is "very much in need of the money and [is] eager to close up [his] business."

Citizens of Perry County, Alabama. ALS, 1p, Perry County, AL. December 1, 1864. Addressed to William Maclin Brooks, a Confederate officer and former President of the Secession Convention. Requests exemption for additional service for Micaj Bennett, currently serving under Brooks, given his age and familiar obligations. Docketed on verso by Brooks, who noted that it "is not in conformity to the law of General Orders."

Ellis, G.M. ALS, 2pp, Jacksonville, AL. April 11, 1862. Addressed to Governor Shorter on the "subject of dispensing with militia drills at least during the season for making the crop. . . for men to loose [sic] one day in every week out of their crop will amount to such a loss as will be seriously felt in this and other counties."

King, Porter (1824-1890). Alabama lawyer and politician; CSA captain, Co. G, 4th Alabama Infantry. ALS, 2pp, Marion, AL. January 18, 1864. Porter writes with regard to the resignation of Jesse B. Lovelace "on account of ill health." Despite his "highest moral character," Lovelace suffers from a sickly "physical condition," which King argues should exempt him from future service.

Watts, Thomas Hill (1819-1892). 18th Governor of Alabama, 1863-1865. ALS, 1p, Montgomery, AL. February 27, 1865. Addressed to Colonel H.C. Lockhart, Commandant of the State. Watts writes on the subject of four Marengo County commissioners who were apparently enrolled in the army before their elections. Given their ages ("all over forty five years old"), health ("the last is a cripple, a wounded soldier, unfit for any military service"), and the "importance" of their elected offices, Watts asks that they be exempted from service. To close Watts writes, "I wish you to give [them] leave to go home, instead of going to camp."
Condition Report: Condition varies. Many documents with tearing, brittleness, smudging, and discoloration.