Manuscript Archive of Confederate Brigadier General

Manuscript Archive of Confederate Brigadier General Richard Griffith, KIA Savage's Station 1862

Outstanding archive encompassing CSA Brigadier General Richard Griffith's early military service in the Mexican-American War alongside Jefferson Davis and his service in the Civil War. Archive includes personal correspondence, military commissions, 19 war-date letters written by Griffith between May 1861 and April 1862, and much more. In total, the archive consists of approximately 68 documents spanning 1836-1862 and is highlighted by Griffith's exceedingly rare Civil War letters.

General Richard Griffith (ca 1814-1862) was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, following his 1837 graduation from Ohio University. Initially employed as a teacher, Griffith later embarked upon a new career with his 1846 enlistment in the 1st Mississippi Rifles during the Mexican-American War. This would prove to be a significant posting for Griffith, who, following his election as first lieutenant and subsequent promotion to regimental adjutant, worked closely alongside the regiment's commander, Colonel Jefferson Davis. Davis and Griffith forged a close, personal friendship which remained intact long after their service in Mexico, as evidenced by the correspondence offered here. Upon his return from Mexico, Griffith settled in Jackson, Mississippi, and established himself as a prosperous banker and businessman. He served as a US Marshal and was elected to two terms as State Treasurer of Mississippi. Despite his northern birth, Griffith was a firm believer in the Southern cause. When the war broke out Griffith recruited the Raymond Fencibles, a company that would eventually become part of the 12th Mississippi Infantry. He was elected Colonel of the 12th Mississippi and later was promoted to Brigadier General on November 2, 1861. He died at Savage's Station on June 29, 1862.

The earliest documents in the collection are from Griffith's time at Ohio University, with one 1837 commencement program identifying "R. Griffith" as giving the valedictory address. Commissions and appointments in the archive span the entirety of Griffith's military and political career and include the following: two Mexican War commissions, both dated 5/17/1846 and signed by Mississippi Governor Albert Gallatin Brown; an 1847 certificate of appointment as Treasurer for the State of Mississippi; an 1852 appointment of Griffith as a Mississippi delegate for the National Democratic Convention; an 1856 certificate of election as First Lieutenant of the "Mississippi Guard"; Griffith's 1857 and 1858 commissions as United States Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi (along with over a half dozen 1853 letters introducing him to Washington D.C. society as he launched his efforts to acquire the marshal position); an 1860 certificate of election to the office of Captain of the Mississippi Rifles; and an 1861 certificate of election to the office of Brigadier General in the Army of the Mississippi.

More than fourteen letters in the archive were written by Griffith in 1847 and 1848 to Sarah Anne Elizabeth Whitfield (1825-1902), the woman who would in December 1848 become Griffith's third wife. Griffith was unquestionably devoted to Sarah as evidenced by this earlier correspondence as well as by his war-time letters, the majority of which were written to her. Indeed, Griffith's letters not only reveal his patriotism and devotion to the Confederate cause, but also portray him as an affectionate father and husband who was exceptionally confident in his wife's capabilities to run their plantation. Interestingly, his correspondence also conveys a remarkable fondness for his slaves. While there is little in the way of specific battle content in Griffith's letters, he speaks with extraordinary candor to his wife on the status of the war, troop movements, the condition of his troops, morale, fortifications, and the efficiency of his officers, cautioning his wife in his earliest letter of May 12, 1861, that "What I say to you in regard to the movement of our troops and my own movements is confidential."

Griffith's close relationship to Jefferson Davis is referenced multiple times in the collection. Writing from Corinth on July 15, 1861, Griffith tells Sarah, "At Richmond I hope to meet Col. Davis and family, and will take the kindness of presenting your kind regards to them....At present you may write to me at Richmond care of President Jeffn. Davis, as he will know where to forward letters to me." Griffith continues to explain that he is often troubled by those wishing for him to intercede with Davis on their behalf. "Some will receive my attention - others will be ignored, as I cannot abuse a privilege the President gave me."

After a winter spent building fortifications and engaging in minor skirmishes, Griffith and the soldiers in his command would be forced to evacuate the Leesburg area in March 1862. Griffith's Mississippi Brigade would soon experience its first taste of significant combat as participants in the Seven Days Campaign during which Griffith would sustain a mortal injury care of a Union shell fragment. His old friend Jefferson Davis would write of Savage Station and Griffith after the war, "Our loss was small in numbers, but great in value. Among others who could ill be spared, here fell the gallant soldier, the useful citizen, the true friend and Christian gentleman, Brigadier General Richard Griffith." Griffith was no doubt prepared to die in the service of his country and his home state of Mississippi, writing these prophetic words to his wife just months before his death: "Our all is enlisted and our motto should be nothing but Victory or death. You may live to mourn my loss - never my disgrace - an unstained heritage I hope to leave my family."

The documents offered here are exceedingly rare, and auction records reflect the scarcity of manuscript material related to General Griffith. According to a 1902 publication of the Mississippi Historical Society, Griffith's personal papers and library were destroyed by the Federals during the Civil War, while a later Whitfield family history notes that the Griffith home in Jackson, Mississippi, was "desolated by the Federal Army, [and] the house robbed of everything."
Condition Report: Letters and other documents in overall good condition, with expected toning and wear given age.