We have agreed not to peek at one anothers AARs, but here we'll exchange information that we deem "non-classified." Ron don't feel obliged t post in here, but if you want, it could be fun just to read some of the snippets of what we are saying "in-character," seems a shame for everyone else to get the pleasure of the story but not us!
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Entry 2
Early Aug 1861
. . . .
The past month has been a heady one for our cause. Almighty God has seen fit to bless us with a Great Victory against the Yankee aggressors who invaded our soil in the Province of Fredricksburg. The Battle of Manassas has been fought and resoundingly won by our brave lads!
. . . I have been busily exchanging telegraphs with a number of our esteemed Guvunuhs, collaborating with them to formulate a plan for our nations long-term vitality. In every case, these decisions about infrastructure development have been made through friendly consultation between myself and our Govs. For example, Governor Letcher of Virginia and I have had our disagreements, but we have reached a consensus that a high degree of mutual benefit would be achieved for both the City of Richmond and the Confederacy as a whole, if Federal funds are used to help subsidize construction of certain new facilities in Richmond . . .
. . . Gov Letcher has reassured me of his patriotic states continued enthusiasm for our cause, and his ongoing intention to support future efforts to muster Brigades from among the young men of Virginia¡'s towns and Counties. . . .
General Clark has reached his new assignment with Gen Price's MO State Guard.
Having been bolstered with additional staff, General Prices MO State Guard has marched east and struck a blow against Lyon¡¦s SW Expeditionary Force. Another stunning victory for the cause!
. . .
I would like to close with what I think you will agree is heart-pulling story from one of our nations most committed families. As you know, many of our citizens have written to me here in our new Capitol in Richmond, VA to express their enthusiastic support for our cause. My staff and I do our best to make written replies to each and every correspondence we receive, but often we must keep such replies quite brief. In some instances the sheer poignancy of these correspondences astounds us, and it is one of these that I would like to share now.
We have a letter here from a little Ms. Abigail Smuthers, who writes to us from Natchez, Mississippi. Ms. Smuthers attends the Magnolia Blossom Academy for Young Ladies¨ in the Clifton Heights section of Natchez and she is 10 years old. She confesses that this is her first letter ever written and she had to get help from her Mother, but, that she felt so compelled to write that she simply had to put pen to paper, despite her still inchoate capacity with grammar
She has asked that I convey a message to our fighting boys, and as such, here is an excerpt from this fine patriotic young ladies letter to usDear President Davis,
. . . Momma and Papa say the Yankee is a cruel and base creature, without morals, or any notion of propriety. Heavens! Whoever might think that a Black could be free like a White Person!?
Ms. Sally is our head Black around the household, and she minds all the staff in the house. Ms. Sally said "Look at that N***** Sam in the fields. No matter how many times he runs away and gets caught, he just keep runnin.¨ Ms Sally say, "They ain¡'t no sense in no Black heads, and ain¡'t no sense in no abolition neither.¨ President Davis, i know that "ain't" is not a proper word, but that is what Ms. Sally said while she was polishing the silver.
Cousin Heathcliff told me a storah about what the Yankees did to some slave owning families in Missouri, and it made me very scared. I had to go and sleep with Momma and Poppa cause I just kept having bad dreams.
Please President Davis, please pass my message along to all our soldiers. Please thank them from the bottom of my heart for defending us from the Yankee savages. I don't want the Yankees to come here and steal our house and make me go to school with no Blacks. Please kill them Yankees, and save us from being afraid.¨
In all my years of military and political service, I must confess, I had never experienced such a moving letter of patriotic spirit.
Never you fear young Ms. Smuthers! We are gonna fight the Yankee Dog as fiercely as any fight has ever been fought, and we are gonna win young lady!
Your elected President and Commander in Chief,
Jefferson Finis Davis
"With God our Vindicator"
