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CSA 4, 5¢ dark blue (4 margins, tiniest edge faults) tied killer with matching SELMA / ALA // MAY / 27 [1862] cds on cover to Mrs. Dr. Thom. Rutherford, Newberry C.H., So Ca Care of Burr Ramage Esq. with long 4-page letter headed Selma May 25th, 1862, to Aunt Elvira in which he says, in part: I have been intending to write for several weeks but the excitement has been so great among the people here, at the prospect of a visit from the “Yankees“ that I too have felt very unsettled though by no means alarmed, for I cannot bring myself to believe they will —— be no fault of theirs as we have 60 of their officers here as prisoners, army through general… Ed has been guarding them now for 24 hours, relieved every two hours. Knows he is mad enough, as last night was very dark and raining a good deal. He went on at nine yesterday morning and is to be off at the same hour this morning. I feel this morning as if I were between two fires. Sampson now is in the fourth regiment Alabama volunteers and they are now within 5 miles of Richmond. Dispatches were received here yesterday that there was heavy skirmishing within 7 miles of Richmond and it is supposed to battle will come off today. Samp is so very thin that he cannot stand the fatigue that he did last summer besides they had very hard times for five weeks. Samp broke down in the March to Yorktown. Some of his friends lent him a horse. And one has just come in as hungry as a wolf. Has not eaten a mouthful since he has been on guard, he is dreadfully trained but has no idea of not going to war. Have just gotten a letter from Samp, he is pretty well and seems to think McClellan will be obliged to fight them soon. Thanks there is no doubt but that we will whip them. (“Samp” was killed in October 1863, per another letter in this same correspondence) The fourth Regiment was not engaged in the battle at Williamsburg. There were three of our Selma boys were wounded and taken prisoner there. They belong to the eighth regiment. Mrs. Calvin Norris‘s son died soon after he was taken prisoner. Mr. Louis Moore‘s son Isaac and Mr. Griffin‘s nephew Sam these are reported dead, though I have not been able to learn positively. Dispatches were received yesterday that there was skirmishing at Corinth and that we had lost one man. It is thought the big fight will come off today. I hope we will be able to hear something of Regt soon. He has been at Corinth more than two months. I have never heard whether he was in the last battle or not. All we know is that he joined the first Arkansas regiment but that regiment was very…William has just come in to change his coat. He has to stand guard/camp/ till tomorrow morning. You know he will curse, and he thinks this is a fit occasion to make use of an oath. He says he wishes he could see aunt Elvira. He wants to give her one good squeeze. Colonel has just announced to the seventh regiment that orders have come for them to go to Corinth next Saturday. I hope it may be countermanded for it is the greenest set you ever saw, most of them from the upper countries, there have been 10 or 12 cadets from Tuscaloosa here drilling them besides as many from Virginia yet there is a great deal to be done there have been over 100 sometimes in the hospital besides 30 detailed to guard Coosa bridges and the same number to guard the prisoners so they have stood a bad chance of being drilled. Mr. Shepherd was killed at Corinth. This is a partial transcription of less than half the very long and interesting letter. $775. LL Listed in both Miscellaneous-1 and CSA 4 Covers
Dr. Thomas Brooks Rutherford (1801-1865) of Newberry, S.C., was a physician for 15 years. In 1856-57 he was a member of the State legislature. In 1828, he married Laura Adams (or Atwood - I found conflicting attributions) and together they had five children, one of whom was said to have died in the war October 13, 1864, which is the date of the Battle of Darbytown Road. In the 1860 census slave schedules, Dr. Rutherford was shown as owning 80 slaves. A Rutherford family slave interview is transcribed at http://www.rutherfordgenealogy.org/slavesindentures.html I feel there is much to the story that is missing and ripe for research for someone willing to follow the breadcrumbs and sort the accurate from inaccurate information. Elvira Rutherford died at age 75 per Newberry Observer 2-21-1889. The Rutherford men and friends seem to mostly be serving in both Alabama and South Carolina regiments.
