In the introduction, Pickett explains his method of gathering information: "I have taken many of the following notes down on paper in a great hurry, as fast as the people narrating would speak, and there are many mistakes in grammar, spelling &...
Citizens of the county had asked the governor to excuse Lowry from the remaining part of his punishment: "That he is poor, appears penitent - and that...so far as example or reformation may be considered the objects of punishment, these have...had...
In the book Tait records financial matters, including his account with J. & E. Austill; expenses incurred by his son, Charles, while attending the University of Alabama; the cost of supplies used to build a new house; the purchase of slaves; and...
The letter informs Dellet that the bagging and rope he recently ordered have been shipped. It also discusses Dellet's upcoming shipment of cotton to the firm and the state of the cotton market in general: "The demand for cotton continues to be...
During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. In the letter he discusses life in camp, where provisions are scarce ("Our standing dish is fried pickled pork") and...
During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. He wrote this letter while traveling on a boat to his regiment's next camp. In it he mentions the great sickness that...
During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. In the letter he describes the Battle of Monterey, which took place from September 21 to 24, and he expresses...
This section gives information from Thomas Malone of Washington County, "in relation to the arrest of Aaron Burr in 1807, and the expedition of the North Carolina Colony in 1802 down the Tombigby River."
In the letter Rose discusses a disturbance among the slaves on his plantation, and he asks Hall to investigate the matter: "I must...ask you to ride over to my plantation and ascertain...the fact of the assembling of white men there on the Sabbath,...
In the letter Dockney give news of acquaintances and family members; discusses the school she oversees; and mentions that the legislature has appropriated money to rebuild the state capitol, which had burned down the year before. She also describes...
The introduction briefly discusses the terms of the "compromise bills" and encourages support for the decisions of the federal government: "There appears no objection from any Southern man to the Fugitive Slave Bill. After the Wilmot Proviso has...
In the letter King sends news of family and friends, and he discusses the unsuccessful attempts of the "fire eaters," who encouraged the secession of the Southern states: "I have as yet been no where & consequently know nothing of the movements of...
This article describes reaction to the surrender of Fort Sumter to Confederate forces: "The people were pleased to know that Major Anderson had been compelled to haul down the stars and stripes of the Abolition government, and that in their place...
This article describes the Major Anderson's unsuccessful attempt to hold Fort Sumter against General Beauregard's Confederate forces. It also lists the terms of surrender: the Union forces will be able to keep their arms and property; Anderson will...
From May 1861 to June 1862 John Hall served in the 6th Alabama Infantry. In the letters he discusses activities in camp; the illness of his brother, Crenshaw, and other men in the regiment; a comet he saw ("with the longest tail that I have ever...
During the Civil War, James Hall served as a captain in Company K of the 24th Alabama Infantry regiment. In the letter he discusses recent troop movements; activities and conditions in the new camp; the construction of fortifications; and an...
In the letter Thrower discusses the sentiment of the Huntsville citizens toward the Confederate army, noting that "the people ar not sow patriotic hear as they was at Camp Johnson." He tells of one soldier who was put in jail for fighting with the...
During the Civil War, Semple served as a captain of an artillery battery organized in Montgomery (known as Semple's Battery). He was later appointed a major and transferred to Mobile. In the letter he describes the Union bombardment of Fort McRee...
During the Civil War, Jones served in Company G of the 41st Alabama Infantry Regiment; he was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863. In the letter he discusses his duties in the camp and sickness among the soldiers, and he...
During the Civil War, Jones served in Company G of the 41st Alabama Infantry Regiment; he was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863. In the letter he discusses morality in the camp and expresses his desire to attend a worship...