This Confederate Civil War (stampless folded) letter was written by Jane Hollins (Nicholas) Randolph (1798-1871), the wife of Thomas Jefferson Randolph (1792-1875) of Edge Hill, Albemarle county, Virginia. Several of Jane’s daughters are mentioned in the letter, including Carolina (“Carrie”) Ramsay Randolph (1828-1902), Mary Buchanan Randolph (1821-1884), and Jane Nicholas (Randolph( Kean (1831-1868).
Jane wrote the letter to her daughter Ellen (“Nelly”) Wayles (Randolph) Harrison (1823-1896), the wife of William Byrd Harrison (1800-1870)—a wealthy plantation owner on the James River. From the letter we learn that Jane had recently visited the Harrison’s on their plantation following the birth of one of Nelly’s children.
In her letter, Jane writes of receiving a letter from her son, Meriwether “Lewis” Randolph (1837-1871) that was addressed to another of her daughters—Sarah Nicholas Randolph (1839-1892). Lewis was captain of Co. F, 21st Virginia Infantry in Stonewall Jackson’s command. To convey the news contained in her son’s letter, Jane included a word-for-word transcription of her son’s letter. Lewis’s letter speaks of Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign that began with his defeat in the Battle of Kernstown in late March. Following his slow, 100 mile retreat up the Shenandoah Valley, Jackson regrouped and launched a campaign that first turned back General Fremont’s forces in the Allegheny Mountains and then turned back General Banks’ army by joining forces with General Ewell. Jackson marched his men between 15 to 20 miles a day under the most difficult conditions with little or no food in order to link up with Ewell’s army at Harrisonburg where they planned their offensive. The first objective was to defeat the Union garrison at Front Royal which was accomplished on 23 May. Two days later, Jackson’s men had force marched all the way to Winchester and compelled Banks’ army to give up the city after an artillery barrage. The speed with which Jackson was able to move his army no doubt afforded them a considerable advantage in this campaign and gave them ample reason to refer to themselves as “Jackson’s Foot Cavalry.” [Readers are referred to “The 21st Virginia Infantry: A difficult first year” by Karen Boushie, May 18, 2019 appearing in the Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield.]
BELOW: A painting by Mort Kunstler of Jackson’s “Foot Cavalry.” In 28 days, Jackson’s men had marched 400 miles, engaged in six battles, defeated five Northern generals, and prevented thousands of Northern reinforcements from attacking Richmond.
Transcription
Thursday, [May] 29, 1862
My Darling Nelly,
You would have been apprised long ago of our safe arrival at home if I had allowed Mary or Carrie to have answered it as they wished to do, but i told them I wanted to do it myself & then was so stupid as to miss both the Columbia mail days; it passes Kinnick before the trains so one is obliged to send a letter the day before so as to ensure having it there in time. I wish to write myself that I might express to you the very great pleasure my visit to you had given me. I enjoyed so much being with you those two, short days; was so much gratified by your dear husband’s affections to us both; & so especially pleased by the kind & cordial reception we received from our new cousin. Her manners were everything that was smart & amiable to us & I look forward with a great deal of pleasure to our being better & more intimately acquainted. We found the road the first half the way had been deluged with rain the first part of the way but the last part was much better & we got home before the dinner table was put away, but had dreadful agonies in crossing the river much to the amusement of the old boatmen who assured me that I was quite as safe as if I were in my own chamber. In dry weather when the roads are good, we could make the drive easily between breakfast and dinner.
We found both Mary Walker and her baby very sick, both with dreadful colds. Mary alarmed them very much by raising about two desert spoonfuls of blood which the Doctor thought was from her lungs. She hasn’t had the slightest return of it, is riding out every day, & is strengthening, but I never saw her looking so then & in such bad spirits. Your father has given the old Dromedary [one-humped riding camel] & I hope if the weather only can remain good & she can ride on horseback, it may be of service to her. I wish so much it were possible for me to be with her for awhile, but that is impossible. The poor little baby has had a regular attack of catarrh fever. She is better too but is so delicate & has always been so that I fear teething this summer is more than she will be able to stand.
Here I have written more than a page without hurrahing for Jackson or congratulating [your husband,] Mr. [William B.] Harrison upon his foresight in always saying he knew, “We should thrash those Yankees.” But dear Nelly, I rejoice with humbling least all our joy should be turned into sorrow by what we may hear from Richmond when so much to the country and to us personally is at stake. We haven’t had a line from Lewis—-just as I got this far, Mary came in with a letter from him which I will copy for you at the end of my letter. A note from Mr. Bremond tells us that our communication with Richmond by the railroads is cut off & we shall get the news by the old stage route. We shall not hear oftener than you do now.
Dear Nelly, may God in his mercy guard our dear ones. Tell my dear Mr. H[arrison] I pray for his children when I pray for my own. I find comfort in reading the 27th [ ].
Carrie & Mary were in town the day before yesterday. They got two barrels of brown sugar for her H. at 33 and one-third cents but could hear of no molasses. Your father went to town today & will try at another place where we have heard there was some. The boats are going off tomorrow & we will send the sugar to Columbia by them. Your father has half a mind to make them take the sugar to Elk Hill, but I am afraid there is no place of deposit there & think it will be safest to send it to Columbia. The girls ordered your shoes & gave a great many charges to the man to be sure to make them half an inch longer. I have sent to Mrs. Vapeur about the quilt but she hasn’t come over yet though I have no doubt she will have it done in time & so shall the shawls be.
I was a good deal worried, dear daughter, at not having talked more to you about the nurse & decided I came away too soon. I am not certain what you told me about the woman you had engaged in Petersburg. Did you say she had disappointed you? or that you feared she would not come? I have written to Jane to see if she could get Mrs. Anderson from the 4th of July to stay a fortnight in case you should want her. I think if you can’t do better, that Thenia & myself could take care of the young’un for the month. The girls thought that Dolly Sammons would be very glad to go to you although she said times were too uncertain to engage &c. so positively to you.
The refugees in Charlottesville 1 are so desperate at living in the Hotels that they have besieged your Aunt Sidney 2 until she promised to take some twelve or fifteen boarders. This will enable her to pay the hire of the servants that she could not dispose of.
We have just received a letter from Sarah. They are all well and there is a prospect of Dr. [Daniel S.] Green being made Medical Director at Lynchburg & then Wilson, 3 next in rank in his department there, will be Chief Surgeon. Now for Lewis’ letter.
Bivouac near Winchester
25 of May 1862
Dear Sarah,
To ours as well as the surprise of the Yankees, here we are in possession of Winchester without a decisive battle. We have taken at least 250 prisoners & all the baggage from Bank’s army, fought them for three, & never engaged more than two or three regiments at a time. His army completely routed & our cavalry are pursuing. Scores of prisoners continue to pass our bivouac to the rear & shows what has been our success.
Our loss has not been over 200, I think, although it is almost impossible to estimate it as the theatre of our operations has extended over 40 miles. Our plan of operations was exceedingly simple & very well executed on our part, but I am afraid the part entrusted to General Ewell’s Division was not carried out with as much promptness as we had reason to expect, or we would have had Gen. Banks & his whole army prisoners.
If you look at the map, you can easily understand what we have done and how much we must have suffered. We left camp near Bridgewater in Rockingham county early on Thursday morning the 22nd. On the evening of the 23rd, we drove in the pickets and captured two entire regiments at Front Royal. We were then encamped at the river while the Yankees were still at Strasburg. We were then as near Winchester as they were. There was then presented to them one of three things for them to do. The wisest—and what we were most afraid of—was to abandon their baggage & munitions at Winchester & retreat by Moorefield, Hardy county. The next was to march and attack us where we were. And the third [was] to march by the Valley turnpike & run the risk of being flanked for 18 miles. This they did & the result shows that it was the worst thing they could have done. They lost all their baggage & did not succeed in destroying their munitions entirely. They lost their cavalry who were cut off with their baggage.
“We marched 100 miles in thee days & slept 6 out of 72 hours. The Yankees are in Martinsburg & we are in possession of Harpers Ferry. We are too tired to follow them for a day or two & I expect we will have a brush with the remains of Bank’s & Fremont’s armies but as we whipped them both in the last fortnight, I don’t think they can give us much trouble.”
We marched 100 miles in thee days & slept 6 out of 72 hours. The Yankees are in Martinsburg & we are in possession of Harpers Ferry. We are too tired to follow them for a day or two & I expect we will have a brush with the remains of Bank’s & Fremont’s armies but as we whipped them both in the last fortnight, I don’t think they can give us much trouble.
I think all the Albemarle boys are safe. I saw Trip Nelson & James Carr after the fight at Front Royal where the cavalry suffered worst & they were safe. I saw [ ] Macon and Charlie Minor at Winchester & they were all right.
Goodbye. I must close & mail my letter. Your brother, — M. L. Randolph
Your father has returned from Charlottesville & says there is to be an auction of several hogsheads of sugar or Saturday & he thinks he may get it on better terms. He proposes to bid for a hogshead & let Mr. H[arrison] & someone else take what they want of it. Your father says he could not get molasses for less than $2. Would you give as much as that?
Give dearest care to Mr. Harrison & kind regards to Harriet. Do write often. We are cut off entirely from dear Ria now. I found a letter from her when I got home. She was quite well & said they hadn’t lost a chicken. God bless you my own dear child prays your devoted mother.
1 Charlottesville was a popular place for Virginia refugees fleeing their homes in the early days of the Civil War. At the time of this letter in May 1862, Gen. McClellan had launched his Peninsula Campaign into Virginia and many residents, fearing for their very lives, simply abandoned their homes. Residents who had the courage to stay at home soon learned that they were more likely to save their farms and possessions by staying put.
2 Sidney Smith (Nicholas) Carr (1805-1886) was Jane’s younger sister and the widow of Dabney Stevenson Carr (1802-1854). The couple were married in 1826 and resided in Charlottesville, Virginia. Carr was a newspaper publisher and had once served as the US Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire from 1843-1849. He was a grand-nephew of Thomas Jefferson and following his death in 1854 he was buried in the family cemetery at Monticello.
3 Dr. Wilson Cary Nicholas Randolph (1834-1907) was another of Jane’s sons. He earned a Medical Degree from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1855 and practiced medicine in Albemarle county until the Civil War when he was appointed a surgeon. In early May 1862, Wilson was ordered to Lynchburg to report to Dr. Daniel S. Green for hospital duty. By the end of May 1862, he had ben appointed Surgeon-in-charge of the 1st Division General Hospital No. 2 in Lynchburg. In September 1862, he took over all of Dr. Green’s duties at Lynchburg where he remained for the duration of the war.