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Letter. William Lafayette Barrier, Camp near Centreville, Virginia, to Mathias Barrier, Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina, 1861 December 4

 File — Box: 1, Folder: 5
Identifier: MSN/CW 5057-5

Scope and Contents

Barrier reports that his health, and the health of his regiment, is good; there are few serious cases among the other men, and all the "Mt. Pleasant boys" are in good condition. Notes that reported deaths in the company are false. "We have plenty to eat," he writes, adding that "I state this as a fact because I have understood that it is reported at home that we do not get enough." He provides details of a fight on the 26th of November in which members of Co. F, including himself, were involved. Col. Ransom, commanding the 1st North Carolina Cavalry, rode from camp with 200 men in search of the enemy. Near the village of Vienna they skirmished with Union forces. When the latter took flight, Ransom and his men pursued: "The chase was something like a fox chase." Barrier reports that the Confederates captured 28 men, killed one, and wounded several others. They also captured 17 horses, 16 rifles, about the same number of swords and pistols, and other items worth about $1200. Barrier kept one of the captured guns, which were divided among the companies. The letter closes with the promise of future conflict: "the great fight so long expected [is] at hand." Barrier expects further fighting within the week.

Dates

  • Creation: 1861 December 4

Conditions Governing Access

Persons interested in consulting this collection should contact the curator for Americana in Rare Books and Special Collections.

Language of Materials

English

Physical Description

ALS, 4 pages on 1 folded sheet.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Notre Dame Rare Books & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
102 Hesburgh Library
Notre Dame IN 46556
574-631-0290