Letter from Captain W. E. Montgomery to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark; January 26, 1864

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Bolivar County Missi Jany 26^th,, 1864

To His Excellency Cha^s, Clark Gov & Com^dr in Chief & State Forces—

The weather has been so cold & the roads in such bad condition that I have been able to accomplish but little for the last month—A. Forage Boat from Helena Landed at L. Jones a few days ago & took on a large quantity of corn. I do not know what amt—I had the Company up near Hushapuckana at the time, consequently they wer unmolested—I learn they are greatly in need of corn at Helena & Mem-phis owing to the rivers above being frozen up—From all I can learn an effort will be made to get all the corn on Plantations near the river. They landed at your place, but I have not learned whe-ther they got any corn there or not—they also landed at Beulah threatened to go out Labuns Bayou to get corn, But as they had only 125 men did not attempt it but said they would go to Helena & get a larger force—I will do all I can to prevent them—The weather ^is^ pleasant now & I shall keep on the Look out—The Program for the Spring Campaign in Missi, is the Federal^s. intend to throw a strong force down to Grenada, garison that place & garison Yazoo City & have commu-nication between the two—there flood the Missi bottom

with negros & Iowa & Illinois speculators who are to plant cotton—this is the best information I have in regard their future opperations, I think it comes from reliable sources—I presume you are aware that Osburne has a regiment of Negros in Wash-ington County, it consists principally of Negroes, but has also 200 white soldiers—I am informed they intend to place a garison at Lake Bolivar—It will be unnessary for me to write you in detail, as you can converse more fully in regard to these matters with Lieut^nt Stafford—I have a boy in the Company about 16 years old he makes a very good soldier, but he came in as substitute for his brother, his brother abandoned the country &, ^has^ gone into the Federal lines, back of Memphis to live & now Jimy Campbell who has been & is still in his place wants to be released to go to Tennessee also—I refused to allow him to do so & he requested me to write to you to release him, & to know whether I have any right to retain him in his brothers place—I have another substitute in the company whose health has failed him & he has not done any good for about two months, I think the principal ought to be made take his own place—Refugees from the hills are flocking in & settling all the vacant places & Many com-plaints have been made to me, Many of them seem to have no means of livilihood. It is also said they are harboring Deserters—I have never received any orders

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to Conscript—

Yrs Respy W. E. Montgomery Capt Comdg Herndon Rangers

Must I pay R. Topp for corn &c rised off his place & for Forage—

Are not all Forages free for the use of the military—

Jr. EM

Gen^l. Cha^s. Clark

I have no additional news to write to you—but conclude to write a few lines conserning Ourselves,—Mary & The Children are all in fine health & do very well in the Old Log cabin—& am in hopes Mary will go out & spend the summer with you, if you have a house there, for I think there will be [warm?] work here. The Yankees have made their boasts that they intended to Capture the Company & they cant do that they intend to capture me at all hassards, failing in that they threaten to take my family & hold them as hostages for my good behavior, this last I place no confidence in—Neither did I believe they ^were^ Brutes enough to turn my family out of doors—Col Curry has never made his apprearance in Bolivar since his glorious achievement in Burning my house—You have six or seven mules here tolerable good mules, I can sell them or send them too you—Dickey says you intend sending Mose back to Mary—I think you had better ^keep^ him as he can do no good here. Old Frank & Charles are doing very well—Love to Mother & the children—

W. E Montgomery

Dear Pa

I have sixty five dollars in Miss. Treasury notes as I understand they can be redeemed in Species. Will it be too much trouble for you to present them at the Treasurer's Office and send me the Gold or Silver by Mr Stafford.

Love to all Yours affectionately

Mary A—

Capt W. E. Montgomery Jany 24 1864