Item description: Letter, dated 23 August 1863, from a Confederate army officer to General William Pendleton. The writer discusses food shortage and requests to move his command to Charlottesville, V.A.
[transcription available below image]
Item citation: From folder 34b of the William Nelson Pendleton Papers #1466, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Item transcription:
Head Q.s Art’y 3 Corps
Brig. Gen’l W. N. Pendleton
Gen’l,
In obedience to your directions I sent officers to see the condition of the County across the Rapidan as the forage and grazing & the report is that there is nothing over there but a very limited supply of grazing, which would last only a few days. I also called to see Lt. Gen’l Hill who said he did not consider it safe for us to go over there. I therefore respectfully request that I may be allowed to move the command in the direction of Charlottesville, where there is said to be an abundant supply of grazing & long forage. The grazing here is getting to be very scarce & bad & we have had no corn for two days past. I desire to know this afternoon so that I may move to-morrow in that direction if it meets with your approbation,
I am Gen’l very Resp’y Your m. ob.
A. S. Cutts
[?] 2d Corps
My guess is that the letter was written by Lt. Col. A[llen] S. Cutts. His wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_S._Cutts indicates that he was in the Third Corps Artillery and was serving in this area. And I’m wondering if the top line actually reads Head Q[uarte]rs Art[iller]y 3rd Corps. I can’t make out the last line under the signature except that the last word is clearly Corps.