LETTER
FROM HENRY WISE TO JOSIAH WARE
dated Feb. 18, 1860
Researched
&
Transcribed
by Judith Ware
©
Judy C. Ware 2008
Original
letter owned by Jane & Scott Dudgeon
The
following letter was written to Josiah Ware after Henry Wise had just finished serving his
full term as Governor of Virginia. Thoughts of
secession and a possible Civil War were on the horizon, and many of the citizens of Virginia
were anxious to join the active military service – especially those that had
previously served in the state Militia.
Many years previous to this letter, in 1824, Josiah had been commissioned as an Artillery
Captain of the 3rd Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Virginia
Militia. He was 22 years old at the time and
unmarried. In 1832, he was still serving in
the 3rd Regiment of Artillery in the 16th Brigade & 3rd
Division of the Militia. It was Governor
Henry Wise who signed his commissioning papers in 1858 that promoted him to the rank of
full Colonel – retroactive to his service since 1832.
By 1860, tensions were so high in the South that war seemed inevitable. By this time, Josiah had been serving in the Virginia
Volunteers for almost forty years. At the age
of 58 he was ready to go into active service again if his Regiment was activated. This letter from Governor Wise was in reply to an
inquiry Josiah had made about the status of a possible promotion to General. Despite the glowing recommendations from many
people, Josiah never did receive the promotion and his advanced age precluded him from any
heavy fighting. Once the Civil War did
break out, however, Henry Wise (younger than Josiah)
entered the Confederacy as a Brig. General.
Near
Norfolk, Virginia
February
18, 1860
My
Dear Sir,
Yours of the 29th December went to Richmond in my
absence on the Eastern shore. There I was
breaking up and was caught in a dreadful spell of bad weather and was ice bound the 20th
January, when I went to Richmond and found such a mess and variety of labor pressing on me
that I could not attend to correspondence at all. Having
to leave there for this place, with carpenters, mules, horses, Negroes, moving to a new
and torn up plantation I haven’t had time until now to acknowledge your letter. But I did not forget or neglect you. I found General Taliaferro in Richmond, and spoke
to him about you and found that he put the same estimate upon you as an officer which I
do, and now is about the time I think to move in your behalf. Next week I shall return to Richmond and there will
be an extension of the Session and from this time out, I suppose, military bills and
appointments will be discussed and made. You
may rest assured that whatever I can do shall be done to promote your promotion. Taliaferro shall have your letter and present its
views. This he owes to you for letting your
fine mutton get cold and not eating of it hot or cold.
Johnny
is up in Goochland. I am here alone - that is
without wife or child or mutton.
Your letter for Taliaferro he has got long ago. Yours
to me I’ll send to him to remind him.
Very
truly your friend,
Henry
A. Wise
Colonel
–
J. W. Ware
**
William Taliaferro
served as a member of the Virginia House of
Delegates. He had previous military
experience before the Civil War and continued his military service as commander of a
division of the Virginia state militia.
***I
would like to thank Jane and Scott Dudgeon for allowing me to copy & transcribe this
letter for my historical research. I am deeply
grateful.
Placement
of family photographs and visual graphics accompanying this piece are the fine work of
John Reagan who has been an invaluable help in setting up a website for me entitled Ware
Genealogy at www.waregenealogy.com. I will
forever be grateful for his expertise and kindness. |
