Incomplete letter from Sydenham Moore to his wife, Amanda.
During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. In the letter he discusses life in camp, acquaintances in his regiment ("mainly composed of very trifling & low bred men...the majority are calculated to reflect bu...
| Format: | Electronic |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History
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| Online Access: | http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2885 |
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Electronic |
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Alabama Textual Materials Collection |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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Alabama documents |
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Alabama documents Incomplete letter from Sydenham Moore to his wife, Amanda. |
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Alabama documents Moore, Amanda Melvina Hobson; Moore, Sydenham, 1817-1862; African Americans--Alabama; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Campaigns; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Military life; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Military personnel; Slavery--Alabama |
| description |
During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. In the letter he discusses life in camp, acquaintances in his regiment ("mainly composed of very trifling & low bred men...the majority are calculated to reflect but little credit on Alabama"), the importance of receiving mail from home, and his disappointment at not having a chance to fight: "Do you remember how you used to feel when very young, if all the family or all your associates should start off to some places that you desired to visit - how your heart would almost sink within you - Well, it was with feeling of this sort, exactly, that I saw Gen'l Taylor leave...I had set my heart on being with that expedition and when I saw the long trains of soldiers marching off in that direction...I stood and watched them, as far as my eye could see them, and then turned away and felt for the first time disappointed and sad. This, thought I to myself, was a fair illustration of life. We build often airy towers and magnificent castles, but they are baseless as visions and ere we reach even their portals they vanish and are gone." He also gives news of his slave, Peter, who accompanied him in the war: "He has been of great service to me and is very faithful. I really feel very much attached to him. He is in excellent health and tolerably well satisfied, but says he wants to get back home before the end of twelve months. I overheard some of the boys asking him yesterday if he would not take a hand in fighting the Mexicans provided we had to fight - He said no, unless he saw me in danger and then he would fight `em." |
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Q0000018312 - Q0000018315Q18312 - Q18315Incomplete letter from Sydenham Moore to his wife, Amanda.During the Mexican-American War, Moore organized and led the Eutaw Rangers, a group of volunteers from Greene County, Alabama. In the letter he discusses life in camp, acquaintances in his regiment ("mainly composed of very trifling & low bred men...the majority are calculated to reflect but little credit on Alabama"), the importance of receiving mail from home, and his disappointment at not having a chance to fight: "Do you remember how you used to feel when very young, if all the family or all your associates should start off to some places that you desired to visit - how your heart would almost sink within you - Well, it was with feeling of this sort, exactly, that I saw Gen'l Taylor leave...I had set my heart on being with that expedition and when I saw the long trains of soldiers marching off in that direction...I stood and watched them, as far as my eye could see them, and then turned away and felt for the first time disappointed and sad. This, thought I to myself, was a fair illustration of life. We build often airy towers and magnificent castles, but they are baseless as visions and ere we reach even their portals they vanish and are gone." He also gives news of his slave, Peter, who accompanied him in the war: "He has been of great service to me and is very faithful. I really feel very much attached to him. He is in excellent health and tolerably well satisfied, but says he wants to get back home before the end of twelve months. I overheard some of the boys asking him yesterday if he would not take a hand in fighting the Mexicans provided we had to fight - He said no, unless he saw me in danger and then he would fight `em."1846-1847 circa18461840-1849Moore, Amanda Melvina Hobson; Moore, Sydenham, 1817-1862; African Americans--Alabama; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Campaigns; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Military life; Mexican War, 1846-1848--Military personnel; Slavery--AlabamaTextCorrespondenceMoore, SydenhamSydenham Moore family papersSPR693v34123Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130EnglishThis material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.600 PPI TIFFhttp://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2885 |
| title |
Incomplete letter from Sydenham Moore to his wife, Amanda. |
| titleStr |
Incomplete letter from Sydenham Moore to his wife, Amanda. |
| url |
http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2885 |
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ADAHvoices2885 |
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http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/voices/id/2885 |
| _version_ |
1816185817976012800 |