| Summary: | During the Civil War, Seibels served as a colonel of the 6th Alabama Infantry regiment. In the letter he discusses the possibility of Bolling Hall, Jr., joining with Captain Davis to form a new company of men from Autauga County, Alabama. He also mentions that John T. Morgan wants to serve under Seibels, despite their tense political relationship before the war: "What changes come over men's feelings & opinions of one another! Who that knows the past relations between us, would ever have supposed that John T. Morgan would have selected me of all men in Ala. under whom to serve in this war! But I hope it results from his knowing me better, & that my conduct as an officer has been such as to justify his changed & good opinion." In a postscript he discusses the Battle of Mill Springs: "What a disaster in Kentucky!...It all comes of appointing Drunken West Pointers to office. Crittenden was made Major General & sent there over Zollikoffer; for no other known cause than that he was a West Pointer & a son of a tory father & family...it struck every body with amazement here, when they heard that he had been made a Major Genl, & above all when it was further learned that he had been appointed to supercede Zollikoffer in command, who had proved himself a good officer...Toombs, it is said, had a "blow up" with the President last summer upon the subject of these West Point appointments, & said then, that 'he looked for some terrible disaster to the army from some of these drunken West Point Generals.' The feeling here is very strong against the President & Crittenden at this time." A transcription is included. [Original spelling retained.]
|
|---|
