Rare photograph of Confederate General and Staff in the field

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by B7B Southern

A family note.

"Dear Jane. You can check the 1850 and the 1860 Federal Slave Census on line and you will find that there were about 14 Hotchkiss men who owned slaves. The most was a guy from GA and he owned I think 42. The rest less than 5. Jed Hotchkiss never owned slaves as far as I have been able to discover, but he rented them as needed. His letters home tell his wife to rent them. I have a letter stating one slave brought his wounded master back south and treated him on the way home so he would not die. There was a close bond between the 2 men. He could have left him to die on the battlefield and then make out for the Union lines.

Most Hotchkiss men fought for the north. About 450 in total plus 6 in the Navy. I found another 35 that fought for the south and 1 for the Confederate Navy. No marines so far. Jed Hotchkiss brother (who smoked Sultana Tobacco) refused to fight for the south and refused 3 times a letter of safe passage to move back north. Jed and his brother can be credited for helping knit the Union back together under reconstruction times and this is outlined in the book Pine and Palm Greeting.

Because Jed was born a Yankee, he was refused a commission in the Confederate Army even when endorsed by Lee and Stonewall."

Donald L. Hotchkiss Jr., PE
(702) 875-1893 cell

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hotchkiss/message/2003

Hotchkiss did use slaves. Here are some of his letters in which he describes or gives instructions about his slaves and hiring them, mentioned by name in his papers are Allen, Smith ("Smitty"), William, as well as two mentions of unnamed girls: Found here in the Jedediah Hotchkiss Papers (http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/per...ssletters.html)

Mr. Rude's Near Mt. Jackson Ap. 10th 1862
My Dr Wife:

I wrote you a line this morning by mail but I have a chance to send a line by private hands as far as Harrisonburg so I will write again, as I did not answer your questions. I do not think it worth while for you to draw the money on the check I gave you -- I prefer you should not yet, for you would only get Confederate notes & they would be of but little use to you if the enemy came to Augusta -- so say nothing about it until I write to you -- I am in hopes I shall be able to come home before long and look after things. It is not worth while for you to borrow any trouble about putting things away or to apprehend any danger -- I do not think the enemy will get to our county -- I feel assured they will be kept back and that our county will be held -- I have great confidence in our Generals and think the Valley will not be given up. Try and keep in good spirits -- tell Allen he must be a good boy and do what is required of him, or I shall have to put him with some hard master that will make him work. I hope tho' there will be no need of that. Have Nelson straighten him if he needs it -- try & keep up a friendly spirit -- it will do me so much good while obliged to be away -- Take care of your funds & when I draw my 1st month's pay I will send you more. Do not think about being cut off from me -- for I do not apprehend any such thing -- I am doing office work altogether now -- Say nothing to anyone about your monetary affairs --

Send me 30 sheets of flat cap paper (same as Herborium) it is in the table up stairs Direct as usual & to New Market Send to Gen. Jackson's Head Quarters -- I hope Anna is better -- the 3 days storm has cut off communication. I see the daily papers -- Send mine up to the House for them to see & they will send them back -- I will have the paper kept on -- No news on this line -- we are waiting for more from the Peninsula & West Send the paper to Capt. Bell A. Q. M. at Staunton & ask him to send it in at once to Head Quarters --

My love to all -- and Kisses for Anna & Nelly --

Good bye God bless you



Your Aff. husband


Jed. Hotchkiss

Camp at Moss Neck Caroline Co. Va. Wednesday Dec. 17th 1862
My Dr Wife:

I just recd. your letter of the 10th, the first word from home since I left, tho' I have written four or five times --I am very sorry you have had such a time with Anna, & hope she is now better and may continue so -- for I know it is very hard on you to have so many cares -- I see, by your letter, that you are worn down by care, and so have the "horrors" -- You will say I do not appreciate your troubles, but I know I do, and fully feel for them all, but words are of little use & I can only hope for days of peace and respite from the stern demands of cruel war to enable me to fix myself & family as I would desire, and so they may have as much of comfort as this changing and uncertain world can supply -- I do not expect to find any perfectly satisfactory sate of things in such a condition of being as this, and only hope to use its transitory pleasures and ills, mixed as they are, as preparatory for a better & surer world --

I have written to you about Allen -- I will see to the payment of his hire &c, and I wrote to you to know what you desired about servants &c and hope to hear from you in a few days, in reference to that. I wrote you a gloomy letter the day before the big fight of Saturday, in which I indulged in gloomy anticipations of what might happen on the morrow, but my gloomy mood passed with the day, although that day brought sadness to many hearth stones -- gloom to many a household, yet God's good Providence spared me -- and I am thankful, truly thankful, for my own sake & ten thousand times more on my family's account -- and may God for his Son's sake still shield me -- May that it may be so, My Dear, & teach our little ones to ask protection from our Heavenly Father for me from the "arrow that flieth at noonday"

The account of the battle in the papers is a very good one -- and you can form a good idea of what was done from that. The enemy crossed back night before last, during a storm, to the other side of the Rappahannock -- leaving his dead on the field, although he had asked and obtained a truce to take off his wounded and bury his dead and had collected them from the battle field for that purpose -- thus tacitly admitting that he had been completely whipped -- cut short in his onward career towards Richmond -- We heard that the enemy intended to cross last night at Port Royal, 20 miles below Fredericksburg, so we started yesterday morning and came on down the Rappahannock & came on to this place on our way to Port Royal, but heard that the enemy had not come down, so we halted by the wayside and bushed it for about half the night then the Gen. froze out and we hunted up a house and slept soundly until 10 o'clock this morning, the first time for several nights -- Burnsides has disappeared, but I guess we will soon find out his whereabouts. We are some 14 miles from the R.R. now, but have constant communication -- My letter did not reach you in time for my box -- so I shall be content until such time as I can come or it can be safely sent to me to the care of Maj. Hawks at Guinea's Station R.F.&P. R.R.

I went down to the enemy's lines during the day of truce and saw the Yanks carry off their dead -- I tell you they lost a great number -- they lay in heaps in many places, mown down by the steady and continued fire of our brave soldiers.

Our position was a very fine one, our men sheltered by the woods -- but we had many killed & wounded by the shells of the enemy from long range guns -- One Battallion of our Artillery had 119 horses killed & disabled and 98 men -- The line of battle was four miles long -- and the enemy had three lines of troops reaching about that distance and then masses of troops besides.

Write to me soon my Dear -- I will try to come up soon and see about servants &c &c -- and I have some hopes we may be through with this war by Spring and, if my life is spared I may return to my family & the pursuits of peace. If any one says I might pay my debts from my salary I can only say that such a person is a heartless wretch -- destitute of patriotism and ignorant of what it costs a soldier to serve his country and defend such souless creatures as the set of sharks at home that think only of gain and personal aggrandizement -- I will write to Nelly a few lines though I have a head ache and feel badly tonight having been up so much of late

Good bye and God bless you all



Your aff. husband


Jed. Hotchkiss

Home, Jan., 24th., 1864
My dear brother;-

I have not heard from you for a long time, tho' I have written, and wrote last, but I know you expected me before now, and I was sure I should have been to see you, but I am not my own master, as you very well know, for all of us in the army are entirely subject to the wills of others. I got a furlough of 25 days the middle of December, and came home and was constantly busy to provide for the wants of my family for the coming year, intending to go back to your house, but the very day I got back to camp I was ordered to the Valley for duty, and have my headquarters now in Staunton, though I shall spend most of my time in the mountains.

But, oh my Brother, I have sad news to tell you, our sister Jenny is dead. She died after the birth of a child that died also; thus we depart, one by one,- how sad the condition of our poor parents, now living at the old home, by the bridge, to have one by one those that have been their solace and support taken from them. Would God that we might be near to comfort them in their declining years. It is a heavy blow, for Jenny was truly their only remaining daughter. Heaven help them in their deep affliction.

Nancy McKune wrote to Sara, by flag of truce, and the letter came yesterday. She did not say when Jenny died. Her daughter, Viola, is married to a gentm. at Port Jervis. Mrs. Comfort is very well. She says everything is [unclear: tight] and people have hard times to get along.

I come out last night, go away in the morning. I have an office in Staunton; Breeze Johnson's old office. If you can come over come there for the night. My men will be there if I am not. I do not see that I can get the potatoes you bought for me, so you had better dispose of them as best you can, unless you can send us some to Staunton. It costs us a great deal to live now, the currency has depreciated so much. I only look forward to the day when it shall become worthless, then there will be an improvement. Independence must come before long in spite of any impediments in currency, etc We must expect hard times, but we must learn to endure them. My neighbors kindly sold me provisions at government prices, or I should not have been able to support my family. We have 9 pigs, quite a windfull at such times as these. Sara has been quite sick, had something like quinzy. She is not better. I sold the animal I wanted you to keep to E. Geeing and bought another of Liehliter. Richard comes to us the 15th of April. I shall feel much easier then, having some trusty one here. I got a girl of Col Sterrett for Sara for $60. I hired William again for $300. Cy. wants you, if you come over, to bring his things. He lives with Mr. Baylor, I think. Did you succeed in paying up your hire? I shall try to come by your house when I return to the army if I can. I want to see you all very much. Come over if you can and bring me 2 bush. of Sweet Potatoes, dispose of the rest. Write to me to Staunton and let me know how you all are, and how you are getting along.

My regards to Dr. Y. and family.



Your Aff. Brother,


Jed. Hotchkiss

[Marion]

The general is Jackson, I saw this picture in the third episode of The Civil War by Ken Burns.

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by Marion

The general is Jackson, I saw this picture in the third episode of The Civil War by Ken Burns.

I don't think so. He doesn't look like Jackson.

[Marion]

I don't find the video on Youtube, if you have "The Civil War" serie, watch the third episode.

[Marion]

The same picture is in the documentary

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by Marion

The same picture is in the documentary

I don't doubt that the documentary says it, but I just don't think the documentary may be correct in this instance.

Do the profiles match?

[B7B Southern]

If you are matching the picture with Stonewall then
that Black is more than likely free.

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by B7B Southern

If you are matching the picture with Stonewall then
that Black is more than likely free.

I don't think it is Stonewall.

Even if it is, I doubt the black in the picture would be free, since Jackson was a slave owner himself. Before you bring up Jim Lewis, I would like to point out it isn't exactly known for sure if he was a freeman, or a slave Jackson hired for a cook during campaigning.

Why does it bother you?

[B7B Southern]

Originally Posted by semperpietas

I don't think it is Stonewall.

Even if it is, I doubt the black in the picture would be free, since Jackson was a slave owner himself. Before you bring up Jim Lewis, I would like to point out it isn't exactly known for sure if he was a freeman, or a slave Jackson hired for a cook during campaigning.

Why does it bother you?

Who is bothered?

Hotchkiss did not own slaves but did rent them.

http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/per...ssletters.html

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by B7B Southern

Who is bothered?

Hotchkiss did not own slaves but did rent them.

http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/per...ssletters.html

As I pointed already pointed out, he may not have owned slaves but he hired and used them.

As for who is bothered, I am not the one who raised the fuss over whether the man in the photo is a slave or not.

[B7B Southern]

Originally Posted by semperpietas

As I pointed already pointed out, he may not have owned slaves but he hired and used them.

As for who is bothered, I am not the one who raised the fuss over whether the man in the photo is a slave or not.

Fuss? What fuss? You made the statement the Black in the picture
was a slave. I asked how do you know that? Then you made an assumption
he was a slave as I made one maybe not knowing Stonewall if that
is who is in the picture.

Why do you care if he is a slave or free?

[semperpietas]

Originally Posted by B7B Southern

Fuss? What fuss? You made the statement the Black in the picture
was a slave. I asked how do you know that? Then you made an assumption
he was a slave as I made one maybe not knowing Stonewall if that
is who is in the picture.

Why do you care if he is a slave or free?

Originally Posted by B7B Southern

How do you know that Black person is a slave
if you don't know who the soldiers are?

Clearly you are the one who is making it an issue.

Use logic on this one Marshall. What is the man holding? Buckets, obviously for menial labor.I won't deny that there are some documented freedmen, but very likely given the Confederate Army's treatment of freedmen that such is not the case in the photograph. What I provided above would suggest that an overwhelming number of Black camp servants were indeed slaves, either rented or brought (primarily by officers) to war. (Here for a recreation of one such actual slave in the famous Company H of the 1st Tennessee Infantry: http://bullyforbragg.blogspot.com/20...tch-recap.html). Evidence has also been posted as to who this person is likely (Jed. Hotchkiss), and the fact that he did rent slaves. Seems to make that person in the photograph a slave to me.