Tag Archives: William Porcher Miles

14 January 1865: “After all what is the use of “putting men into the Army” whether they be white or black if we cannot keep them there?”

Item Description: Letter from William Porcher Miles to Gen. Beauregard about use of slaves as soldiers in Confederate Army.  Miles goes back on his earlier idea of arming the slaves because he believes that will make them more likely to … Continue reading

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3 November 1864: “I have considerable misgiving as to the question of Negro troops”

Item Description: Letter dated 3 November 1864 from William Porcher Miles to Robert E. Lee. He discusses the use of slaves as soldiers in the Confederate Army. Item Citation: Folder 52, William Porcher Miles Papers, #508, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson … Continue reading

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18 April 1862: “…at this time, out of 800 men who formerly were active firemen 500 of them are in active service.”

Item description: Letter, dated 18 April 1862, from Moses Henry Nathan, Chief Engineer of the Charleston Fire Department, to William Porcher Miles, member of the Confederate House of Representatives and chair of its Military Affairs Committee. Nathan writes to ask … Continue reading

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15 April 1862: “What are our forts worth – what safety can we feel even for Sumter?”

Item description: Letter, dated 15 April 1862, from William Henry Trescot to William Porcher Miles. In the letter, Trescot expresses his concerns over the defense of Charleston Harbor. William H. Trescot was a diplomat, legislator, and military officer born in Charleston, … Continue reading

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10 March 1862: “Subordination to Lee is one thing, subordination to Pemberton an entirely different thing.”

Item description: In this letter, dated 10 March 1862, William Henry Trescot, a South Carolina state legislator, wrote to William Porcher Miles, a member of the Confederate Congress, to complain of the injustice of Brigadier General Roswell S. Ripley being … Continue reading

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27 December 1861: “In my individual command we have not even a Pistol to defend us.”

Item description: A letter, 27 December 1861, from Captain Charles E. Kanapaux of the Wagner Light Artillery, Palmetto Battalion, to William Porcher Miles, a member of the Confederate Congress. Kanapaux implored Miles to use his influence to secure arms for … Continue reading

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21 October 1861: “there is not one man in 50 in this section who has money enough to pay his current expenses to say nothing of taxes.”

Item description: Letter, 21 October 1861, from James H. Nichols, Lowndes County, Alabama, to William Porcher Miles, Representative for the Charleston, S.C., district in the Confederate Congress at Montgomery, Ala. The letter details concerns among the “planter class” about the … Continue reading

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29 July 1861: “I enclose a photograph of my son, though very poorly taken. If dead it may be the means of designating his body.”

Item description: Letter, dated 29 July 1861, from David King, M.D., of Newport, R.I., to Col. William Porcher Miles, C.S.A., regarding the fate of his wounded son, Theodore Wheaton King, a private with Company F of the 1st Rhode Island … Continue reading

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