| Abstract |
The bulk of the collection consists of letters to Solomon Carpenter of Chatham County, N.C., from his sons, Robert, Elbert, William, and Thomas, who are serving with the Confederate Army in Virginia. Topics include the desire for army release, poor food, high prices, deteriorating health of the men, high death rates at Camp Winder Hospital in Virginia, The Battle of Fredericksburg (1862), and the necessity of stealing food to stay alive while on the campaign. Letters from Arkansas (1859 and 1868) give descriptions of that state, telling of prices of property and crops, richness and availability of land, and productivity of farms. Other items in the collection include tax and school receipts, an oath of allegiance to the United States government (1865), and a lien bond. |
| Biographical note | Solomon Carpenter lived in Chatham County, N.C. His sons, Robert, Elbert, William, and Thomas, served with the Confederate Army in Virginia. Carpenter's other two sons, James and Wiet [Wyatt], died in the Civil War. |
