Mobile Register

July 7, 1861

Page 2

Interesting Letter from Mississippi

Baldwin, Miss., July 4

Messrs. Editors: I left Mobile on Monday’s train and came up to this delightful retreat “afar from the busy haunts of men.”

At Meridian we took on the Hinds county Light Guards, Capt. Elliott, en route for Corinth and Virginia. They consist of about ninety men, and belong, I think, to Col. Bonham’s Regiment, enlisted for the war. Capt. Wm. Foote’s company of cavalry from Macon, Miss., are waiting for a large number of cars to transport them to Richmond. Will this supply of Mississippi soldiers never give out? This county (Itawamba) has four companies in the field, and a Regiment already formed in addition. Tishomingo has six companies in the field, and a regiment ready for service!

On Monday, it rained along the whole line of Railroad up as far as this point. Never saw such crops. “Nobody hurt.” Lincoln told the truth without intending it.

You would never imagine that these were hard times of war. There seems to be no complaint of hard times or anything of the kind. Abundance smiles everywhere.

By the way, Messrs. Editors, the people all along the Railroad are alarmed about the unprotected style of our seaport city. “Why are you so supine,” said a high church functionary to me. “What have you been doing all this time that Abe Lincoln’s gunboats have possession of the Sound and do as they list. Have you no batteries at Mobile to protect the city?” To this bonfire of interrogatories I could only say, we have cannon and muskets and two or three thousand men ready for service.

They say there is a large home force up here ready to march at a moment’s warning to the relief of Mobile or the coast. We Mobilians must awake from our supineness and go to work as we have resolved to do.

“Strike till the last foe expires,

Strike for our altars and our fires,

Strike for the green graves of our sires,

God and our native land.”

Yours,

B. B.

[Transcribed by Sharon Strout]