Marquis DeLafayette Pittman Civil War letters
Scope and Content
This collection consists of eight letters written by Marquis DeLafayette Pittman, signing himself as "Marc", between April and July of 1864. Most are addressed to "Lizzie" and all appear to be written to this same individual. In the letters Pittman describes the weather, visiting with his cousins, his concerns about the progress of the war, and his feelings for "Lizzie." In an apparent response to a letter he received from her urging him to return home in case the "Yanks get near" her, he wonders what use he could be to "a Defenseless woman" since he is "permanently disabled." Of particular interest is his June 21st letter, written from LaGrange, Georgia, where he notes that there is "considerable excitement among the citizens here about an order from Atlanta requiring all the able bodied Negroes in this county to be sent up to work on fortifications near Atlanta."
Dates
- 2 April 1864-11 July 1864
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.
Administrative/Biographical History
Marquis DeLafayette Pittman (1835-1916) enlisted as a private in Company C, Cobb's Legion Cavalry, in August of 1861 in Athens, Georgia. He was wounded in the right leg in August of 1864 near Culpeper, Virginia, and was furloughed home to recover from his wounds. He was mustered out of service in July of 1864 when his leg did not heal properly and he was physically unable to return to his unit. He married Eliza E. L. Yerby (1839-1921) on 18 December 1867 and the couple had five children: Hattie (1870-1950); Lillie (1873-1948); William H. (1875-?); and Henry Carlton (1882-1918).
Administrative/Biographical History
Cobb's Legion was formed by Colonel Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb (1823-1862) in 1861 and mustered into the Confederate Army in September of 1861. The Legion originally consisted of cavalry, infantry, and artillery battalions, but the three battalions never served in the field together. The cavalry battalion saw some of the most important battles in the Civil War including Sharpsburg (1862), Gettysburg (1863), and the siege of Petersburg (1864-1865).
Extent
2 folder(s) (one folder and one oversize folder)
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 1996
Description Control
This collection was processed in 2013.
- Title
- Marquis DeLafayette Pittman Civil War letters
- Author
- Sue VerHoef
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository