<hi rend="bold"> Letter from Benjamin S. Hedrick to his wife Mary Ellen Hedrick, October, 22 1856:</hi> Electronic Edition. Hedrick, Benjamin Sherwood, 1827-1886 Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title. Text transcribed by Bari Helms Images scanned by Bari Helms Text encoded by Brian Dietz First Edition, 2005 ca. 10K The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2005

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 Benjamin Sherwood Hedrick Papers (#325), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Letter from Benjamin S. Hedrick to his wife Mary Ellen Hedrick, October, 22 1856 B. S. Hedrick 3 pages, 3 page images 1856 Call number 325 (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

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 </bibl> </taxonomy> </classDecl> </encodingDesc> <profileDesc> <langUsage> <language id="eng">English</language> </langUsage> <textClass> <keywords scheme="unc_history"> <list> <item> Any special keywords assigned for this project </item> </list> </keywords> </textClass> </profileDesc> <revisionDesc> <change> <date>2005-10-25,</date> <respStmt> <name>Brian Dietz</name> <resp/> </respStmt> <item>finished TEI/XML encoding.</item> </change> </revisionDesc> </teiHeader> <text id="unc08-23"> <body> <div1 type="official letter"> <pb id="unc08-23-p01" n="1"/> <head> Letter from <name key="pn0000708" reg="Hedrick, Benjamin Sherwood" type="person">Benjamin S. Hedrick</name> to his wife <name key="pn0000709" reg="Hedrick, Mary Ellen (née Thompson)" type="person">Mary Ellen Hedrick</name>, October, 22 1856</head> <opener> <dateline> <name key="name0000264" reg="Davidson County, NC" type="place">Davidson County, N.C.</name> <lb/> <date>Oct. 22, 1856</date> </dateline> <salute>My dear Wife,</salute> </opener> <p> It is now just dark, and I am at <name key="pn000" reg="Adam" type="person">Adam's</name>. I came to <name key="name0000582" reg="Lexington, NC" type="place">Lexington</name> today on the freight train, and walked out here. <name key="pn000" reg="Adam" type="person">Adam</name> is going with me directly to take the cars at <name reg="Lexington, NC" key="name0000582" type="place">Lexington</name>. I will go to <name key="name0000443" reg="Greensboro, NC" type="place">Greensboro</name>, where I expect to stop till tomorrow evening. They made a good deal of disturbance on my account in <name key="name0001020" reg="Salisbury, NC" type="place">Salisbury</name> last night, tho' they did no damage except to frighten pretty bad the women folks at <name key="pn0001417" reg="Rankin, Jesse" type="person">Mr Rankin's</name>. The outbreak was much worse than any that occurred at at <name key="name0000165" reg="Chapel Hill, NC" type="place">Chapel Hill</name>. Father was with me, and if they had made an assault upon me there would have been pretty tough times. After the attack I thought it would be useless for me to remain any longer, as it might excite the people still more. In fact I have come to the conclusion that it would be folly for me to make any further attempt at pacification. A good many people in <name key="name0001020" reg="Salisbury, NC" type="place">Salisbury</name> are very friendly towards me,<pb id="unc08-23-p02" n="2"/>but those who are against me are perfectly mad. They have not read my letter and will not read it. <name key="pn0001417" reg="Rankin, Jesse" type="person">Mr. Rankin</name> is very much affraid that the days of the Union are numbered, and it would be as were the same state of things existing all over the <name key="name0001060" reg="The South" type="place">South</name> which there is from <name key="name0001020" reg="Salisbury, NC" type="place">Salisbury</name> South. At <name key="name0000175" reg="Charlotte, NC" type="place">Charlotte</name> they have already begun to organise military companies to march against the <name key="name0000743" reg="The North" type="place">North</name>. <name key="pn0001417" reg="Rankin, Jesse" type="person">Mr. Rankin</name> told me that even the presbyterian preachers in <name key="name0001063" reg="South Carolina" type="place">South Carolina</name> are mad for disunion. <name key="pn0001417" reg="Rankin, Jesse" type="person">Mr R.</name> has strong notions of leaving <name key="name0001020" reg="Salisbury, NC" type="place">Salisbury</name> and retiring to some seclusive mountain district, where he would be somewhat secure against the ravages of civil war whenever it shall come. I do not think however the danger is as great as it is supposed. <name key="pn000" reg="Tawbs, Mr." type="person">Mr. Tawbs</name> from the Eastern part of the state had not even heard of my letter while at home, and I think it more than probably that nine tenths of the people know nothing of it, or the threatened dissolution of the union. If there were some harmless means of making the disunionists come out and<pb id="unc08-23-p03" n="3"/>show themselves they would be scared at their own in-significance. The danger is that by continued clamor they will present a state of things which will lead to final alienation of the different sections of the Union.</p> <p>I expect to leave <name key="name0000443" reg="Greensboro, NC" type="place">Greensboro</name> in the cars to-morrow night</p> <closer> <salute rend="right">Good bye, may<lb/>God bless you my love,</salute> <signed> <name key="pn0000708" reg="Hedrick, Benjamin Sherwood" type="person">B. S. Hedrick</name> </signed> </closer> </div1> </body> </text> </TEI.2>