<hi rend="bold"> Letter from John Henderson to his mother, Mary Ferrand Henderson, September 22, 1862 (In Which He Gives Various Reasons Why He Should Join the Army):</hi> Electronic Edition. Henderson, John, fl. 1863 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 Caitlin R. Donnelly Text encoded by Caitlin R. Donnelly First Edition, 2007 ca. 12K The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2007

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 John Steele Henderson Papers (#327), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Letter from John Henderson to his mother, Mary Ferrand Henderson, September 22, 1862 (In Which He Gives Various Reasons Why He Should Join the Army) John 4 pages, 4 page images 1862 Call number 327 (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>2007-05-25,</date> <respStmt> <name>Caitlin R. Donnelly</name> <resp/> </respStmt> <item>finished TEI/XML encoding.</item> </change> </revisionDesc> </teiHeader> <text id="unc09-11"> <body> <div1 type="personal letter"> <pb id="unc09-11-p01" n="[1]"/> <head> Letter from <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">John Henderson</name> to his mother, <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">Mary Ferrand Henderson</name>, September 22, 1862 (In Which He Gives Various Reasons Why He Should Join the Army) </head> <opener> <dateline> <name key="name0000165" reg="Chapel Hill, NC" type="place">Chapel Hill N. C.</name> <date>Sep<hi rend="sup">t</hi> 22<hi rend="sup">nd</hi> 1862</date> </dateline> <salute>My Dear <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">Mother</name></salute> </opener> <p>We have gained another great victory, this time on the sacred soil of <name key="name0000631" reg="Maryland" type="place">Maryland</name>, but the rumor that general <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">Branch</name> has been slain throws a gloom over the southern community; <name key="pn0000589" reg="God" type="person">God</name> grant that the rumor is unfounded. No details have come to hand but I do not doubt, but that the Yankees have met with another crushing defeat. My mind still wanders with our armies in the field and I cannot oh I cannot think it is my duty to remain here, while such important events are occurring. It is true I am not of <hi rend="underscore">military</hi> age, but there are twenty thousand in the army, who are not eighteen, and they fight none the less hard for it. Ever since this war broke out, it has been my desire (as you my parents know) to buckle on my armor and go <pb id="unc09-11-p02" n="[2]"/>to meet the invader. If I do not go to the war and the war should be finished before I attain military age, my chance for preferment in this world is gone forever, in vain shall I then plead younth as my excuse; the answer will be there were twenty thousand of your age in the army who unlike yourself went and met the enemy. Besides my going to the war will do no harm to the country; I dont assist in any way in furnishing food for the army in the field; I consume, I do not help to make. Besides do you not think sometimes, that I must picture to myself the future, when perhaps I may have a family of children, and when they shall sit on my knees and look up and say Father "O tell us all about the war, and what they killed each other for." The war may last long enough for me to get into it but then again, it may end tomorrow, <pb id="unc09-11-p03" n="[3]"/>who can tell what a day or an hour may bring forth. If the enemy meet with such crushing defeats as they have within the last few months they must without doubt make peace; the northern people must come to their senses and when they do woe to all engaged in <name key="pn0001012" reg="Lincoln, Abraham" type="person" rend="yes">Lincolns</name> vile usurpation. In a little more than a year I will be eighteen and I do not believe that I will <hi rend="underscore">much</hi> stronger than I am now. I am very sorry to hear, that my little <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">sister</name> has had an attack of fever and hope that she will soon recover. I think, with you, that <name key="pn0000718" reg="Henderson, Leonard" type="person" rend="yes">Len's</name> box was worth an answer; he must have had a rare time amongst his fellow officers; for the box of provisions would have gone a long way. It was indeed, as you say, "huge." How do you suppose before <name key="pn0000718" reg="Henderson, Leonard" type="person">Len</name> will get into active service. I doubt very much, whether the Yankees will let Colonel <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">Shaw</name> pass through the lines. They <pb id="unc09-11-p04" n="[4]"/>are certainly a perfidious race. As I have to study mathematics (I hope you will excuse all mistakes) I must now close.</p> <closer> <salute rend="right">Your aff son</salute> <signed> <name key="x" reg="x" type="person" rend="">John</name> </signed> </closer> </div1> </body> </text> </TEI.2>