Files
Description
Letter from Delphina E. Mendenhall to John L. Ham, February 1, 1879. Delphina wrote to John Ham as an attempt to rekindle an old friendship made during the bitterest months of the war when he was released with a few other prisoners from the Salisbury, North Carolina prison camp around the time General Sherman made his march through there.Due to the state of affairs both before and during the war she and her husband were one of the few slave owners that attempted to emancipate their slaves before the war, and she mentioned that of those former slaves several went on to become very successful. She also relates the state of affairs at her household since that time during the war and some of her sad misfortunes, yet she remarked how fortunate she was to help him and the other prisoners.
Taken from the Paul W. Bean Collection, Box no. 279, f.63
Date
Winter 2-2-1879
Rights and Access Note
Rights assessment remains the responsibility of the researcher. No known restrictions on publication. For information about the process and fees for obtaining higher resolution scans or another file format, contact Special Collections.
City
Jamestown, North Carolina
Keywords
Environment, prisoners, prisoners of war, slavery, emancipation, post-war, Sherman, Civil War
Disciplines
Military History | Social History
Recommended Citation
Mendenhall, Delphina E., "Letter from Delphina E. Mendenhall to John L. Ham, February 1, 1879" (1879). Paul W. Bean Civil War Papers. Item 54.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/paul_bean_papers/54
Included in
Rights Statement
Comments
Included in the PDF is a scan of Bean's typed transcription of this letter. A modern transcription of the letter has been included for the benefit of the researcher.