Evan Stevenson to James F. Robinson

KYR-0001-027-0038.xml

Accession Number

KYR-0001-027-0038

Document Genre

Correspondence

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, James F. Robinson: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Military Correspondence, 1862-1863

Item Location

R2-58 to R2-61

Place of Creation

Benton County, Indiana

Date of Creation

9 September 1862

Dates Mentioned

1862-09-09

1861-10-04

1862-09-19

Inglewild.
Benton Co, Ia.
Sep^t 9 1862
Gov^rJ F Robinson,
Dear Sir,

Having been notified, by Rev^d Edwd Stevenson D D^r of Russelville Ky, now a prisoner in Camp chase Columbus Ohio, that you (with the Representative of Logan) were willing to make an effort to procure his release, I most cheerfully acquiesce to such an attempt. I written to him in substance as I now address you. Probably I had best send you copies of my letter & my Daughter Fannies — [It is]lengthy & a trespass upon your precious time, in these [perilous] days, to our loved Kentucky, I [...] Country in common — It is the best I can do under the circumstances, as an honest avowal. I congratulate you on your election to the responsible office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Ky, I feel thereupon doubly assured of her eventual [disenthralment]. God grant us a speedy deliverance.

Yours most resply — Evan Stevenson —

Copy of my letter to Rev^d Edw^d Stevenson.
"Inglewild Benton Co, Ia,
Sep^t 9^th 1862
"Rev^d Edw^d. Stevenson D D"
Dear Sir

Whereas you are a prisoner in Camp Chase, Columbus Ohio, I having gone to Louisville Ky, shortly after your arrest & with others of your personal friends, done all we could to procure — of Gen^lBoyle, your release & having witnessed your departure thence, for your present destination, not wishing hereby to compromise one whit the interests of the glorious Union, for which for many long months, as chaplain of the 15th Regt I'a Vs U, S, A, and specially in the battle of Greenbriar Wr V'a, on O^ct 4^th 1861, for four hours — I was constantly exposed in limb & life, & becoming every day more & more devoted to the unconditional preservation of this Union, cost what it may; I am nevertheless willing to do what I can for your honorable release, but this I must ~~[...]~~be permitted to do in my own way, upon what I deem conscientious principles.
When I arrived in Russelville Ky, this spring, on a visit to my rapidly declining daughter (since deceased) — I found to my sorrow, but very few remaining in your town, some calling themselves "Rebels", but generally — prefering to be denominated "Southern Rights" men — and from repeated conversations with yourself I found in you a zeelous, firm and determined "Southern rights" man, deprecating solemly the war, & the distressed state of the country, yet under the prejudice of ofall others of that class, wanting that our government had [...] that war. You were nevertheless in great distress that our country was involved in war & regarded it as ruinous and deplorable. You told me that, you had been persuaded by union men & conservative men, against your own wishes, to go into & become the chairman of the "Vigilance Committee" at Russelville, while the Confederates were there and in possession of the place, and that your motive in so doing, was to save from abuse, innocent men & to preserve as far as possible the peace and good order of society; and that in said committee you had exerted your influence to save from punishment
every Union man who had appeared before said Committee, and (to the best of my recollection) had succeeded in every case but one, in which your advice had been overruled. And that in said committee, you protectin against any one of said committee having any thing ~~[...]~~whatever to do with arresting any one, upon whatever pretence. I must not hereby be understood as Justifying your going into this Committee, as the Committee was projected (not by yourself but the Confederate Army) for the purpose of silencing Union sentiment in and around Russelville Ky. Your further assured me that some of the young ladies of your Academy, (over which you presided) had unbeknown to you, erected a Confederate flag, upon your seminary dwelling or Edifice, (which is likewise your home) and that you had promptly taken it down, and put it beyond their reach — or destroyed it, as you did not approve of such an exhibition.

You told me, that during my visit, one or more of your pupils had hurrahd for Jeff Davis! in the hearing of some of our troops passing the Seminary, & that you had severely reproved the guilty one or ones, & that
< (5) >
one of the young ladies had taken umbrage at your reproof and determined to go to her mother and solicit her to take her from the Seminary, and she did go to her mother, but her mother told her you had done right & remanded her to your controll. You further assured me that while the Confederates were in and around Russelville they had committed depradations upon your farm amounting to $2000 & had paid you in Confederate scrip, which was not available at over 25 orto 50 Cts on the dollar. And that they had forcibly taken a horse & kept him a long time, which was after much trouble on your part, returned. That they had wrested, perforce, from you a span of excellent mules, & upon your protesting against this violent usage, you received nothing but insult; and that you told one of the Confederate Officers, who put his hand upon his sword, threateningly, when taking the mules; That you had seen the day when suc~~[...]~~h an insult would have constrained your to blow out his brains. That thereupon you went to Co^lScott (of Rebel Cavalry) & remonstrated that his men were forcibly taking your mules,
< (6) >
whereupon, he swore, "he'^d be damn,^d if he died, ^[...]^ [...] them any how." & you told him, you were Southern rights in principle, but had unspeakable contempt for such conduct & every thing of that class & toto disapproved of all such high-handed measures. When I went to Louisville Ky, to assist others of your [...]friends of that City, in the procurement of your release & held a conversation with Gen^l Boyle (our Commandant at that Post) Gen^l Boyle told me you were perfectly willing to take the oath of allegiance & I hope & presume you are still willing not only so to do, but to stand by that obligation for all time to come, if I did not think so, I could not thus petition for your release. You are now about 65 years of age, I believe, and the close confinement to which you are subjected, will make terrible havoc of a nervous & feeble constitution, & I hope the authorities will kindly consider your age and accompanying infirmities & permit you on taking a solemn oath to support our abused government, to return to your family and to the discharge of these spiritual funct
< (7) >
-ion for which, to a great degree, you are eminently qualified. I have now stated the substance of what came to my hearing while I was at Russelville, excepting the declaration of your Post Master, who was under arrest & before the Vigilence Committee, who told me that you made a strong and earnest appeal to him, to induce him to take the Confederate oath, that he did not take it, but was notwithstanding [turned] loose & free. While visiting you in prison, in Louisville I several times noticed, that you repressed & reproved every intemperate expression that occured on acc^t. of your imprisonment. I now leave lroom for my Daughter Fannie to express her convictions, she having just returned from the care of her sick, (but now deceased) sister in Russelville Ky, she having been in your company repeatedly since I left there. It is not covenient for her to file a regular affidavit, and all who know her will give as perfect credit to her declaratiosns simply penned, as if they were in the regular form of legal attestation.

Yours most respectfully —
Evan Stevenson"

< (8) >
(Copy of Fannies Letter)
"Inglewild I,a Sep 19, 1862
"Dear Uncle,

I am perfectly willing, to answer the questions — you asked me, and glad I have an opportunity of doing you the favor. Thus, I am going to write — knowing it must be the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the dtruth —.

I was in attendance — with my sister in Russelville over three months — saw you almost every day while there, at least until you were arrested — I did hear you often speak of the deplorable condition of the country. I never heard any one there evince or express — towards the Union party — sentiments of more friendship or kindness. You did frequently in my presence refuse every thing in sentiment and conduct on the part of Southern Rights men, that savor'd of misrule & violence. Finally — you ask me, whether from all I saw & heard while ~~there~~ Russelville, I was not deeply impressed with the fact, that your whole course during the presence of the Confederate forces was most conservative, and that I had done everything in my power for the protection of Union citizens"?

The Confederate forces were not there at the time I was there, but I heard of several instances of your protecting Union men, and on two occasions, I distinctly remember hearing it spoken of, of you getting them released, from confinement. This is all you ask me & I truly hope it will be of some benefit to you & you will speedily be released.

(signed) Respectfully yours, "Fannie Stevenson."

Civil War Governors of Kentucky is always evolving. Help us improve the edition by suggesting a correction or addition to this record.

Suggest a correction