THIS IS A LETTER FROM ANDREW
DORSEY (SON OF BASIL DORSEY OF MD, NC & GA) TO
HIS SON, HILLIARD P. DORSEY, WHO WAS IN MEXICO DURING
THE WAR. THE DAUGHTER
"MARTHA" THAT HE MENTIONS IS THE FIRST
WIFE OF DAN PITCHFORD. OTHER LETTERS POSTED SHOW
THAT AFTER MARTHA'S DEATH, ANOTHER DAUGHTER,
ELIZA, THEN MARRIED DAN & CAUSED MUCH TURMOIL IN THE
FAMILY.
May 24, 1848
Mossy Creek, GA
Dear Son,
Having just seen a letter
from you to Starr dated 8th April last,
I have thought it might afford you some consolation to
receive a few lines from me again. Although I
don't know that I have anything of interest to write
more than I have heretofore written but I would remind
of the great necessity of guarding against every
evil, particularly those so commonly practiced in
camps, the practice of which brings on Death
Temporal, Death Spiritual & Death
Eternal. I know that your judgement is
well informed on the subject and I need only say to you
beware of temptation and to shun every evil
way. Have the fear of God ever before you.
Live as for Eternity and may the God of Armies protect
and defend you in every perilous situation away from
your native land that gave you birth, away from your
relatives and friends, in an enemies land and in a
sickly climate and no loving Mother nor tender sisters
to attend your bedside and soothe your sorrow in
affliction. May you yet live to return to the home
of your waiting parents and to the kind embrace of your
friends. Put your trust in Him who is able
to deliver you. Prepare fo the worst and
hope and pray for the best.
Your Mother has received
your portraits about the 1st of April and takes great
delight in sitting and viewing them over and over
again. They have been carried to South Carolina by
Mr. Rowell and forgotten until Spring and then sent on
to her.
Your cousin, P. P. Smith has
lost his 3rd wife. She died in Florida the 26
April last and left an infant 5 weeks old and 2 other
small boys.
J. R. Dorsey has moved to
Cherokee County, Alabama near the Georgia line and near
Wyley Ward. His address is Alpine, Chattooga
County, Georgia. I left J. R. in Carroll the last
of March and he moved in a few days afterwards.
The balance of the connexions still lives where
they did when I wrote you last. Josiah Duckett
married Mary Ann Lowry in April last and there has been
talk of Wm Harris marrying at Helm Hunts but I learn
recently the girl is pregnant and Billy pleads not
guilty and they are cutting all ties among them.
Hunt threatens to kill Billy and collect the girl Billy
Hunt married Billy Harrilson's sister. As such it
is a family matter.
Your Mother says she wants
to see you so bad she can't wait much longer. She
says she don't think she will be here much longer for
she is in bad health and low spirits. Her children
is scattered to and fro and it is highly probable she
will never see them all again in our time on this
earth. She sits and studies and her heart
palpitates until the pulsation almost ceases to
show any signs of life. Her intellectual powers
are rapidly giving way and I leave to the future to tell
what will be the event.
John M. Dorsey is in bad
health and has been all this Spring. The rest of
the connexion is about as usual. Saphronia is
rather better than she has been for some time past and
they all appear to show great anxiety about you and it
would be a source of great joy and cosolation should you
be permitted to return to the land of your nativity, to
the bosom of your aged and heart-stricken parents and
kind imbrace of your relatives and friends.
But should this be (by the overfeeling hand of
Providence) dinied us and you are destined to be buried
in a foreign land in Mexico's blood soaked soil, prepare
to meet us on Resurrection Morn along with those that
have a part in the 1st Resurrection. There may we
meet with joy and not with grief and strike up our line
of March to the fair fields of Immortal felicity at the
bright land of God to bathe in the ocean of His love
forever. While writing this my heart is full and I
stop to give vent to my feelings and wipe the tears from
my furrowed face but hope is full - a glorious
hope of Immortality. But for hope I shall long
before this time have been in despair. I
anticipated this time and I think it now far distant
when I shall be released from the care and perplexity of
this low ground of sorrow, trouble and pain. I
think that my lovely daughter, Martha, may be sent as a
ministering angel to my dying bed at my aspiring moment
to accompany my happy spirit to paradisical glory.
This earth has almost lost its charm to me and my
greatest anxiety is the final wish for myself, my family
and friends and the everlasting happiness of the
world of mankind. I was glad to read in your
letter to Starr of the feeling you had when your
boys were singing the old song (note: Unable to
read the title of the song here). I
hope you will cherish all the good feelings you may
have.
Pardon my negligence in
writing it is only neglect and thinking there is so many
writing I may be excused but I think I will write
oftener in future. Write as often as you can
consistently and give all the particulars. I
should like to hear of peace being made but I fear the
time for peace is not near. I wish for better
times. Times are dull here in this county, cotton,
law and money scarce but other provisions of all
kinds are plenty. The prospect of wheat crops are
generaly good. I must close without giving further
particulars. Receive the above as from your afflicted
(in mind) father,
Andrew Dorsey
Diane Ethridge
3rd Gr Granddaughter of
Andrew Dorsey
