John Seaton to Thomas E. Bramlette

KYR-0002-225-0072.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0002-225-0072

Document Genre

Correspondence

Repository

Kentucky Department of Military Affairs

Collection

Guerilla Letters

Item Location

Document Box 1, Folder G. L. 1865

Place of Creation

Greenupsburg, Greenup County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

3 May 1865

Dates Mentioned

1865-05-03

1865-05-10

1864-12-19

1861

1865-05-08

John Seaton to Thomas E. Bramlette, 3 May 1865, Guerilla Letters, Document Box 1, Folder G. L. 1865, Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0002-225-0072, (accessed April 19, 2025).

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Office Judge Greenup County Court
Greenup Ky. U S. A
May 3 -- 1865
Gov. Bramlette
Dear Sir

We observe by the notice of W. H. Hays, Inspector General, that a company of active Malitia is required to be raised in each county by the 10^th inst "or a draft will be ordered" &c. Now so far as Greenup County is concerned we desire to explain --

This County has furnished over 1150 white men and boys to the federal army during the late rebellion fbut for those who joined regiments of other states she has no credit-

We were improperly assigned 77 men as our quota under the Call ofDec 19/64 which he had some difficulty in raising without a draft owing to the scarcity of men; and then one half of the volunteers raised had been discharged soldiers-

We have furnished more men and boys than we have voters left and greatly in excess of all calls if we had our proper credits (by way of [digrissien]- how could we have got credit ^under the late act of congress^ for men furnished regiments of other states?) our County is about the only one in the state that cannot be said to have
been invaded by armed rebels and guerillas -- only one small squad of about seven men are all that have been known to come into the county and they hastily passed through the back part of the county and stole a few articles and horses, were immediately pursued and all the property recaptured- We attribute our good fortune to two causes; 1^st for 20 miles back the people are all Union, except 4 or 5 families, and there is no one to give them aid or comfort -- 2^nd -- early in 1861 we received a lot of "Lincoln guns" and ammunition which were distributed by us only amongst our Union citizens and they are always ready at a moments warning to seize their guns and march towards the places threatened even in another county; and have several times gone to Carter County to meet the foe -- We do not see the necessity of troubling our citizens to raise a company at this busy farming season of the year when "the war is over" --

We pledge ourselves to keep Greenup county clear of Guerillas under our loose organization -- We have always given Union majorities ^even with the home vote^ since the war commenced and will continue to do so; were always for a vigorous prosecution of the war as the only means of procurring a permanent peace --

We are for the Constitutional amendment and in favor of "the next war" &c and think for past services and present readiness to meet guerillas that we should be spared the
trouble of raising men under the late law of the legisature; and we address you because by the law article 3 Sections 1 and 48 the matter is left at your discretion --

Your speech at Louisville, as published in the Commonwealth, on the death of our honest, pure, brave, wise and patriotic late president Lincoln and your ~~and your~~ late letter on the Constitutional amendment are highly approved by our loyal people as it should be by all.

We do not mention this by way of fattery, but as an act of justice; because we dissented from your course in support of the Chicago Party -- The most noble act of any man, when he finds himself wrong is to acknowledge it, and all right thinking people will approve his course; and permit us to say that but few men have the Manliness "to come out" and acknowledge his mistake as well as you have done in your Louisville speech-

Please give an early reply

Yours "for the Union at all hazards"
Greenup County by
John Seaton "Com att in fact"

Greenupsburg, Greenup Co.
May 3/1865.

Seaton, John
Writes to the Gov. and letter referred to this office.

Gives a statement of troops furnished by Greenup Co. during the war and asks that it may be excused from furnishing a Co. for the Active Militia, pleding the county to put down all guerillas that may infest it.

Ans. May 8, 65. Let. Book B. p. 195.

Rec. Ins. Gen Of. May 8, 1865

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