Ransom, R. (Robert) (1828-1892) to Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02459.27 Author/Creator: Ransom, R. (Robert) (1828-1892) Place Written: Fort Wise, Colorado Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 January 1861 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 21.6 x 26.4 cm. Order a Copy
Captain Ransom writes to Branch, a United States Representative from North Carolina, Ransom's home state. Reports that there has been no mail for two months, but the previous day, received shocking news (possibly referring to secession of several southern states): "The news which has reached us startles the most lethargic. Before what are we standing? I dare not answer it to myself... Let me now add that should our state need my services, I beg you will offer them, to be used by her in whatever way may to her seem best."
Fort Wise was on the Arkansas River east of Pueblo, Colorado. The fort was named after the Governor of Virginia (Henry Wise) in hopes that he would stay with the Union. When Virginia joined the South, Fort Wise was renamed Fort Lyon, after the first Union General killed in the war. In 1861, Branch became a general in the Confederacy. By 11 January 1861, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama had seceded. North Carolina seceded 20 May 1861.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.