Foster, B.W. (fl. 1864) [Petition to George Wortham to provide a scout for the county]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03067 Author/Creator: Foster, B.W. (fl. 1864) Place Written: Tyrell County, North Carolina Type: Manuscript document signed Date: 1 September 1864 Pagination: 3 p. ; 24 x 19 cm. Order a Copy
Petition signed by thirty-seven citizens of Tyrrell County, requesting that James Ludford be allowed to remain in the county as a scout. He is needed because of the nearby presence of Union troops, and the fear that some citizens have begun to spy for the North. Signed by Foster as Clerk of the Superior Court, and thirty-six other residents, some in pencil. Affixed with a yellow seal.
Excerpt: "…the County…is not far from the island of Roanoke, now in the possession of the enemy…Albemarle Sound….is now full of the enemy's blockading fleet…there are some persons suspected of being disaffected over whom it is necessary to keep a watch…the Confederate cavalry & Artillery stationed in & near the County are strangers to the roads & ways…it is necessary to the furtherance of the Southern cause & the assistance of the soldiers stationed near us, that they should have a prompt & efficient guide & Scout…."
George Wortham was a Confederate officer, who served as a Captain in the Twelfth North Carolina Infantry and later Colonel in the Fiftieth North Carolina Infantry.
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