Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) to Sam Chapman
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 #: GLC03921.29 Author/Creator: Mosby, John S. (1833-1916) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 21 January 1910 Pagination: 2 p. Order a Copy
McDowell and an additional circuit court judge appointment for Virginia; misdated "Chambersburg letter" of Gen. Lee to Gen. Ewell.
with
Jany 21st, 1910
Dear Sam:
A bill has passed the Senate & no doubt will pass the House for an additional U.S. Circuit Judge for Virginia. As I like Judge McDowell very much I wd. like to see him promoted from District to Circuit Judge. I think it wd. be well for you to make this suggestion to [Gleanes] who is a lawyer & [inserted: he] might start a movement in that direction. Do you expect to be here soon? Willie speaks of coming here next week. The Times-Dispatch of yesterday has a notice that the Rev. McKim will deliver an address tonight before Lee camp on "Steal's Cavalry in the Gettysburg campaign in reply to Col: Mosby." It invites the whole world to come to hear the Ecclesiastic. I suppose tomorrow's paper will have a notice of the performance. I sent to the Times-Dispatch a week ago my reply to Talcott's feeble effort - I had heard from Lawrence Washington who had talked with McKim that his chief point wd. [inserted: be] to show that Gen. Lee's Chambersburg letter to Ewell has the wrong date - So I anticipated McKim & proved not only that the date is right but that it wd. have been impossible for Ewell to have made the movements he did under this order if the letter had been dated the 29th as McKim contends. The Chambersburg letter knocks the spy story into a cocked hat & proves it to be a fable. So look out for Sunday's paper. I have heard nothing [2] about the Covington P.O. My own opinion is that while Slemp may be pro forma for you for fear of offending Rivercombe he is really against you as he wants to own all the office holders in the State. I suppose Hugh will be embarrassed about taking sides between me & the priest of his Church. Tell him I say to take sides with Truth. The whole trouble I have is butting up against the popular belief in the Infallibility of Gen. Lee. Hugh's religious creed is the Trinity & the Infallibility of Gen. Lee. That it is a crime to question the truth of any statement that has Gen. Lee's name - no matter how absurd - as his report saying that he ordered Gen. [struck: Lex] [inserted: Stuart] to watch Hooker in Va. & impede his crossing the Potomac & to be a hundred miles away at the same time with Ewell on the Susquehanna. Nobody but a Christian like Hugh can explain this [inserted: contradiction]. Show him this letter. Remember me to [Gleanes]. I had a very pleasant ride with him from Lynchburg to Bedford. May be [Gleanes] can tell how a man could be on the Susquehanna & on the Potomac at the same time - I can't. You know Mahomet rode a mule up to Heaven one night and returned before daybreak _ but nobody but a Prophet could do that.
Yours Truly
Jno: S. Mosby
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.