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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02691.11.10 |
| From Archive Folder | Augustus R. & Miller Wright archive |
| Title | E.A. Wright to Miller A. Wright |
| Author | Wright, E. A. (fl. 1861) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | [step-mother] E. A. is concerned about his life and safety in the Army. She is going to make him a coat, but this task is made difficult by the fact that little cotton had been planted that year. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Confederate States of America Confederate Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Women's History Children and Family Clothing and Accessories Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Cotton |
| Place written | s.l. |
| Theme | Women in American History; The American Civil War |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Augustus Wright was a staunch Unionist. He opposed secession throughout the civil war even though his loyalty to the Union was ultimately outweighed by his loyalty to his native Georgia. Even after war broke out, however, Augustus did his best to encourage his peers to return to the United States, especially once it was clear that the South would lose the war. Nonetheless, Augustus fought in the Confederate Army. On August 27, 1861, he joined with the rank of Colonel. Augustus' Military career would not be long lived. He resigned his commission and returned home on February 14, 1862, perhaps to concentrate more heavily on politics. Incidentally, the Wright family home was previously that of the infamous Cherokee Chief Major Ridge. A US Congressman before the war, Augustus was likewise a Congressmen in the Confederate House of Representatives during it. He was present at the drafting of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America. He became Chairman of the Committee on Medical Department when it was created on September 8, 1862. He also headed the Special Committee on Hospitals. His papers are now housed at the library of the University of Georgia. Miller Wright enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private. His father was a Colonel, and the leader of the 38th Regiment Georgia Infantry. Augustus got Miller discharged so that he could reenroll in his own regiment as a lieutenant (#19). He would attain the rank of Colonel by the end of the war. On April 18, 1862, Miller was relieved of duty as a result of serious sickness (#23). Worse fate was yet to come, however. On September 17, 1862, he was wounded at Sharpsburg, Maryland. A bullet found his foot, removing him from military service for a long while. According to a letter written by a supervising officer, Miller could "only walk a short distance at a time without great fatigue." He was "unable to do the duties of an infantry officer in the field." Though Miller suffered sickness and injury, his military conduct would be rewarded by a series of promotions, the highest of which was Colonel. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |