1862 · New Berne, NC
by [Civil War]. [North Carolina]. Clifton, J. Leonard
New Berne, NC: June 7, 1862. Very good.. [5]pp. Old fold lines. Minor wear. Letter written by a soldier to family back home describing New Bern, North Carolina and its inhabitants. The author, J. Leonard Clifton, was a member of the 51st Pennsylvania Volunteers, who participated in the capture of New Bern in March of 1862. He writes: "The Aristocrat walks very erect, very seldom converses upon any subject, and as a general thing turns up his nose in defiance of a Federal soldier, but keeps docile thinking no doubt discretion the better part of valor." He continues, describing the homespun attire and shabby exteriors of the houses, but notes the fine furnishings within. "The poorer class display remarkable quantities of lamentable ignorance...they are poorly educated even in arithmetic.... this class is principally engaged in fishing, they not having gifted sense enough to learn a trade." He goes on to describe New Bern, the lack of liquor available (excepting cider, which he scorns), and the poor quality of the land: "I have not saw a stone here as yet as large as a walnut, there are no cellars to their houses, therefore on account of the scarcity of stones need to foundations, the buildings are generally raised a few feet from the ground by placing a few bricks under each corner. Crops raised here are of the poorest quality, cotton in particular." A jaundiced Yankee view of North Carolina, though interesting in its descriptions. (Inventory #: 4219)