| Spotswood House |
| Richmond Jan 13, 1864 |
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| Gen'l Lawton, Qr Mr Gen'l |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| To avoid intruding upon your time during
hours of official business and to express my views upon the subject to
which I have the power to call your attention during the personal
interview I had at your office on the 11th inst more at large, I adopt
this manner of communication trusting to your generous nature to secure
the liberty I had with you, as a stranger to remaining technicalities,
and Governmental etiquette. |
| ?ainly then Sir, I have to state to state
to you, as the Department of the Government to which such matters are
???, that the main object of my visit to the Confederate Capitol at this
time, is to solicit for my nephew Jno. C. Berry's ??? commission in the
army not below a Captaincy, as a personally recognized position in the
Qr Master's Dept at Mobile ??? allow me to state that the fate of war
has torn from my family circle two our of five sons by diseases
contracted in the service and a third, acting assistant Surgeon in the
Trans?? Dept, has I fear lost his health in this war, an only son of my
only Brother ??? mortally wounded at the Mechanicsville Battle near
Richmond and my nephew, the son of my deceased Sister, who now appeals
to his Government, for an humble officer, has served from the firing of
the first gun of this war, as first Clerk in the Transportation agents
office at Mobile, to the present time, without loosing one whole day by
sickness or any other cause. He was not selected for this position by
reason of my favoritism or other ??? causes, but solely from the ??? ???
fact, of his peculiar fitness for its acquired by his having filled the
same office in the campaign in Mexico, under Genl Scott, -- and was with
the army for the City of Mexico in the Qr Mr Genl's Department, in which
he secured the confidence of the officers & men up to the close of that
war. I write down these facts for your consideration, because they are
factor & I am satisfied they will enough in the scales in his favor all
other matters being equally poised. I have also alluded to the
sacrifices of my own sons and my Brothers, I was for this war, to show
that my family have not been indifferent spectators, seeking for
official positions. I have not asked the Gov't for any position for my
self or my family until now and the claims of my nephew was so strongly
fortified by testimonial, which I beg leave to submit to your
consideration with this commendatory that I will not permit myself t
doubt that you will either commend him to the Secty of War for a
Commission to Report for duty to Genl Maury at Mobile, or assign him a
permanent position in the Qr Mr's Department, fitted to his experience
as business qualifications, and character. |
| If induced it be now discounted that our
army is oversupplying with officers bearing commissions and that no more
will be issued, of course, I could no expect my nephew to be made an
exception to the rule, but I trust Sir, that unless it has been resolved
to discontinue granting commissions you will, by your action, afford me
the satisfaction of ??ing to my home in Mobile with a commission to my
p??, for him. He has rendered a laborious service to our cause up to
this period, for very ??? compensation taken compared with the character
of the services, and it does seem to me, is ??? to the favorable notice
of the Department. |
| Finally and to relieve you from the
already too great probability of this mote allow me to ask at your hands
a personal favor, so far as to invoke your early action upon this
application, which I respectfully trust may be favorably consideration
and thus make me to return to my family with the commission, that in my
old age I have not performed so long and disagreeable a journey taken in
vain. |
| With the highest Regard I have the honor to be |
| Yr obt Svt |
| Henry P. Holcomb |
| {original is very light and hard
to read} |
|