William F. Weeks to John C. Moore, September 27, 1864

Weeks Family Papers, Records of the Antebellum Southern Plantations, Series I, Part 6, Reel 18, Frames 585-587

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Waverly Sept 27 / 64

Hon John Moore

My dear sir,

Yours of the 24th Ulto is the last I have had from you.

We are busily engaged hauling in our corn. We have housed 200 loads, and are about half done. The corn is very fine. The cotton did not do so well. It fell victim to the ravages of the worm. Will make ten or twelve bales, about what we will need for our spinning. Gov. Allen did not write to me at Houston as I requested, so the arrangement I expected to make with him will fall through. I am endeavoring to get up an expedition to the Rio Grande on my own account, with about fifty bales of cotton. I have hired a few teams which with my own will haul what I propose to take with me.

Cotton is worth at Matamoras 40 cents in specie. It will cost me 7 1/2 cents here and about 5 cents expenses. I hope to put it on the Rio Grande at an expense not exceeding 12 cents. I propose to invest my little earnings in medicines & other goods which will pay 100 percent, frequently much more.

As usual, I must call on you to help me a little. It is necessary to have my teams exempted from impressment for the trip. That exemption should come from high authority. I think you can get it from Gen. Boggs. Represent to him that I am a refugee having control of many slaves who need medicines, shoes, clothing, etc., which I propose to purchase with the cotton hauled. That I will comply with all the requisitions of the cotton bureau, and ask nothing more of him than that my teams, ten in number, be exempted from impressment for the period of five months. These teams have been in the service of the Govt for 15 months and they are now released by the parties who have had them. My back load I propose to exchange for cotton, & if I find the business to pay, will make another trip.

I recd a letter from Mary dated dated the 3rd & 4th of this month. All were well there. She & my little one had been sick.

C. C. Weeks is here. A. C. W. has gone home.

As soon as you have leisure I wish you would take steps in regard to the exemption. If you are going to Shreveport soon it would be best to make the application in person. If not please write to him.

I received a letter from Mr. Weightman dated on the 12th stating that Allie had been badly burned on the 26th Aug. She was better at the time of his writing. I propose to visit them in a few days. They live about 120 miles from here.

The yellow fever is quite bad at Galveston. One case reported in Houston.

Confederate money still not pass [able?] now. Specie is the only circulation, & it is very scarce. A great deal of trading is done. The legilsation of Congress on our currency has killed it, and I fear the new issue will be no better. Great hopes are entertained here of an early peace. I cannot see where it is to come from, certainly not from McClellan.

Yours truly,

W. F. Weeks

Write as usual to R. & D. G. Mills, Houston.