Dubuque, Iowa
September 2nd, 1865
Major Dewitt C. Craun
Sir:
When the war broke out I was a Cadet, in the Virginia Military Institute, which is a state school and Arsenal. Upon my entrance I enlisted in the Virginia service, took the usual oath to support Va. against all of her enemies, and became subject to the order of the Governor of that state. When President Lincoln unconstitutionally called out seventy five thousand men, and required Virginia to furnish her quota, she was compelled to choose, and of course as all of her interests were with the South, she seceded from the old Federal union, and even if my feelings had not prompted me I should have been compelled to go or be considered a deserter. I should have gone in any event, for I believed in State Rights, to the fullest extent, and every state is a sovereign Power capable of governing her own internal affairs and privileged to withdraw at will. Virginia with reluctance entered into the compact and all know the position Patrick Henry took in regard to the question and we all know the conditions upon entering, that she could withdraw, when she felt herself aggrieved, she did withdraw. Her enemies
Junius Lackland Hempstead b. 1842 Dubuque, Iowa; VMI Class of 1864; served with the 25th Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA; bookkeeper and author; d. 1920 Jennings, Louisiana.
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Scanned at 300 dpi using Epson Expression 10000XL/11000XL scanner. Master tiff image on file.
Language
English
Rights
Materials in the VMI Archives Digital Collections are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. Digital content may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information about the use of our collections.
Full text transcription
Dubuque, Iowa
September 2nd, 1865
Major Dewitt C. Craun
Sir:
When the war broke out I was a Cadet, in the Virginia Military Institute, which is a state school and Arsenal. Upon my entrance I enlisted in the Virginia service, took the usual oath to support Va. against all of her enemies, and became subject to the order of the Governor of that state. When President Lincoln unconstitutionally called out seventy five thousand men, and required Virginia to furnish her quota, she was compelled to choose, and of course as all of her interests were with the South, she seceded from the old Federal union, and even if my feelings had not prompted me I should have been compelled to go or be considered a deserter. I should have gone in any event, for I believed in State Rights, to the fullest extent, and every state is a sovereign Power capable of governing her own internal affairs and privileged to withdraw at will. Virginia with reluctance entered into the compact and all know the position Patrick Henry took in regard to the question and we all know the conditions upon entering, that she could withdraw, when she felt herself aggrieved, she did withdraw. Her enemies
