Beschreibung:

Lot of 2 pieces of correspondence between Confederate Private Charles Miles Figgat of Co. B, 1st Virginia Cavalry, and his wife, Ann Godwin Figgat. Figgat, Charles M. (1836-1899). ALS, 4pp, 7.875 x 10 in., "New Market." November 6, 1864. Addressed to wife (Ann Figgat). In this letter, Figgat seems to be wearied from the war, and eager for its swift end. One source of his discontent appears to be the great amount of work he has to do and a lack of assistance with which to complete it. He writes, "...I have no one but an inexperienced and dull boy to assist me, and added to this Capt. M. tho A.A.G. is not a systematic, or a very expert officer himself, and thus much that is really unnecessary has to be done, because not done in the right way and as dear Col P. would have done..." The "Col P." referenced here is likely CSA Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Swift "Sandie" Pendleton (1840-1864), who was fatally wounded following the Third Battle of Winchester in September of 1864 (only a couple of months before this letter was written). Much of the rest of his letter contains words of comfort for his wife, highlighting the temporary nature of one's earthly life and the solace one must find in God. Figgat, Ann. (1835-1919). ALS, 4pp, 7.25 x 9.375 in., "At Home." November 13, 1864. In this letter addressed to her husband, Ann Figgat provides some interesting information along with a few humorous lines, one of which is about the damage that war can cause on a person's carpet. She writes, "Friday I was all day until late at night (except going to prayer meeting) fixing patching turning &c, my old carpet. The next time there is a war, I ain't going to let anybody have my carpets to wear them out, & you mustn't do it either..." After writing at length about her day-to-day chores and amusements on the home front, she turns her attention to Charles' woes, writing, "I am sorry you have such a poor substitute for dear Col P." She even provides information about Colonel Pendleton's final resting place: "Mrs. Logan tells me that the papers say Col. P's body has been taken to L & buried by the side of Gen. J, so in death they are side by side." Here, "Gen. J" refers to General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, with whom Pendleton served and developed a close relationship. Charles and Ann Figgat were married on December 13, 1859, and had seven children, one of whom (Charles Meade) died at 13 months of age, in December of 1863. (Ann mentions a visit to his gravesite in her letter). When Charles returned home from war, he resumed his career as a banker, and eventually went to work at the Bank of Lexington to support his flourishing family. Shocking many, as he had been a well-trusted and upstanding man all his life, Charles skipped town on February 14, 1895 and was found to have embezzled $180,000 from the bank. Charles was never captured, but died four years later in a boarding house in Colorado. That same year, Ann and the children moved to Roanoke, perhaps to leave the painful memory of Charles and their former lives behind. Condition: Letters were deacidified and encapsulated. Both letters with creasing, some small rips and tears, surface soil and spots of discoloration, and wear to edges (specifically Ann's letter). Ann's letter also has more substantial separation along creases (especially vertical ones) and some small holes where creases are deep and meet.