Letter from Charlotte Smiley to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; August 26, 1862
Item
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Charlotte Smiley to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; August 26, 1862
Subject
Families of military personnel
Mississippi. Governor
Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867
War widows
Jefferson County (Miss.)
Smiley, J. H.
Chaplains
Confederate States of America. Army
Bounties
Taxation
Confederate States of America. Army. Mississippi Infantry Regiment, 12th
Mississippi. Militia
Description
1862 letter from a Jefferson County, Mississippi widow, Charlotte Smiley, to Governor Pettus. Mrs. Smiley's husband, Rev. J. H. Smiley, had served as a chaplain for the Charles Clark Rifles and died in May 1862. Smiley asked if she would receive a bounty and be exempt from paying taxes as a Confederate widow. On page 2 of the letter, Smiley's pension request was denied.
Creator
Smiley, Charlotte
Source
Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi -Sample Documents
Publisher
Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (electronic version)
Mississippi Digital Library. (electronic version)
Date
1862-08-26
Contributor
Ural, Susannah J.
Rights
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Relation
Is Part Of Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Pettus Collection, Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi - Sample Documents
Format
Correspondence
2 pages
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
mdah_757-942-7-38
http://www.susannahjural.com/cwrgm/items/show/27
Coverage
Jefferson County (Miss.)
1862
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Page 1:
Union Church Jeff
Co Mississippi
Sir
I am the wife of Rev J. H Smiley late Pastor of Union Church, he went with the Charles Clark Rifels as Chaplain and caught a bad cold at that time and departed this life with hasty Consumption This May 1862 and left us quite destitute. I understand that widows are exempt from paying taxes and receive a bounty, am I not entitled to the same. If you wish for farther particulars you can apply to his physican Dr Henry Loomis Fayette Mississippi. Some familys receive bounty whos husbands were in bad health Mr Smiley was in good health when he entered the survice. Please direct your letter to Rev. A M Callum do not put my name on the outside. Respectfully
Mrs Charlotte Smiley
Augast 26, 1862,
As I have much trouble in getting my letters
Page 2:
Mrs. Smiley wishes to know if she is entitled to Pension & is free from taxes.
no—
Union Church Jeff
Co Mississippi
Sir
I am the wife of Rev J. H Smiley late Pastor of Union Church, he went with the Charles Clark Rifels as Chaplain and caught a bad cold at that time and departed this life with hasty Consumption This May 1862 and left us quite destitute. I understand that widows are exempt from paying taxes and receive a bounty, am I not entitled to the same. If you wish for farther particulars you can apply to his physican Dr Henry Loomis Fayette Mississippi. Some familys receive bounty whos husbands were in bad health Mr Smiley was in good health when he entered the survice. Please direct your letter to Rev. A M Callum do not put my name on the outside. Respectfully
Mrs Charlotte Smiley
Augast 26, 1862,
As I have much trouble in getting my letters
Page 2:
Mrs. Smiley wishes to know if she is entitled to Pension & is free from taxes.
no—
Original Format
Correspondence
Citation
Smiley, Charlotte
, “Letter from Charlotte Smiley to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus; August 26, 1862,” HUM 502, accessed October 19, 2026, https://kkbrawley.com/hum502/items/show/8.

