MANUSCRIPT LETTER, UNDATED [LATE 1865], TO HIS SON CHARLES REGARDING HIS POSSIBLE LOSS OF VOTING PRIVILEGE AND THOUGHTS ON GENERAL WADE HAMPTON : "I CANNOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AS TO WHETHER I AM DISFRANCHISED OR NOT AND I AM VERY INDIFFERENT ABOUT VOTING ANY WAY. I HAVE NOW HAD THAT RIGHT FOR 40 YEARS AND HAVE EXERCISED IT LESS THAN MOST MEN OF MY AGE. GOD WILETH AND IN HIS OWN GOOD TIME WILL MAKE WHAT'S TO BE, IS NOW INSCRUTABLE, PLAIN, CLEAR AS THE NOON DAY- WHEN ALL THE GOOD, MAY REJOICE WITH FULL & GRATEFUL HEARTS. "I SEND YOU A 'NEWS' WITH GENERAL HAMPTON'S ADDRESS TO THE FREEDMEN AT COLUMBIA. WHILE THE GENERAL STANDS IN THAT SAME CATEGORY THAT RENDERED THE LEADERS OF THE CONF[EDERATE] CAUSE DISTASTEFUL TO ME - HE NOW SPEAKS & COUNSELS, AS HE SHOULD HAVE DONE ALL HIS LIFE BEFORE. SAVE & EXCEPT THAT OUR RELATIONS ARE ALTERED TO OUR FORMER DEPENDENTS. - MAY GOD BLESS & PROSPER HIM MY SON - YR AFT. F."

[Fayetteville, NC? c. 1865]. 7" x 7-3/4". Completely in ink manuscript written on recto only. Old folds [short fold split, no loss], minor tanning. Very Good.
[offered with] Four additional handwritten notes to his son Charles, all undated, measuring from 2-1/4" x 7-3/4" to 4" x 7-1/2". Dates estimated between 1860-1865. Minor wear. Very Good.

Although Broadfoot does not sign his name, he signs with an "F" for Father. Comparison with other letters written by William G. Broadfoot, using photographs online from institutional collections, establishes the match. His reference to Wade Hampton is his Speech at Columbia SC, addressing the Freedmen in late 1865, urging suffrage for the Freedmen and counseling interracial harmony. The four additional notes announce the birth of Charles's new brother, solicit suggestions for his name, and counsel Charles to allow God to be his guide. Broadfoot describes meeting his friend C.B. Wright, and predicts that the "days of humiliation are drawing to a close."
William Gillies Broadfoot [1806-1872] was a banker in Fayetteville for about 40 years, including Bank of the United States, Bank of Fayetteville, P.A. Wiley & Co., and Fayetteville National Bank. He was a U.S. Pension Agent until 1861, and was depository for the Confederate States during the War.
His son, Charles Willis Broadfoot [1842-1919], left his studies at the University of North Carolina to enroll in the Confederate Army. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1862 and commanded a junior reserve regiment. After the War he became a lawyer, was elected to the North Carolina legislature in 1870, served as dean of the Cumberland County Bar, and served as a trustee if the University of North Carolina. The University of North Carolina awarded him a degree in 1911. Item #38228

Price: $500.00