James E. Stewart to John Milton Binckley, October 26, 1865: Part III

[James Erskine Stewart at Luray, Virginia, to John Milton Binckley at Washington City, October 26, 1865, part 3, finale]:

We people of the South, and especially we people of Virginia, are sadly and sorely oppressed now. The blows of the war fell rapidly and thickly upon us, and we see nothing but oppressive taxation ahead of us. I sometimes think of the West but then I do not like the Yankee nasal twang of that people. ‘Tis true we are all free states now, and tho’ were burdened with a worthless free negro population turned loose upon us, yet that is more tolerable than the free negro . . . of the North, and as negro suffrage . . . and niggerism generally as sense, preached and lectured in your ears, every hour of your life by the Northern people. I do not mean any of this personal to you, as you, are not of their stripe, and original . . .

But the North has effected Cuffy’s freedom of his old master, and consigned her to the slavery of want and degradation. The negro cannot take care of himself and would not if he could. So far as we are concerned, ‘tho we consider that our negroes have been taken away from us against law and against our Constitutional right, yet I am fully satisfied that . . . great question of political economy and state development, and propensity, we of Virginia are happily rid of negro slavery. I believe I have frequently expressed this opinion to you, while I was in Washington. But the Black Republicans have perpetrated a wrong upon poor Cuffy, which will ‘tend sooner of later to his extradition, so far as this country is concerned. The devil has a hot place in reserve for Henry Ward Beecher, will pile coals on their heads throughout . . . and . . . Eternity.

I wish (if you have not already read it) you would get a recent number of the New York News and read the letter of Dr. Dabney the President of Hampden Sydney College in Va., addressed to General Howard of the Freedman’s Bureau. You will be entertained and instructed by its perusal. The sooner the President knows that miserable engine of  . . . and despotism to . . . the better for the people of the country and the reconstruction of the Union.

As to our old chums, Pennybacker & Co., I have not heard much of late. John was in the army, simply because he had to be, was a poor soldier, always sick on leave of absence . . . proof . . . the constant . . . of lazy . . . He would always long . . . about his . . . when I can . . . make a fine lawyer, if he had the industry, but nothing suits him so well as a government clerkship, the last place in . . . war, if he can keep out of it. I saw Striker a few days ago, he told me, he had seen you, and that you had inquired for me. He is a sharp fellow, and has made some 25 to 30,000$ out of the war.

But I must close. Write soon and often. To us, we shall always be glad to hear of you and yours, and your prosperity. We all join in love to you and your wife and your venerable old mother, and send our best regards to her and &c . . .  Mitchell and all the family.

With my best wishes

I am, very sincerely

Jas. E. Stewart

[PS] Don’t read this letter to any Black Republican Shriekers!

Original manuscript in the John Milton Binckley Papers, 1816-1943. Library of Congress Manuscript Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. This is my rough transcription. Stewart wrote a torrent of tightly crowded, almost hieroglyphic words, many of them difficult to decipher. I added paragraph breaks for easier reading.  

Many thanks to William Myers for sending scanned copies of the documents from the Binckley papers, and also to Mary Davy and Sally Young for their assistance.