1909 Letters Written by William Beaird, Jr. (1833 - 1914) of Union Parish Louisiana Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by T. D. Hudson, 3/2004 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================= ================================================================================= 1909 Letters Written by William Beaird, Jr. (1833 - 1914) concerning his Louisiana Confederate Pension Application ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Explanation: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= In pursuit of a government pension for his military service, William Beaird, Jr. wrote two letters in his own handwriting to the Louisiana pension commissioners. Besides detailing some of his military service in the Confederate Army, the letters indicate that while Beaird was certainly educated beyond what most white Southerners were in that era, he was still unworldly enough to spell words phonetically. Moreover, his use of profanity suggests that as much as times have changed since 1909, many human idiosyncrasies have remained constant. A group of about 40 young men, including William Beaird, Jr., left Union Parish in the spring of 1861 for the war; these men were typically single and between 18 and 25 years old. These were not enough men to form a company, so they joined with about 40 men from Sabine Parish to form a company called “Union and Sabine Rifles.” They trained at Camp Moore, Louisiana in Tangipahoa Parish just north of Lake Ponchartrain. This company was mustered into the Confederate service on 4 June 1861 at Camp Moore as Company A, 6th Regiment Louisiana Infantry. With a total of 916 soldiers, this unit was immediately sent to the front in Virginia. Beaird served in the Louisiana Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia during the War Between the States, belonging to General Stonewall Jackson’s division under the overall command of General Robert E. Lee. He participated in nearly all the major battles of the war except when in a Yankee prison camp. There was another soldier with a similar name, William A. Beard, who belonged to a different company but the same regiment. William Beaird, Jr. apparently did not know of this person or else forgot about him after the war. When he applied for a pension in 1907, it seems that the Louisiana Pension Board confused the two men and either initially rejected Beaird’s pension application or else asked him to clarify certain aspects of it. Beaird was obviously miffed at this and quite insulted that they questioned his war record. I have preserved Beaird’s archaic spelling and (lack of) punctuation. ================================================================================= ================================================================================= First Letter: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Minden La Feb 17 – 1909 the pension commissioners Dear Sirs I never was so thunder Struck at the mistake you hav made agist me you say that I was capturd in Miss wich with an uplifted hand de nie the charge my redgement was never in Miss only traveld thru that State on our way from Camp More La to the Stat of Va. I went with Jackson in Merland on to in site of Washington fell back to Va. I went With my command to Pennsylvania back to Va and while I was with my command and that war all the time onley when I was a pisner then I was to point lookout on the chest peake bay I was sent to fortress Monrow ther our Boat met us and convaid us to Richmond Va. ther we wer ferlode thirty days come back Just in time to git in the Battle of the Wilderness. I was a prisner twice captured at rappahanock river the fist time the last time at fishers hill the last time but I was chaught with my gun in hand and the yanks in the rear and I went up with Seven or eight hundred and mout [might have] bin more than that for tha got the bigist part of us the charge that Stands aginst mee in your letter is as big a fall hood as ever come from hell but I dont Blame the writer for doing his duty that is the kind of a man I am. I want that Stratend up I dont like for Such a thing as that to stand a ginst mee besides having the name of taking the oath and then triing to obtain a pention the thaught of dirty trick like that it makes mee feel like doing Something its now. I am well at Minden and if you can find a man here that can bring up Such a thing as that a ginst me her you could not git him to fase mee in it I am not afraid to meet any one ded or alive. I was forth Sargent a while and promoted to Second but I would not say any of that in in my apply cation as that was a Small thing. I went out to the war hi privet in the rear rank theas promotions cam a long to ward the last of the war now I think and want that Stratend out if I dont git a pesion dam the pension I would not hav had such a thing ledged a ginst mee for two pensions all tho I am needy but onesty [honesty] Stands overa head of poverty now I wat you to under Stand that my command was not in Miss nor I never was in ___?___ now all the time you will fine me absant was when I was a prisner or on ferlow. now the congress J. T. Wadkins noes mee but I went from Union Parish when the I went off to war in the Spring of 1861 now I want to her if this gits Strate if ther was any other Beaird in the 6th regtment I did not no him and I no ther wasent in Compy A now I want that looked up for I am hert over it I two of my compney is living near Farmerville Union Parish ther names Arnet Hays – John Howard William Beaird ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Second Letter: ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Minden La May the 20 1909 Pension Board Battenrouck [Baton Rouge] Dear Sirs. with rgard to my Servis in the war my mind aint So clear as it was at the time but I can give points Suffishent to Satsfy you. I left union parish some time about the first of May 1861 awent to New oleas. went to camp Waker [Walker] Stade there a few days and went to Camp More there 3 company brok up be caus tha wanted them to go fore the war and tha wanted to inlist for 1 year 2 from union parish and 1 from Sabbean parish. So we got the 3 rembnts of the 3 comps and made one and went in the six La Regt with Semore Coul. Lay liuit Crnel James Magoe Company offers Mcather Capt. Calaway frst liuit Philips 2nd Smith 3rd. we then went to Va went out to Fairfax court Hous dun picket duty until first battle at Bull run we camped ther and around until the Spring of 1862 we rognized and was sent to the Shadoa Valley and Joind Stone wall Jackson the histree of the ware will Shoe wer I was till Jackson deth in a few day our lieutent Clol and mjor resined that brout about promotions our Capt Mcather come to be major and was kild at Wincheter in 62 our capt then was Calaway So we went on then till the Seven days fight at richmon Va ther we lost our old wite headed Col. Semore, then Strong was Col. until the Battle at Scarpburg Md. ther we lost Strong then and the last one Monegham a hole Soldier we lost him down near harpers fery in a little Scrurmmash with the caverley now Some time in 1863 November the last I was taken prisner I was Sent to point lookout Ma an in or about the last of Febuary 64 I was Sent to fortress Monroe there our boat took took [sic] us Richmond Va and ferload and when that was out I retund to my command Just in time fore the battle of the wilderness and Some time in fall of 1864 I was taken prisner at fisher hill and sent to point lookout agan and about the middle of Feb 1865 was Sent back to fort moroe and to richmon and ferload a gain and was with the command always was ther to git my grub and pay and when tha wanted mee tha found mee round the camps and I dont think if Stone wall had lived I would not bin capterd we was baged both times ther 6 or 8 hundred prisoners both times I was capturd now if ther air any other information that you want I will wlingly [willingly] giv it. I am old everthing aint in my mind but if the old war papers is looked up what I State will be found correct. I havent but little edgucatin and hate to try to write So I hope I will git the pention an I mad it and mad it bad if it is a small amount. Yours respectfully 6 Louisian Regt William Beaird company A Jackson Corps first Hays next Stafford Brigade ================================================================================= ================================================================================= Background Information: William Beaird, Jr. was born on 2 January 1833 in Bibb County Alabama, the son of William Beaird, Sr. (1794 - 1885+) and Zilphia Dunn (c1794 - 1870s). He moved to the Zion Hill community of Union Parish (a few miles northwest of Farmerville) in 1846. In 1860, William Beaird, Jr. served as the overseer for Sidney H. Griffin’s plantation in 1860; working with him there was Thomas D. Jones, who had married Beaird’s sister Jane in 1859. Griffin later raised a company of soldiers in northern Union Parish for the Confederacy, initially being elected captain but rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel later in 1862; he was killed during the Siege of Vicksburg from Yankee gunfire on the Confederate entrenchments. William Beaird, Jr. was a Confederate soldier, joining the first company group of soldiers who left Union Parish for the war in the spring of 1861. He served with the Army of Northern Virginia from 1861 until 1865;his service in 1862 and 1863 was with General Stonewall Jackson. Beaird fought in nearly all of the famous battles in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvannia, was captured twice and sent to Yankee prisons, and was exchanged twice. Beaird married in 1865 or early 1866 in Union Parish Louisiana to Hannah L. Raborn (6 June 1843 - 27 Oct 1914). William and Hannah remained in Union Parish until the 1890s, when he moved his family to Webster Parish. He worked as a mail carrier there for a while. In 1907 he lived at Carroll in Red River Parish, but by 1909 was back at Minden in Webster Parish. William Beaird, Jr.'s Confederate pension application was approved shortly after he wrote the second letter above. He died in Minden, Webster Parish, on 3 May 1914. His body was brought back to Union Parish and buried in the Bethel Cemetery. Hannah L. Rabun Beaird died in October 1914, just a few months after her husband’s death. #############################################################################################