Lucy M. Garrett of Greenfield, Missouri writes this letter to her brother. She recently learned that her brother had been taken prisoner by Confederate Soldiers, and writes to him about the conditions in Greenfield. Lucy notes the number of bushwhackers in the area.

Our state is comparatively quiet at the time, we have militia stationed in every County.-but stile there are a great many bushwhackers in the brush and when they find any point unguarded they dash in and robb and scare men and some times kill some of them….
Lucy Garrett letter to her brother, December 12, 1862

Throughout the letter Lucy mentions a Mr. Garrett, which could potentially be her husband. Bushwhackers attacked Mr. Garrett, robbing him and threatening his life simply because he supported the Union. Interestingly, Lucy notes that her brother and Mr. Garrett are Union men, but they owned slaves. Lucy stated, “We had to swap our negrous for land to keep the rebels from taking them….” While only one letter exists from the Garretts, it provides a classic portrait reflecting the experiences families endured while waiting for their loved ones to return home from war.

Contributed by the The History Museum on the Square

View this Letter