Martin, William James
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Wilmington Monday Dec. 12th 1864
My Dear Sir,
Yours of the 5
th only reached me Friday night, too late
therefore to communicate with Gov.
Swain
in time for the meeting of the
Board on
Sat. night. As I am not certain of his whereabouts, I will give you my views on
the matter of a military establishment at the
Univ.
& you can communicate them to the
Gov.
if you think proper. I should have written
on Saturday, but I sent your letter to
Hepburn
& hoped he would come around to
talk it over that day. He has not come & I will delay no longer.
I think it best to take it as a fundamental notion that the
college must be kept up. Come what may, its organization should not be
destroyed. The idea that it is a "sinking ship" is
not to be tolerated for a moment. It must be kept
afloat somehow during the war, and then with proper management a prosperous
voyage & glorious results are
certain. I feel
very earnest on this point, for I believe that if the college is disbanded now
it will begin its new life after the war a sickly affair, as will be the fate of
the numerous colleges in the South — While if it can be kept up during
this struggle, it will have a prestige which properly seconded by the
authorities who control the
University will give it all the
students that even the
Gov.
himself could desire. Let us only show that we are
able & determined to make good scholars, & in two or three years
after we have
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peace we will not lack material to
work upon. If it be settled then that in spite of impressing agents &
conscript officers the college stands its ground, it may be considered how far
the consideration of military instruction will stiffen its back-bone. To the
suggestion that the
University be re-organized as a military
institution, (even if the charter were not in the way, of which I know nothing)
I say no-no-no. But I feel so certain that no serious desire exists for such a
radical change that I will not combat it with arguments.
It seems to me probable however, that hereafter it might be prudent &
might supply a felt want in the country to attach one or more military
professorships, the studies in that department to be elective, as in the case of
Kimberly's
special chemistry. This will depend somewhat on the establishment or
non-establishment of a national military school for the
South, such as that at
West Point, and on our
ability to pay the additional Professors. For the present nothing of this sort
is feasible, and all that can be done with propriety , if it be thought
necessary to do anything military at all, is to give some sort of incidental
instruction in the drill & in the general principles of the military
art. If this will satisfy any clamor, or will bring any new students, or hold on
to any old ones, I see no reason why it is not feasible & prudent.
Whether it
is thus made desirable, I confess I cannot
even give an intelligent
opinion. You who are on the
ground are in the
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best position to answer the
question. If it be determined to give this sort of instruction, then I would
give as much of it as possible without interfering with the studies of the
regular college course. These I would not by any means diminish, and I conceive
there is no necessity for it. All the work that can be done at present towards
making soldiers can be done outside of the present college course I am sure. The
details of the plan would of course be worked out in Faculty meeting.
And finally, as to the possibility of my assisting in this instruction, I am not
in a position to say anything definitely. My wound has been at a stand-still
since I left Richmond. The journey was undoubtedly too much for it, & it is
worse rather than better. I do not think I will be much account for anything before February, and then will probably not
be able to walk readily. In that case I don't see that I could be of much
service to you in the way of drilling, which is the main thing aimed at I
suppose. And again I don't know but the Confed. authorities would say that when
I am able to take charge of a small squad of soldiers at college I had best
return & take charge of my big squad in the field. It may happen that I will never be fit for duty in the
field again & may be put on light duty at some post. It will be at all
events a month or so before the matter can be decided. But the selection of the man is subsidiary. The first thing is to decide
on the proper policy.
I have given you my opinions on this subject after thinking it over long
& often. I don't know whether they
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coincide
with
Hepburn's
or not. Pray use them as you think best.
I think I shall not make my visit to
Chapel Hill until my wound has healed over. I am afraid
to repeat the risk I ran in coming from
Richmond to this place. Please say to
Fannie that the D
r makes me hug the bed very
closely & has changed the dressing on the wound to something more
stimulating than the simple curate. The granulations had come to look very
"flabby" & unhealthy. They have improved within the
past two days & I hope in a day or two to be allowed to sit up again. Is Lieut. Johnston
1 out of the
service that he is making arrangements to spend the winter with his friends? I
have heard no news from the army since I left it.
Eddie only writes regimental affairs. I feel quite
anxious to hear from him since the affair near
Belfield
. I learn that
Heth's Div. was engaged. The news we have from the line
of the R.R. is encouraging.
Hampton &
Hill
are said to have routed
Grant's raiding party at
Belfield
&
Leventhorpe to have done the same at
Tarboro. I wish I could know that a similar fate has
befallen
Sherman. I confess I feel afraid of him. The Yankees will raise such a
howl of delight if he gets through to the coast & our croakers will put
on such long faces. Yet the real damage done will be slight except to
individuals.
I wish you would button-hole Gov.
Swain
on the subject of
corn. I have told
Fannie to see
him, but I wish you would speak to him also.
Chuk backed out of his promise to furnish us except as to five
barrels, & I will want twenty or twenty-five more, and I cannot afford
to buy it at market rates.— What a struggle for life this is! A real
hearty, desperate fight with
famine. And the
end— where is it? Who will survive to see it? But [Remainder of letter is missing.]