Letter

James A. Seddon to His Excellency M. L. BONHAM, January 21, 1864

CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT,

His Excellency M. L. BONHAM, Governor of South Carolina, Columbia, 8. C.:

Sir: I have received your letter of the lth instant requesting me to furnish you with a copy of my order declaring that soldiers appointed to military academies cannot be discharged.

In reply I have the honor to say that the Department has uniformly declined to grant discharges in such cases, on the ground that the best school of instruction, as well as the most honorable service, is now in the field. I am very reluctant to deprive the youth of the country of the opportunity of mental improvement, but all considerations of private advantage must now yield to the paramount duty of defending the country.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. SEDDON,
Secretary of War.
AN ACT appropriating one hundred thousand dollars for the use and benefit of
the Cherokee Nation.
Whereas, by the forty-fifth article of the treaty between the Confederate States of America and the Cherokee Nation, the said Confederate States promised to collect and pay over to the Cherokee
Nation the annual interest upon the several sums of money invested
by said nation in stocks of certain States of the Confederate States;
and whereas, by reason of the war with the United States, it is
Editor's Notes
From: Operations in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Indian Territory, 1861. Location: Richmond, Va.. Summary: James A. Seddon denies Governor Bonham's request to discharge soldiers appointed to military academies, emphasizing the priority of active military service over educational opportunities during the Civil War.
Sources
The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 3 View original source ↗