Attala County

MSGenWeb Project

Lester Letter
Transcribed by Delores Sanders. Posted on August 27th 1999

This letter was sent to me by Strokepure@aol.com. It was written by her great grandfather. If you have any questions write her at Strokepure@aol.com

"My great grand father, George Freeman Lester. He resided near Goodman. The following is a letter written to his aunt in 1867. He later married Mary Ann Mitchell in Attala County.

Freeman Lester was a notion store merchant on Canal St in New Orleans in his younger years, selling buttons, ribbons, threads etc. He was a private in Company G, 18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. He enlisted out of Corinth, MS into the Confederate Army on June 3, 1861. At that time he lived in Camden, MS. He re-enlisted in same outfit on April 26, 1962 at Lee's Mill, Virginia. He was taken prisoner May 8, 1864, at Spotslynania Court House Fredericksburg, VA, and imprisoned a Point Lookout, MD, where he was paroled and transferred to Aikens Landing, Virginia, on 3/17/1865 for exchange at Boulwar's Wharf. On 3/19/1865 he was received by Confederate agents. He is buried with his wife in Good Hope Church Cementery, Couparle, MS. Many of the Lesters are buried there in Madison Co Miss near a small community that used to known as Couparle. The graveyard is just over the county line from Attala Co. Freeman Lester has a headstone near The United Daughters of the Confereracy. He lived 3 1/2 miles southeast of Shrock Mill, MS. His children were born there.

Have copy of a letter from Freeman Lester to his Aunt, Mary A. Bell. Text follows..."
Goodman Depot. Miss
Jan 13th, 1867
Mrs. Mary A. Bell
Dear Aunt
Feeling a great desire to hear from you and the rest of my cherished relations in Desoto I avail the opportunity of addressing you this letter with hope that it may reach you safe and be favored with a speedy response. The late cruel war has produced many sad changes with us indeed it was a firey Ordeal to all. There has been four deaths in our family since our last communication from you. Brothers Linden & Bruce & Sisters Mary and Temperance are all deceased. Brother Lin died on his way home. poor fellow had secured a sick furlough of 30 days while our corps was in Georgia but he did not reach home alive, he was taken violently worse within 12 miles of home and died three days after though not until Father & Mother had both saw and conversed with him he died resigned and in the assurance of life and rest in a better world. Brother Bruce Died in prison at Ft. Delaware in Pennslyvania. I myself reached home safe after four years absence I was a Prisoner about 11 months at Point Lookout, MD. was captured at Spotslyvania C.H. VA and reached home on parole Just before the close of the war. The people here have just begun to recover a little from the affects of the war for it occasioned a great distrep in this region of country. Crops have been very light for the two years past we made a tolerable good crop of cotton though our corn crop is very sorry. There is not near enough corn made in this section of Country to suply the wants of the people. We have had a great deal of rain hear for the past two or three days and it is now raining while I write. Dear Aunt I think about you very often and if this reaches you you must write me often for I should like to keep up a regular corespondence and let me know how cousins John & Florida (?) and Aunt Harriet & Sarah and all the rest of my kind friends in and about Mansfield are doing and getting along. I should have liked to have paid you all a visit this fall but I could not conveniently do so though it is my intention to come to see you all before a great while. This leaves Father and Mother and Harriet and Sarah and myself all well. Your true and affectionate Nephew.
Freeman Lester

P.S. Jan 19th 1867 Since writing the above I have heard from a young man by the name of Harrelson who lives near Houma the uncle George Lesters wife has died and that he has lost all of his property, he did not acquaint me with all of the particulars. If you know any thing of this pleas(e) write us all about it, for we have not heard a word from Uncle George since the war began. Father designs teaching school this year, and I intend with the assistance of a family of the Freedman to cultivate the Farm. Freeman Lester

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