Autograph letter signed by Isaac H. Carrington (1827-1887) as provost marshal of Richmond, to Brigadier General John H. Winder (1800-1865), commander of Libby Prison, Belle Isle, and Andersonville. Richmond, Virginia, 9 May 1864. 1 page, 4to, written on make-do "adversity" letterhead and docketed on verso, with the endorsements of three Confederate officers and the Assistant Secretary of War.

Carrington writes concerning the employ of young boys as messengers, transmitting Confederate communiqués to officers throughout the city of Richmond and within the prison system: "I have employed, with your sanction, two boys as messengers in this office...and one in Police Office...15-11 & 12 years old. They are fully occupied, it being necessary to communicate...constantly during the day." At the end, he adds that he has been informed that "these messengers must be sanctioned by the Sec. of War, before their wages are paid" and requests that his letter be forwarded on for review by the necessary parties.

On verso appear five hearty endorsements by Confederate Major General Robert Ransom (1828-1892), Assistant Adjutants General H.L. Clay and J.W. Pegram, and Winder himself, along with Assistant Secretary of War James Campbell.

Historians estimate that more than 250,000 Civil War participants were underage children, involved with both the Union and Confederate forces. While the Confederate brass seemed keen to utilize the young boys mentioned here as formally-appointed messengers "for officer in the city & with the Prisons," confined inmates, too, often persuaded children to serve as messengers or even smugglers on their behalf. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate]  [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]