William B. Rodman, a lawyer, wrote this letter from Washington, N.C., on June 24, 1861, to “Mr Roach or Mr Weeks [?] Clark,”. He had been asked to come to Greenville about some young men who had been enlisted.
Rodman explains that under both State and Confederate regulations, an enlistment was not binding unless the papers were signed and the oath taken before a justice of the peace, and that minors also needed the written consent of a parent or guardian. Since that had not been done, the “young men are under no legal obligation,” no matter whether Dr. Forbes had a commission. He offers to take the matter to a judge if needed. The writer’s own words are kept as written below.
Letter from William B. Rodman about the enlistment of minors – Washington, N.C., June 24, 1861
Transcription notes: spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the original. Words in [square brackets] are editorial notes; [?] marks an uncertain reading and [illegible] marks words that could not be read.
Washington 24 June 1861
Gentlemen
I have concluded that it is not worth while for me to go to Greenville for the reason that I have had an opportunity of seeing the regulations both of the State and Confederate governments [struck through: and they ha] for recruiting officers, and by both it is provided that no enlistment shall be binding unless the engagement is signed and the oath taken before a Justice of the peace or other officer of that sort. — and in the case of minors there must be a written consent of the parent or guardian; And inasmuch as these things were not done in the cases in which you are interested the enlistment amounts to nothing, no matter whether Dr Forbes has a Commission or not. In my opinion it is plain that your young men are under no legal obligation. — & no one has any right to interfere with them and they may lawfully defend themselves by force against being taken if it should be attempted, or procure their release on application to a Judge if they submit to being arrested. For the reason that I could give you no other or better opinion than this, I have thought it useless for me to go to Greenville. If you wish application made to a judge you can come & see me & I will attend to it for you.
Yours truly
Will. B. Rodman
Mr Roach or
Mr Weeks [?] Clark
About the original
“Washington” is Washington, Beaufort County, N.C., where Rodman practiced law. The letter is written on lined paper with an embossed stamp in the upper corner.
Source: William B. Rodman to Mr. Roach, 24 June 1861. Roach Family Papers (#346), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Box 1, Folder a (Correspondence, 1820–1897). Collection guide. Digitized folder: ECU Digital Collections, 0346-b1-fa.
Images courtesy of East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. View this item in ECU Digital Collections.
Part of the Roach Family Papers collection on East Carolina Roots.
