Submitted by Cynthia Plott-Duke; Edited by Cheri Todd Molter
In the 1970’s, we were researching the Plott and Osborn histories in Haywood County, North Carolina. Part of our research included visiting with Hubert and Nannie Campbell-Plott. During one of the visits, Nannie showed us a written copy of this 1862 letter by Roland Caloway Osborne to his father, Ephraim. As home copiers were not as common as they are today, Leora Loesch-Plott wrote out a copy of the letter for our file. We want to share a typed out copy of it with you. We do not know who holds the original letter, as we only saw a copy of it.
The following is a copy of a letter written by Roland Caloway Osborne and addressed to:
“Mr. Ephraim Osborne
Forks of Pigeon
Haywood Co., N.C.
Camp Lee, S.C.
March 6, 1862
Dear Father;
I can say to you that I am not in the proper youmer [humor] to write you tonight for the reason on yesterday I found out from the Col. that he could furlow [furloughs] one other man from our company. I then came to my Captain and even got his consent. Then some of the others found it out and then the Captain made four of us draw for it – which I contend that there was much injustice done me after I got the thing fixed up. Don’t you? There are a few things I should like to publish to the world and I want to say to you to keep all friends from joining any company. If they have to they had better join as independent solgers [soldiers], join some company and pay their own way. There I should say to you that their [there] is a man here wants you to let his mother have 10 bushels of corn & 5 bushels of wheat. Let her have it at a fare [fair] price. It is Jasper Anderson’s mother. I want you to let her have it. He says that he will pay me for it, and he will do it. So let me know, what you charge her for it. There is nothing knew [new]. Write soon and give me all the news.
Your son
R.C. Osborne”
From Bible records sent by Mary Whaley, Greensboro, N.C.:
“Roland Caloway Osborne died August 6, 1862 at Petersburg, Va., in Confederate army, with typhoid fever – wrote also to his brother Judson (A.J.) Osborne. Also, his father Ephriam Osborne made the trip to Va., brought back his body in a wagon, & buried him in Locust Field Cemetery in Canton.
His only child, Roland Osborne, Jr. was raised in the home of Adoniram Judson Osborne [Roland Sr.s brother] due to the fact that the child’s mother, Keziah Stradley, married the second time to Washington Haynes, who was very unkind to him.”