Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Kiah Bayley Sewall wrote to his son Somers detailing his trip to escape from Confederate Mobile, Alabama, where Sewall had lived and worked as a lawyer since 1839. Sewall was in Washington, D.C., when he wrote the letter.
Sewall, then 56, was being pressured to join a Confederate regiment. To avoid doing so, he fled the city, leaving his wife and six children behind. He had a pass previously issued for business purposes which got him out of the city, then wound his way, avoiding cities, to Memphis, Tennessee, which was held by Union forces.
Somers Sewall (1843-1867) had been in the North for the duration of the war, first going to school, then working.
K.B. Sewall was a native of Edgecomb and his wife, Lucretia Day Sewall, was from Portland and returned there frequently until the Civil War began and travel became impossible.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: K.B. Sewall to Somers Sewall on escape from Mobile, 1864
- Creator: Kiah Bayley Sewall
- Creation Date: 1864-10-04
- Subject Date: 1864
-
Locations:
- Washington, DC
- Mobile, AL
- Media: Ink on paper
- Dimensions: 18 cm x 11.4 cm
- Local Code: Coll. 105, Box 1/6
- Collection: Sewall family papers
- Object Type: Text
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Escapes
- Sewall family
- Sewall, Kiah Bayley, 1807-1865--Correspondence
- Sewall, Kiah Bayley, 1807-1865--Travel
- Sewall, Somers, 1843-1867--Correspondence
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.
