Finding Aid of the Daniel W. Revis Letters, 1862 - 1863; 1865, PC.1914
Abstract
Daniel W. Revis of Henderson Co. (N.C.) was a farmer, Civil War solider (serving in Co. B, 64th Regt., Infantry, North Carolina Troops), and later a licensed Baptist preacher. The letters, dating from 1862-1863 and 1865, were written within the family of Daniel W. Revis. Some of the 35 letters were written by husband and wife (formerly Sarepta Ward). Some were written by Revis's family, while others were written by Mrs. Revis's family. Two of the letters relate to the problem of deserters among the men from Henderson County. In addition to letters, the collection contains one of the following items: oath, preacher's license, advertising circular, envelope, and wrapper.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Daniel W. Revis Letters
- Call Number
- PC.1914
- Creator
- Revis, Daniel W.
- Date
- 1862 - 1863; 1865
- Extent
- 40.00 items
- Language
- English
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.1914, Daniel W. Revis Letters, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Collection Overview
These letters were all written within Revis's family. Some were written by husband
and wife while the others were written by his family or by his wife's family. Revis's
letters (mostly from East Tennessee) were written primarily to reassure his wife,
letting her know of his continuing affection, his whereabouts, and the state of his
health. Sometimes he gives news of other soldiers from their neighborhood. Her letters
generally let her husband know how their family and stock are faring. Her letter of
November 29, 1862, carries Revis news of the local Baptist preacher, Mr. Graves (presumably
J. R. Graves of Edgefield, Tenn., who subsequently died at Memphis, Tenn., in 1893)
who had not long before returned from a trip north where he had spent three weeks
among the Yankees. What the preacher had to say was discouraging: the Yankees were
not starving as they had been led to suppose; Graves saw thousands of men drilling
and preparing for war; and he had learned that the Yankees had finished building fifteen
ironclads which were ready to be put into use
Revis's letters of May 18 and 31, 1863, speak of his regiment's encounters with bushwhackers
while going to and returning from Wayne County, Kentucky. His letter of June 5, 1863,
speaks of news he has had from home concerning the shootout between deserters and
the Henderson County militia who had gone to round them up, resulting in the wounding
of Reuben Staton and the death of his brother, Ambrose Staton. Her letter of June
7, 1863, gives a much fuller account of the failed attempt to round up deserters in
the neighborhood. Other documents in the collection are: Revis's 1865 oath of allegiance;
his August, 1865, preacher's license; an advertising circular from B. F. Johnson &
Co., Richmond, soliciting agents to sell the firm's Pictorial Bible Commentary; an
empty envelope postmarked at Green River post office on March 3, 1865; and an undated
wrapper postmarked from Raleigh.
Biographical Note
Daniel Webster Revis (1835-1914), son of John E. Revis and Rebecca Heatherly, was born at Zirconia, N.C., on November 25, 1835. In January, 1861, he married Sarepta Ward, daughter of Bartlette and Nancy (Morgan) Ward. The Revises, who lived on Corbin Mountain in Henderson County near the Ward family, were farmers. On July 12, 1862, Revis enlisted for a three-year term of service in Company B, 64th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry. He served under Captain T. P. Jones through at least June, 1863, primarily in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. An envelope in the collection suggests Revis was still with his regiment as late as March 2, 1865.
After returning home at the end of the war, Revis was licensed to preach by the congregation at Mount Page Baptist Church on August 23, 1865, and on August 29, 1865, he signed the oath of allegiance to the United States. Though this collection contains no materials relating to the fact, Revis was called as pastor by Double Springs Baptist Church in 1871. This church had been organized by his wife's family. The Revises had twelve children, of whom the older two sons died as children during the Civil War. Revis died on July 23, 1914, in Henderson County and was buried in the Ward family cemetery in the Double Springs community.
Contents of the Collection
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Gift, Henderson County Public Library, 1999.