LETTERS OF NANCY HUNT
1862-1865
About a month ago there was a fight near Lewisburg. The Federals came down from Beverly. I have never learned reliably the result. Three from this County were killed and several wounded. Bill McGraw was killed. Old Mr. Halstead was mortally wounded and dying the last I heard. One of his sons was wounded and Mr. Hendrick. Old Crow has not been heard from since the Gettysburg battle. Mr. Westlake is lying very low in Greenbrier and not expected to live. Old Floyd and Yancy have passed from mortal sight.
Notwithstanding we are living out of the world in the wilderness and blockaded from all the rest of the world yet we are in the midst of almost continual excitement not so much from what we see but what we hear as transpiring around us. The Rebs have organized a new company in this County. Young Sam Tyree is captain and John Halstead is lieutenant. They call themselves independent. They are in here almost constantly and have done us much damage. They cannot conscript because they do not hold the county but they get all they can to join by persuading and scaring. They take boys 14 to 15 years old. A heap have deserted them, 10 going down to Gauley (Federal headquarters) at one time. This company took Sam Koontz, Jim Hamilton, Lauta Harrow prisoners and sent them to Richmond where I suppose they are now.
In return the Federals have taken Frank Tyree, his son William and Bob McCutcheon to hold as hostages. They came after my husband twice to take him prisoner for Bob McCutcheon. Once he was not at home and the other time the majority of the squad were not in favor of taking him so they let him alone after that. Abe Forsythe went to see the General in Greenbrier and had a stop put to such proceedings. A great many got scared and run off, some one way and some the other way. Then they went to stealing horses and have taken a great many out of here but some have got theirs back. This is not the worst of it. They have done some bushwhacking.