Bishop tells of the Pugh plantation (Woodlawn Plantation or Madewood Plantation, Napoleonville) and his impression of the enslaved persons there. He has more anxiety about the elections but now believes that there can be no honorable peace with the south until they are beaten, which he feels is now possible.
Napoleonville La.
April 19th 1863
My dear Wife
I think I will write to you this morning as I have nothing to hinder my foremans work being finished up at 6 o’clock in the morning by drumming the Revilee. yesterday morning I took a walk along with shorty smith down at the Bayou about 2 miles to a Plantation owned by Mrs. Pugh. we keep one of our men down there to see that that things go straight and that the n!66ers do not cut up any didos [Ed. pranks] Mrs. Pugh had over 300 n!66ers when the war broke out, she thinks she has about 230 now. I think the plantation already for working must be worth as much as ‘/2 a million dollars. when Gen. Weitzel first went through this place with his Troops last fall the negroes all thought they were free and when they had got away (that is the Troops) the N!66ers rose and almost killed Mrs. Pughs son but there happened to be a cavalry co. here and they went and stilled it. they shot the ringleader and the rest went to work. Mr Peck the milkman is staying down there on the Plantation to keep the N!66ers in order. the House is a large one and seems like a hotel. Mr. Pugh the old ladys son entertained us and I had quite an interesting conservation with him. the people here are pretty much all secesh although some of them have taken the oath of allegiance to save their property. if we had the molasses that I saw in the vats in their sugar House it would be a small fortune to us. they make from 800 to 1000 Hogsheads of sugar a year from this plantation. it contains 3500 acres of land. but after all I have but a poor opinion of the system of large plantations with their Negroes. it tends to aristocracy and of course is anti republican.
we are expecting another mail in tonight. but I donot think that it will contain the results of the Connecticut Elections. we feel a considerable anxiety to know how the state has gone. I think there is a majority in our co. that wishes for the election of Seymour as Governor because they want to have the War stopped but I am satisfied that it cannot make an honorable peace with the south until they are whipped soundly and I begin to think that in course of time that we shall be able to subdue them. there is considerable of Bragg connected with them Well my darling I must not finish this sheet without talking to you some. I think of you many times in the day and always with affection and think of our new home and of the children and of what they are doing. My dear I love you as fondly now as ever and am as impatient for the time to roll around to unite us again as ever and I anticipate much pleasure in leading a calm and peaceful life if providence should spare our lives, hoping that God will have you and the children in his holy keeping, is the prayer of your affectionate Husband of many words there is no end. I do not expect to be contented until I see you from your loving Husband
J.D. Bishop
