Summary:
John Letcher, Governor of Virginia, writes Jefferson Davis in August, 1861, to support the release of Dr. Washington Hilleary, held at Staunton for allegedly aiding Union troops.

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AUGUST 14, 1861.

His Excellency the PRESIDENT:

I am satisfied from my knowledge of Mr. Brannon, State senator from the district in which Doctor Hilleary resides, and of Mr. Morrall, a resident also of the district, that neither of them would ask for the release of an unfaithful or disloyal man. Both of these gentlemen have been driven from their homes in consequence of their loyalty and devotion to the cause of the South. Their statement satisfy me that Doctor Hilleary has been improperly arrested and ought to be discharged. He is confined at Staunton, Va.

JOHN LETCHER.

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Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 2, Volume 2, Serial No. 115, Pages 1507, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.