Summary:
Confederate Secretary of War James Seddon responds to John Baldwin at Staunton concerning his July, 1864, request that Shenandoah Valley slaves be excused from military fortification duty to help bring in the crop. Seddon assures Baldwin he will make every effort to provide men for farming in the Valley.

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Hon. J. B. BALDWIN,
Staunton, Va.:

Richmond, Va.,

July 29, 1864.

SIR:

I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of the 20th instant, urging the importance of restoring the slaves and free negroes of the Valley District to aid in saving the large crop of that section. I entirely agree with you in reference to the importance of retaining all the labor which can be spared consistently with more pressing and immediate necessities. Recent triumphs of our army in the Valley will probably prevent the necessity of any immediate call on the reserves, and it is hoped they, together with the slave labor, will suffice to secure the crop.

In relation to the power of impressment of slave labor, I have examined the laws and had the benefit of Judge Campbell's counsel on the points presented by you. It seems to me clear, to prevent the operation of the Confederate law, it would be necessary the States should have provided laws of impressment coextensive with the necessity intended to be met. As such is confessedly not the legislation of Virginia, the Confederate law in regard to impressment must, on just principles of construction, be held applicable to the slaves of that State.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. SEDDON,
Secretary of War.

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Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 4, Volume 3, Serial No. 129, Pages 563-564, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.