Optional page text here. Captain William Blewett

Captain William Blewett

William Blewett, born on August 12, 1830 in Thomas County, Georgia, was the oldest of four children born to John and Sarah Parramore Blewett, and a great-grandson of William, Sr. and Elizabeth Morris Blewett. William’s family along with several others left Georgia in late 1848 in covered wagons and settled in Jasper County, Texas in the spring of 1849.
In 1851, William and his younger sister, 17-year old Nancy, returned to Thomasville, Georgia to attend school at the Fletcher Institute. William came back to east Texas about one year later; Nancy stayed in Georgia for another year before returning to Jasper and marrying Charles Rombrose Beaty.
William taught school for a short period following his return to Texas and, on May 20, 1852, married his first cousin, Nancy Adams. William and Nancy lived in Jasper County where he was engaged in farming for a while with his father. He and his father also operated a sawmill, perhaps the first steam sawmill in Jasper County; possibly the first in east Texas. William also served as District Surveyor for Jasper County. In 1858, he moved to Newton, Texas, 14 miles east of Jasper, and opened a store in partnership with his brother-in-law, Able Adams. He soon became quite prosperous, owning considerable land in Newton County.
On March 1, 1862, William Blewett was mustered in to the Confederate Army with the rank of Captain, G Company, 13th Texas Cavalry Regiment. As he and his fellow Texans rode north to their post at Little Rock, Arkansas, William wrote to Nancy along the way…

Bevilport Jasper Co Texas Mar 11th 62
Dear Nancy, We were mustered into the Service in Jasper on yesterday and Camped on the West Side of the river Last Night and make a Start this Morning by daylight to try to reach Peach tree village Tonight. Upon enquiry I find it will be impossible for me to do my own Cooking and attend to the duties of my office. You will therefore please Send Primus* out with Bro Roberts, he can Come along with the waggon and I will get a horse for him to ride after I get out there. Tell Bro Roberts to pay Jasper Smith for My knife and Spurs.
Your William
*A January 1863 inventory of William Blewett’s estate listed 12 slaves, including a man named Primus.

Mrs Nancy Blewett
Care of Able Adams
Jasper, Texas
Tyler Smith County, Texas June 11th 1862
Dear Nancy
I am at this time 8 miles below Tyler awaiting for dinner. The Regiment Camped 3 miles above here last night and will go about 15 miles To day and if nothing prevents we will overtake them Tonight. This is Wednesday and I have been 4 ˝ days getting here which is about 140 miles I have had to Travel Slow on account of My mule getting Lame the second day after I Started, but She is improving So that I shall make a good ride today. The people on the road Say the Regiment is in good health and are getting along very well. I have heard that we are to stop a few days in Titus County and if so I will write you from there again. We are now on our march to Little Rock Arkansas Company G 13th Texas Mounted Regiment.
Your William

Camp McCullough June 19th 18
Dear Nancy, We are at this place 12 miles north of Tyler in Smith County and will probably remain here for Several days we were stopped here by Gen McCullough and has put us under pretty strict Discipline I arrived at Camp on the 11th and have not been out Side of the Lines except on duty Since my arrival I have been in verry good health Since I left and the health of the Company and Regiment is tolerable good at this time there were about 40 reported not able to do duty this morning. We are camped in a bountiful Country with plenty of Good water Our Stock is all in good order and improving So that we will be in a good condition to travel soon. Our orders are now to Little Rock Ark at which place you will direct your letters The Beef to feed us to Arkansas will be delivered to us on the 24th and I presume we leave for Little Rock on the 25th. The Dreadnaughts* are all in except those who were sick and left at home. George Robinson is the only one of the Company that is seriously sick.
I was officer of the day yesterday and Last night and being up the most of the night I feel verry drowsy and do not feel like writing at this time. I will Try to write you at Least every two weeks and I wish you to do the Same. Tell my friends that I would like to hear from them as Convenient I have not drawn any money yet but will send you some as soon as I draw.
Farwell until you hear from me again
Your William
*Dreadnaughts was the name adopted by Company G.

Linden Texas July 8
Mrs Nancy Blewett
Newton
Newton County Texas
Upshur Co Texas July 4 1862
Dear Nancy
This being the day that should be ever remembered by the American people and one which I have passed several times so pleasantly with you I have thought scarcely of any thing else but home. I therefore write you this note. We left Camp McCullough on the 2nd and arrived at this place to day which is 4 miles above Coffeevill. I suppose we will not stop any more untill we get to Little Rock which I suppose will take us 15 or 20 days at which place I hope to hear from you. William Rutledge came in a few days ago and told me that he saw Thompson a day before he left and stated that you were all well which relieved me verry much I have been in good health since I left home and the boys all say that I look better than they ever saw and I think I would weigh 10 or 15 pd more than when I left home. The Dreadnaughts are generally well. Several of the boys are complaining but all of them are able to ride to day the health of the regiment is generally good. We are travelling from 15 to 20 miles a day which will reduce our horses but very little. So far we have found plenty of corn but the probability is that is some places between this and Little Rock we will be scarce. Our stock are generally in fine order at the time ant the only dificulty now is to get then shod, a great many of them being tender footed and the roads ar rocky and verry rough. We have not been put into any Brigad yet but Gen McCullough is making every effort to get us placed permanently under his command which would be verry acceptable with the regiment as his name would be worth a great deal if he was not a good General, as he has the reputation of being. The Federals are at Batesvill about 75 miles above Little Rock putting up strong fortifications with a Large force. And from the best information I can get we will have Fifty thousand men at Little Rock in 5 or six weeks and I have no doubt but we will have warm Times by the 1st of September there are a great many troops through this section of country a regiment here is not thought as much of here as a company would be with us there are at least Fifteen thousand men in this portion of the State.
Dear Nancy time passes off very slowly It appears to me that I hve been away from you for several months when it is only 4 weeks tomorrow since I left you. I do expect to hear from you any more until I get to the end of our march I shall try to think of you as little as I can until we get to Little Rock I hope you will write often as you may think you would like to hear from me while you have our babies and relatives all with you. But what do you think of my condition when I am deprived of those privileges and admit I do not as much as I thought for assure you camps are a bad place for devotions. The boys from our neighborhood are all well. I shall not be able to write you as often as I would like on the account of the scarcity of paper I remain as ever your affectionate husband
If you make me any clothing send me one coat and 1 pair of light Grey or dove color
Your William

This final letter was the one Nancy dreaded to open…
Camp Holmes Ark Sept 24th 1862
Dear Nancy Blewett,
It becomes my painful duty to inform you of the death of your husband. He died at Mr. John Robins in Little Rock on the 19th Sept. the disease was Hemorage of the bowells. He was taken sick about the 7th of Sept with a light fever and few days before wee reached Little Rock. And when wee reached that place wee procured a good place for him to stop at. And he was getting well. But on Wednesday morning the Dr told him he needed more medicin and he was able to set up and they though he was about well. But on Wednesday evening he was taken bad off with fever and in a short time became perfectly delarious. On Thursday morning they sent for me I reached him Thursday night at 12 O’Clock. He was not able to talk any after I reached him only, answer a question. He appeared to Know me and the Chaplain of our Regiment was with him, and asked him if he was willing to die. He answered he was. He was buried in the same Enclosure where your brother John lies. I would have sent his remains home but I could not procure a metalic Coffin, and it would be a hard matter here to get any transportation, as nearly every waggon belongs to the Government. I suppose your father wil send for Johns remains and take them back both at once. I wil send to Primus and such things as he can take with him by W.A. Crawford the balenc of his things I wil send to Mr John Robins at Little Rock. And I will send the balance of them to you by the first chance the army regulations require that I should have them sold, but I have taken the responsibility to send them to you, as I knew you disered it. He had eight hundred and forty seven dollars in gold and paper money.
I have reserved one hundred and forty dollars to pay his expenses. If there is any left after paying his indeptedness I wil send it to you. He has money owing to him here in the Regiment and some papers connected with his business here, that I thought, was best to retain here. If you desire it I wil keep them here if not I wil send them all to you. You may rest assured he had every attention, the family where he stayed at ere the cleverest people I ever saw. I regreat very much I did not get to him sooner, oh if you could have been with him, but it was not gods will and it could not be so. He died without a struggle, he went off as if he was going to sleep and looked perfectly natural after death,
your friend
C.R. Beaty

W.A. Crawford was Lt. Colonel and Charles R. Beaty, William’s brother-in-law, was Major of the 13th Regiment. William Blewett was buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Little Rock. At the time of his death, he and Nancy had six children, only two lived to adulthood and Nancy died in 1870 at the age of 33.
In 1982, these original letters became part of the estate litigation of descendants of J.T. Stark, Nancy Adams Blewett’s third husband.

Source:Bob Crook

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