Alexander Welch Reynolds Letter,, 1861

The letter of Alexander Welch Reynolds, written from Wytheville, Virginia to his sister in Lewisburg, Virginia, is dated July 13, 1861, just three days after he was commissioned colonel of the 50th Virginia Infantry. He writes that he has been organizing his regiment and invites his nephew to join his command. Reynolds predicts that the Union Army will be a formidable foe--a minority opinion at the time--and states that he deplores the necessity of the war, though he feels it necessary to take up arms in defense of country and home.