Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne Letter

This collection consists of a letter from E. B. Payne, a resident of Fauquier County, Virginia during the Civil War. The contents of the letter, coupled with research, indicate that the letter was written by Elizabeth Barton Smith Payne, wife of Dr. Amos Payne, on October 16, 1864. Writing from Orlean, Virginia to an unidentified friend, Payne mourns a loved one killed in battle (most likely her son, Edward Alexander Payne of the 7th Virginia Cavalry, killed at Parker's Store, Virginia in November 1863) and the loss of her husband's cousin, Robert J. Johnson, in the same battle. She describes a recent Union raid in which the Chancellor family's home was burned and mentions the arrest of her brother Golder and his captivity at Fort Delaware. ("He was well but fare bad water scarce & treatment harsh," she writes.) Payne states that the autumn apple harvest has been bountiful but that there is a constant fear of Union scouting parties. After conveying personal sentiments, she states that Hugh (her son, Hugh Golder Payne) is anxious to join the army but that she hopes to keep him at home until spring.