Oct. 1, 1861

Oct. 1, 1861: Magnolia Plantation, North Carolina: William S. Pettigrew writes, in a letter to his younger brother Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew of the C.S. Army:
Like yourself, I have no patience with the disgraceful Hatteras surrender. It is discreditable to all who have been concerned with it from the first. It was badly constructed & badly defended. The Government at Raleigh are to blame, the officers are to blame, and it is said by some, that the men are to blame. It is a disgraceful page in the history of the state. The effect of the surrender has been most injurious if all I hear is true. It is said that an unsound feeling is beginning to manifest itself, which is calculated to excite the regret of all who are true to the South. Unless the Confederate Government act quickly & vigorously for the defence of the eastern part of the state, they will find, should Butler invade it, a state of things which they will deeply regret & which will surprise them. The subject of who will & who will not take the oath to Lincoln’s Government, is said to be frequently spoken of , Among the cowardly & those who have ever been more attached to the old Union than the new Government, the failure to defend Hatteras appears to have shaken their confidence in the success of Southern arms.