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Object Description
| Title | White wings of peace overspread the continent |
| Creator | Alexander, J. B. (John Brevard), 1834-1911 |
| Date Created | circa 1900 - 1910 |
| Digital Collection | John B. Alexander papers, 1855-1911 |
| Description | This is a portion of a handwritten draft (pages 47-53). Most of it is referred to as "Chapter X." It is a portion of a chapter in Alexander's "Reminiscences of the Past Sixty Years." The title of the chapter is, "The Blending of Two Houses: McGregors and Aztecs." It is the story of a man named Jake and his wife, Anna, and takes place during the Mexican American War. No last name is given for the couple in this segment, although there is a reference to a surname "McGregor." Through the complete text in "Reminiscences ..." it is disclosed that the hero of the story was Jacob Fleming from Cumberland County, N.C.. His mother was from the Scottish McGregor family. He and Anna were friends and/or acquaintances of Col. Jefferson Davis, General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott. This portion of the story takes up immediately after Jake has been wounded. The attending Army surgeon told Jake, "You will be disabled a long time. The cut across your face will heal readily, but I fear the shattered limb will be troublesome and may have to be amputated." The soldier replied, "I am young, have good health, have never dissipated much, have a charming wife, and I can not afford to be a cripple. Do your duty and I will recover all right." Anna was summoned by the surgeon to assist in the recovery/rehabilitation period to follow. Their love and commitment to each other made the three months of convalescence much more enjoyable and successful. The officers would check in on the young couple periodically. Most likely, Jake was some sort of officer himself. This is reasoned from the following account, "Gen. Taylor called frequently to see him and complimented him on his brilliant acchievment [sic] in his last heroic effort in saving his part of the lines." Anna, desiring a more domestic married life spent with her husband, "urged Jake to resign his commission and return to private life, painting in glorious collors [sic] the beauties of home." When asked where she got her notion to settle down and her picture of perfect domesticity, she replied, "at Mrs. Sedgemore's and Judge Goldsmith's families and their surroundings - peace, concord and harmony are the ruling spirits, and all I desire is a house like theirs." Troubled over how to support the family without a military income, Jake and Anna decide to sell their hacienda and build in the Fannin area of Texas. "Jake and Anna disposed of the hacienda satisfactorily and built a beautiful house near their good friends in the pleasant little town of Fanin [sic]. After the lapse of three years, no more beautiful landscape nor flourishing farm was to be found in Texas. During this time, Jake's popularity spread all over the country, so that the people demanded his services as State Senator. He was elected without oposition [sic]. And he and Anna were among the principle figures in Austin during the winter of 1851-'52. Not being charmed with political life, as most people are, he refused to stand for re-election. They were now blessed with two children, a boy of three years and a girl of one, whose ancestors were pictured to the life. The boy reflected the light hair and blue eyes of the McGregors, and the daughter, a brunette with black eyes and black eyes [sic] , inheriting the physical characteristics of the Aztec race." Although, no date is given for this document, it had to be post-April, 1848, due to the times of events mentioned. "Gen. Scott pushed his army rapidly into the heart of the country [Mexico], carrying the strongholds of Cerre Gordo [April 18, 1857], Contreras [Aug. 19, 1847], Cherebusco [sic] [Aug. 20, 1847], Chepultepec [Sept. 13, 1847] & entered the city of Mexico and dictated his own terms of peace. The war was ended, the army returning home to be disbanded and the white wings of peace overspreading the continent." |
| Subjects--Names |
Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866 Taylor, Zachary, 1784-1850 Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889 |
| Subjects--Topics |
Mexican War, 1846-1848 Cerro Gordo, Battle of, Mexico, 1847 Churubusco, Battle of, Churubusco, Distrito Federal, Mexico, 1847 Chapultepec, Battle of, Mexico City, Mexico, 1847 Contreras, Battle of, Mexico, 1847 Medical care--Texas--19th century |
| Subjects--Locations | United States--History--1815-1861 |
| Coverage--Place |
Texas |
| Digital Publisher | Charlotte, N.C.: J. Murrey Atkins Library University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Object Type | Text |
| Genre | manuscripts (document genre) |
| Finding Aid | http://library.uncc.edu/manuscript/ms0218 |
| Format | image/tiff |
| Relation | Forms part of : John B. Alexander Papers, 1855-1911 |
| Language | eng |
| Repository | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Rights | Materials in the Digital Collections at Atkins Library are provided free for educational use under fair use as outlined by current U.S. Copyright law and accompanying guidelines. Written permission from the J. Murrey Atkins Library or the rights holder must be obtained before using an item for publishing or commercial purposes. |
| Location of Original | Manuscript 218, Special Collections Manuscripts--10th Floor, J. Murrey Atkins Library |
| Note | Atkins Library has provided the description and subject analysis for these images. We encourage you to contact us at spec-coll@uncc.edu with your comments and feedback. |
| Identifier | Alexander_MS218_1_9_04 |
| Date Digitized | 2011 |
| Rating |
Description
| Title | Alexander_MS218_1_9_04d |
| Creator | Alexander, J. B. (John Brevard), 1834-1911 |
| Digital Collection | John B. Alexander papers, 1855-1911 |
| Digital Publisher | Charlotte, N.C.: J. Murrey Atkins Library University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Object Type | Text |
| Genre | manuscripts (document genre) |
| Finding Aid | http://library.uncc.edu/manuscript/ms0218 |
| Format | image/tiff |
| Relation | Forms part of : John B. Alexander Papers, 1855-1911 |
| Language | eng |
| Repository | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Rights | Materials in the Digital Collections at Atkins Library are provided free for educational use under fair use as outlined by current U.S. Copyright law and accompanying guidelines. Written permission from the J. Murrey Atkins Library or the rights holder must be obtained before using an item for publishing or commercial purposes. |
| Location of Original | Manuscript 218, Special Collections Manuscripts--10th Floor, J. Murrey Atkins Library |
| Note | Atkins Library has provided the description and subject analysis for these images. We encourage you to contact us at spec-coll@uncc.edu with your comments and feedback. |
| Date Digitized | 2011 |
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