SEPTEMBER 26, 1864:
Cyrus Nye
Byington, the son of Cyrus Byington the well-known Christian missionary and
Choctaw linguist, is serving as a Federal Quartermaster near Washington D.C..
He writes home to his family in the Indian Territory. His letter reads in part:
I attend church
regularly at the Charles Street Church,
Dr Sewell pastor. A very able man
and besides a strong union man. I hope
Pres Lincoln will be reelected for I believe his election will do more for us
here at home than any thing else we can do.
It will show Jeff Davis and his crew what the north are determined to
do. Gen Grant was here the other day but
I did not see him. We have good news
from the valley.
Cyrus Nye is, not long after this letter, reassigned to
frontier duty among the Choctaw Indians, who sided with the Confederacy and now
need to be “pacified”. Since he is familiar with the Choctaw language, having
learned it from his father, his services are a great help to the Union Army
commanders in the Indian Territory.
