If It Was Not For You I Would Be Willing To Die: The Civil War Correspondence of Michael and Sallie Raysor

Like many Floridians before the Civil War, Michael O. Raysor was not a native.2 Born in Colleton District, South Carolina in 1837, he moved to Florida in 1858 at the age of 21. Raysor settled into life in Jefferson County, Florida, relying on the large extended family that moved to the area as well.3 In June 1861, Raysor enlisted in the Jefferson Rifles (Company H) of the 3rd Florida Regiment. Raysor\u27s military service encompassed many experiences common to Confederates. He accompanied Braxton Bragg in his invasion of Kentucky, where he was captured at the battle of Perryville. After being exchanged, Raysor fought with his unit until the battle of Chickamauga in late 1863, where he was wounded. He returned home but died in January 1864 from diarrhea and rheumatism, both undoubtedly contracted while he was in the army. His wife, Sallie, to whom he wrote most of the letters found in this collection, survived the war and lived out her life in Jefferson County.