11/3/1864 letter Gen. Samuel McGowan's South Carolina Brigade - All 5 Commanders

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From the personal wartime papers of Dr. Theodore. A. LaFar of Charleston, South Carolina (born 14 October 1831 in Charleston and died 28 December 1912 in Chattachoochee, Florida and buried in the French Protestant Huguenot Cemetery in Charleston).
A Google search reveals the 1890 proceedings of the South Carolina legislature that accepted four South Carolina Confederate Battle Flags from Dr. LaFar on December 22, 1890 .  According to the minutes of the Legislature, LaFar had fled Richmond on April 2, 1865 and taken the flags with him.  The Legislature recognized and summarized his service as Director of the South Carolina Hospital Bureau ("SCHB").  Duties of the SCHB included "forwarding packages to soldiers in the field, establishing state hospitals, aiding prisoners in the hands of the enemy, receive the wounded after battle and to 'succor' a South Carolina soldier wherever found."
This is a letter--marked "Copy" at the top that is lined-through in blue.
I believe this was the copy of the letter that was sent to Dr. LaFar by the five commanders of the South Carolina unit known as McGowan's Brigade.  The letter's writers sent the original to General Samuel Cooper, the ranking general officer in the Confederate army and Adjutant and Inspector General throughout the war.  I believe this because in the lower left, the writers placed the salutation "For S. Cooper, Adjt., Ins. Gen'l."
Dr LaFar mounted his (this) copy on paper that was then mounted on 19th century ruled paper.  I believe there is nothing on the reverse.  I believe it has been slightly reduced.  There is edge wear.  There are two file folds and there is edge wear.
The five company commanders of the units in McGowan's Brigade wrote the letter.  Their units are the same ones on the McGowan's Brigade Monument at the Bloody Angle of the Mule Shoe Monument at the Spotsylvania Battlefield.  I've included a photo of it.  Note that the units are the same.  Two of the commanders names on the monument are on this letter.
McGowan’s brigade fought in every battle of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days until Appomattox. By May of 1864 it was reduced to a quarter of its original strength, but the men who were left were tested veterans who would not run away. A third of these men were killed or wounded at the Mule Shoe including General McGowan, who was shot in the arm as he initially led his brigade into the fight that morning, his fourth wound of the war. Samuel McGowan was a lawyer, politician and Mexican War veteran from Laurens, South Carolina. McGowan had been colonel of the 14th South Carolina until he was promoted to brigadier general in January of 1863, but the name of his regiment stayed on.
Text of the letter is as follows:
Bivouac McGowan's Brigade
3 November 1864
General
We the undersigned Commanders of
Regiments, McGowan's Brigade, desire most respect-
fully to give an expression of opinion regarding the
importance of the work in which Dr. T. A. Lafar
has been engaged since July 1861.
We regard the service performed, of vital
importance, and in fact indispensable to the welfare
of the South Carolina Troops in providing and
administering Hospital supplies & c for the sick,
and wounded of our Soldiers and taking care
of their baggage.
Recommending the continuance of
the same as necessary for our future welfare we
have the honor very respectfully to subscribe our
selves.  Yr Obt & humble servts.
To                                           G[eorge] McD[uffey] Miller, Col. Orr's Rifles, S.C.V.
S Cooper                         C[omillus] W[ycliffe] McCreary, Col, 1st Regt., S.C.V.
Adjt. Ins. Gen'l
Ed[ward] Croft, Lt. Col., Comdg, 14 S. C. V.
I[saac] F[oster] Hunt, Col. 13th S. C. Regt.
R[obert]. M. Kerr, Capt., Comdg. 12 S. C. Regt.
I added [ ] above to complete their names using information from Lee's Colonels by Krick, although Col. McCreary always used "C.W."
Col. Miller wounded at Chancellorsville and was taken POW on April 3, 1865 in the retreat from Richmond.  He died in 1899 at age 96.
Lt. Col. McCreary was wounded at Spotsylvania, Jones Farm and Pegram House and then KIA on March 31, 1865 on White Oak Road
Col. Croft survived the war despite being wounded in the Seven Days Battles and at Gettysburg.  He died in 1892 at age 57.
Col. Hunt enlisted in 1861 as a private and was appointed a Colonel on June 8, 1864.  He was wounded at Gaines' Mill, Fredericksburg and Fussell's Mill.  He Survived the war and died in 1900 at age 67.  I included a photo of a photo of him from Krick's Lee's Colonels.
Capt. R. M. Kerr was wounded at Antietam and at Winchester (1863)captured at Dinwiddie Court House on April 2, 1865.  He is buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill South Carolina (Capt. Kerr's information was obtained from numerous Internet sources as he is not listed in Lee's Colonels).
This is an amazing document to have all of McGowan's commanders on an official record.
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