I am very happy with the content of the book but, frankly, not everything I wished to include could fit in it and still have a reasonable purchase price. Some soldiers’ letter quotations I originally included in the manuscript were surgically trimmed and some others ultimately were snipped out altogether. Whenever that happened, I made a mental note to possibly restore some quotations in one of the pages of the website. And that is what you are looking at here.
In a few other cases, some additional nuances and interpretations have come to light since the book was page-proofed. Soldiers’ handwriting, letter preservation, and transcription glitches are some of the possible reasons for the new information.
In the book, many of the quotations have ellipses (. . .) that indicate intervening material was removed. Sometimes this is because material was irrelevant to the theme of a quotation. Sometimes this is because relevant-but-less-critical material could be trimmed without adversely changing the meaning of a quotation. In all cases, I strove heartily to preserve context, and that is why many of the selected quotations are more than a single sentence or simply a few disjointed phrases.
I plan to have several, selected quotations from the book to show them in their original, longer versions, here. In essence, these are a summation of my earlier “mental notes” in finding a home for them on the book’s website.
All that stated, if you would like to request more of a particular quotation from the book, please consider asking for that through the “Question of the Week” process. If I decide to address a question on that page with an enhanced version of the original quotation in the book, I also will add it here, on this page.
All the quotations on this page are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the letter writer and, when necessary, in chronological order by writer.
[Image of Jacob E. Lyon by Candace McCormick Reed from the Peter Palmquist Collection of Women in Photography, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University]
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Clark, William R. (added 20 December 2019)
May 1st 1864 Camp Yates Springfield Illinois
Dear Father and Mother
I take my pen in hand to let you know how I am I am well at present in every respect my leg feels as well as it ever did. I hope this will find you all better health than I left you. I am doing very well here this time I get all I can eat of prety good grub we have A decent table to eat of of and decent grub to eat of it we have plenty beef boild and fried we have potatoes and warm bread. tea and Coffee and sugar and vegtable soup and Chairs to sit on while we eat we have allso good beds to sleep on in the Hospital. there is no ketchin desease here except the Mumps and Irresiples and Measles there has two died here since I come here I am not in the Hospital mutch except at night I help in the cook house some but most of the time I am scouting around through the country runing about Springfield with no control guard to cheer and no guards to pass to get in and out of Camp there is but one guard in camp and he is at the gate most all the fence around camp has bin tore down by the 8th Cavelry but all the Troops have left here except the Convalescents and A few sick the sutler is broke up and gone. the Magor is gone to Camp Butler and A familey lives in his office Lieutenant Elliot has gone to his Regiment his office is shut up so is the post office the Barricks are deserted and so is the Hospital that I was in before there is not one Corperal to be found in Camp the only places that is inhabited is the Hospital the Cook house Doctors office and the guard House the guard House is full of Copperheads that was taken at Charleston Coles County they are doomed to be executed as A warning to other Copperheads to show them how weak and foolish it is to try to resist the Goverment. the Ladies furnish us plenty of Books Magazines and News papers to read; Sunday one of my Comrads and me went to Springfield to Presbiterian Church, in the afternoon the Young Missionaries and Tract distributers Come through the hospital distributen Tracts and Sunday School Advocates and Repositaves they were from eight to 14 years old I guees I mean the Boys not the papers. it is A good thing I took some monney with me for I have not drawed anny yet but expect to shortly I have not had A chance to have any likenesses taken yet when I do I will send Marys to you and you can send it to her I want you to write to me immediately and let me know how you all are and let me know wether you have heard from Mary yet and send me the letter I wrote to Mary Elen you will find it in the History of the World and send me the directions to her and to Cousin Sarah and Uncle Michael, and if there is any letters come there for me I wish you would please put it inside of another Envelope and send it to me
No more at present
From your affectionate Son
William R. Clarke
PS
Direct your letter to
William R. Clarke
Company H
8th Ills Cavelry
Camp Yates Springfield
Illinois
Sangamon County
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Crawford, James Garvin (added 1 October 2019)
An unexpected, fortuitous discovery of this Illinois soldier’s additional letters came through the perusal of a book recently gifted to me by John Alexander of “Books on the Square” in Springfield, Illinois. Of the fifty or so Union and Confederate soldiers featured in the book – Soldier Life, from the Time-Life Books series “Voices of the Civil War,” Henry Woodhead (series editor), 1996 – one of them was Corporal James Crawford of the 80th Illinois Infantry, who happens to be one of the soldiers featured in In Their Letters. This book, in turn, led me to a self-published book titled “Dear Lizzie” and compiled in 1978 by Elizabeth Ethel Parker Bascom, the granddaughter of James G. Crawford. There are limited copies of this book, which is primarily typed transcripts of Corporal Crawford’s Civil War letters. The ALPL is one of the institutions that has a copy:
https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/vf-alp/Record/ALPdb.116339
From it, I was able to cobble together the following additional biographical material for James G. Crawford.
From Bascom’s book:
“Jimmy Crawford was a self-educated person. Having come from a very large family he had no chance for a formal education. His father took him out of school at the age of 12 and hired him out to surrounding farmers, until he enlisted in Company G, 80th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers in August 1862.”
“Having learned much of the oppression of slavery from his father’s active participation in the workings of the ‘underground railroad’, Jimmy was eager to enlist when the war broke out. He says in a later diary, ‘In August 1861 I enlisted in what proved to be Co. F 10th Mo. Infty. My father being bitterly opposed to my going took me out, and I being only eighteen years of age submitted. In August 1862 I again enlisted in what became Co. G 80th Reg. Ill. Vol. My father still very much opposed to my going did much to stop me but took no steps to cancel my enlistment.’”
In October 1862, Martha Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wilson was sixteen years old. When Corporal Crawford was captured on May 3, 1863, at Cedar Bluff, Alabama, he had been carrying Lizzie Wilson’s daguerreotype in a small case. “When captured by the rebels he saved it by passing it off for a plug of tobacco as the searcher felt it in his pocket. At that time he had a ten dollar bill concealed behind the picture.” He was paroled a week later. He was mustered out June 10, 1865.
“In January, 1870, Jimmy Crawford went to Kansas to seek out a home on the frontier, and in February Lizzie and her two little sons came out to him on the first train that steamed into Girard, in Crawford County, Kansas. In 1883, they went further west where they lived in Cowley County, Kansas in a small town called Burden, until death severed them.”
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Denning, Joseph Lucien (added 9 July 2020)
The letter from which this quotation comes is part of the Kuhn-Denning manuscripts (Small Collection 3132) at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL). It appears to be the only one written by Private Denning in the collection. In fact, there are very few 2nd Illinois Cavalry soldier letter collections at the ALPL.[1]
Here is my transcription of Private Denning’s letter in its entirety.
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Camp Butler Mar 1 /64 [3 Franklin 1-cent stamps on back of envelope]
Dear friends
I have such a mean place to write it is hard to get at it we came to camp Butler yesterday walked from camp Yates Camp Butler is a Beautiful place it is like a city the streets are crowded all the time Colonel Mut [John J. Mudd] (the Co lonel [of] our regiment) said yesterday we should be mustered and paid this week and if he could possible get it we should have furloughs till the 25th of this month but I do not know how it will be yet but I think if Colonel Mud can he will get us furloughs I think he is afirstrate man he seems [to] be very sociable with his men I can not see any use of keeping us here in camp when the reg. is home There is a great many men at this camp there is a beautiful drill ground here I was told this morning there was some few caces of the small pox but the hospital where they keep such is not out of camp a ways. There is quite a difference between our rations here and at home but I thinks I can live on the rations very well It is the most profane place ever I was at I hear more swearing here in one day or in one hour than I ever heard in my life I think I will like it pretty well when we get south I think I will like it better when we get regament togather than I do now I do not like the Barracks as well as I do the tents Well this is such a mean place to write I think I will quit for this time I do not know what to say about you writing I do not know [a?]m here we will be but you may write to Camp butler and if I do not get it here I may get it some other place No more Please write soon
J. L. Denning
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It seems that when Private Denning wrote this letter, he already was a member of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry (and made a reference to his regimental colonel, John J. Mudd). Often recruits (e.g., replacements) were destined to help fill the ranks of a depleted Illinois regiment. (During this time at Camp Butler, sometimes recruits were trained and subsequently assigned to an existing regiment.)
In his letter, Private Denning wrote “we came to camp Butler yesterday walked from camp Yates.” Camp Yates was located on the then local fairgrounds, and this location is perhaps six or seven blocks west of today’s downtown Springfield, Illinois. Camp Yates was closed in April 1864, shortly after Private Denning’s letter was written. It would have been about a seven-mile walk from Camp Yates to Camp Butler. Compared to the smaller Camp Yates, Camp Butler would have seemed like “a city” and “crowded all the time” (when he was there). And like some larger cities, Camp Butler could be a melting pot of men from various parts of the state, of different races and ethnic backgrounds, and of different religions and mores, not surprisingly. “It is the most profane place ever I was at” may summarize it well.
[1] There apparently are some letters for this regiment among the Newton Bateman papers and the Zebulon Parker papers; see William B. Tubbs, compiler, “Bibliography of Illinois Civil War Regimental Sources in the Collections of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library: Part 2, Manuscript Sources,” Journal of Illinois History 9:2 (summer, 2006) 131, for the citations. In addition, there is the official correspondence of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry’s Colonel, John J. Mudd; see the above reference. Also, the ALPL does have an edited, unpublished diary for Sergeant/1st Lieutenant Samuel S. Irwin. For the citation, see William B. Tubbs, compiler, “Bibliography of Illinois Civil War Regimental Sources in the Collections of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library: Part 1, Published and Printed Sources,” Journal of Illinois History 8:2 (summer, 2005) 155.
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Norton, David W. (added 13 November 2019)
On pages 119-122 of the book, there is a lengthy quotation from Major David Norton about the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge as part of the Chattanooga campaign. While it may be the lengthiest quotation in the entire book, the original letter was much longer. In fact, as I edited down portions of the book in an effort to have room for other quotations, this particular extract got whittled down with every iteration! Hence, I wanted to restore it to its former length, here on the book website.
Why? Simply put, it is perhaps the best written and most stirring description of the Union military engagements around Chattanooga penned shortly after they occurred. (The Lookout Mountain action took place 24 November 1863 and Missionary Ridge on 25 November.)
In the following, I will start with portions of his previous letter in this series of correspondence with Miss Mary (Mollie) Chapman of Jersey County, Illinois.
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Head Quarters 14th Army Corps. Chattanooga Tenn. Nov 22nd 1863
My Dear Mollie
. . . I have been very busy since the General [Palmer] went home – about the 1st Inst. I have ridden over the mountains from Chattanooga to Bridgeport about four times. – A distance of fifty miles each way. Fifty miles over the Cumberland mountains in the rain, and alone, is no boy’s pleasure ride, I assure you.
. . . What can I write about that will be of interest to you? Soldiers – military – camps that is all we see, do or hear about here in Chattanooga! And the rebels are so near, that we can see more camps than are pleasant to the eye! But I hope we shall be ordered out to drive them away from the hill around, with in a very few days. I believe we can whip them if we only try.
[There was this addition at the end of the letter . . .]
P.M. Nov. 23rd .
Dear Mollie, as I hoped above, we have moved to drive the rebels off the Hills around us. We began to try their temper this afternoon and drove them more than a mile from our works with out any very hard fighting. This Corps – 14th – did not have much to do. All the fighting took place on the left of our line and was done by the 4th and 11th Corps. Tomorrow we shall have either a big fight or a foot – race. It will depend entirely on the rebels; if they want to fight they can to their hearts content – if not they must do some pretty good running. We took some hundreds of prisoners this afternoon and our loss was very slight indeed, considering the number of men engaged and the amount of ammunition used. I shall not send this until the fight is over – when I will give you the result. Good night. Yours D.W.Norton
[Finally, there was a P.S., in pencil, in the left margin of the last page.]
We whipped Bragg and are going to chase him I will write when we get back. DWN. Nov. 26 (4 a.m.)
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Head Quarters 14th Army Corps. Chattanooga Tenn. Dec 3rd 1863
[in the upper left corner of the first page, diagonally, in small writing] Mollie, – Dear – I am aware that there are many mistakes in this letter – but if I undertake to correct them I know I should burn the letter instead of sending it to you. Please excuse me this [wavy underline] time – and I’ll be sure to do worse [wavy underline] next time.
Yours, D.W.N.
[Next is the body of the letter in its current entirety.]
My Dear Mollie
Your tremendous letter of Nov. 7th was received, – as I wrote in my last. – just upon the eve of a battle. In that last letter I told you that we had whipped Bragg and that I was unhurt. I also promised to give you a description of the battle but now that I undertake the task I find it almost impossible for me to express in words the impressions made upon my mind be the terrible but splendid spectacle!
On the twenty-third ultimo all the troops in Chattanooga were ordered out in front of the fortifications, ready for battle; – while one Corps – the 4th was to make a reconnaisance towards the enemy’s position at the foot of Missionary Ridge. The 4th Corps was successful and gained all the rebel out-works. The fight was short – but sharp. Upon learning the exact position of the rebels, it was decided to attempt to drive them away. The troops that were out in line were ordered to remain and hold the ground they had gained, and all the rest of the Army, or rather, of the three Armies, were ordered into position for a grand trial of strength and skill on the morrow.
Gen. Hooker with part of a Division of the 4th Corps and Osterhaus’ Div. of Sherman’s Army, was assigned the duty of taking Lookout Mountain on the right of our lines. – Gen. Sherman with Howards Corps (the 12th) was to turn the rebel right flank – (our extreme left) and the old Army of the Cumberland was to fight in the centre and attack Mission[ary] Ridge. Hooker and Sherman had some fighting to get into position before the great battle could be begun. It took Hooker all day to take “Lookout”. The sight was grand and soul stirring – to see those gallant fellows fighting foot by foot – inch by inch for that mountain. As we in the centre had nothing to do until Hooker was on the mountain; we had a grand chance to see a battle without being in it. We stood on the parapets of Fort Thomas and watched the progress of the fight through our [field]glasses. We could almost tell when each man was hit! Although the fight was between two and three miles from us, – still every thing on the mountain side was distinct and clear. Slowly but steadily our flag was advanced up the hill and around the point, – the rebels as slowly but surely losing ground and victory. Our heavy artillery in the forts was all the time helping Hooker by shelling the woods on the hill side which sheltered the villianous “grey backs”. Hooker continued to drive the traitors up-up, until at last a heavy cloud of fog settled down around the top of the mountain and hid the rest of the fight from our view. By the middle of the after-noon Hooker had gained sufficiently on the rebels to give us room to send a brigade to his assistance and Gen. Palmer moved Gen. Carlin’s Brigade down to the foot of the mountain and left me to help get it across Chattanooga Creek – which only separated it from the mountain side. It took until just dark to get the Brigade over there being only one small flatboat to ferry across the creek with. All this time Hooker and the rebels were fiercely contending in the clouds above us. The men and officers were all anxious to get over to assist the gallant boys from the Army of the Potomoc! All rivalry or hard feelings between the eastern and western armies had been “rubbed out” by the splendid fighting of Hooker’s men! Our men acknowledged that the eastern army fought hard and bravely if they did not gain so much ground as the western army. Our boys were anxious to take the ‘Potomoc’s’ by the hand and help them in their hard job. We also felt that time was precious for Gen. Hooker signaled over to Gen. Palmer that his men were getting out of ammunition and the General had answered that he was coming over to him with a brigade and a supply of ammunition. Our men knew, from experience, that Hooker’s men would count the minutes until they arrived to help them and better than that in their minds, until we could bring them ammunition. Nothing appears to worry a soldier while he is fighting but the fear that he will not be able to get a supply of ammunition when he most needs it, and that he may have to give up all the advantages gained by hard fighting in consequence.
At last our brave boys were over and moved up on Hooker’s left flank and you could easily tell when they reached the scene of combat, – for with a yell and a volley each regiment threw itself upon the rebels, as it came up on the line and for about half an hour the fighting was truely terrible – but we could easily tell from the firing and cheers of our men that they were steadily driving the rebels before them. This fight was magnificent; you could not see a man on that mountain side – it had become so dark – but the flash of every shot was plainly visible and the roar and rattle was terrific!
At last the noise of battle lessened and finally died away and all was stillness upon that mountain side – so lately the scene of savage warfare! Now the camp fires of the opposing armies began to appear and soon the whole mountain was covered with the cheerful glare! And those weary soldiers threw themselves upon the ground and slept as quietly with their accoutrements on and their muskets in their hands, as they would have done had they been in their comfortable beds at home! None but those whose duty it was to guard their comrades sleep were awake. It is ten o’clock – and suddenly a shot is fired – and then another and another in quick succession, and every man springs to his place in the line! Their quiet sleep and pleasant dreams of home are all forgotten and they stand their stern – savage men – ready to meet the foe and guard their country and its laws, with their lives if need be! What a change those few shots on the Picket line has worked in the appearance of that Army! But a moment since, – all was peace and happy dreams of friends at home! – now all is still-stern manhood! That stillness lasts but a moment! – The faithful pickets come slowly back towards the line of battle – disputing every foot of the ground and compelling the enemy to advance with caution – thus giving their comrades who were so lately asleep, time to get ready for the fight. – At last all is ready and the pickets are ordered to take their places in the line.– “Ready”! passes quickly from mouth to mouth – in low-stern tones. “Fire by file.” – “Commence firing”! – And all is wild with the roar of battle! The battle rages with unabated fury for half an hour! – The enemy begins to weaver [waiver]! – they hesitate – “Forward”! sounds in terrible tones along our lines and with a yell of victory our gallant boys throw themselves fiercely upon the enemy and drive him from the mountain side! The noise of battle again dies away and again the weary soldier is asleep as quietly as a child!
Mollie, I was not in this night battle myself, but could see it from the first shot to the last from my post at Fort Negley – where I was on the watch to report any movement on the part of the enemy. It almost seemed as though I could hear the orders given – although I was more than two miles from the field! By the light of the moon and the flash of the guns, I could follow every movement as well or even better than if I had been there.
All was quiet from now till morning. After day light when Hooker advanced he found that the rebels had finally given up Lookout and we learned from deserters – scores of whom came in during the morning – that Bragg had drawn his whole army over to the fortifications around Mission[ary] Ridge.
Hooker was now ordered to follow the rebs, across Chattanooga valley and strike them on their left flank by going around by way of Rossville. The rest of the line from the centre to Hooker was moved round parallel to Mission[ary] Ridge. It took Hooker until afternoon to get into his new position. Meanwhile – Sherman, on our extreme left had begun his work at about 8 o’clock in the morning and was fighting desperately all day. Many an anxious glance was thrown towards the part of the ridge where Hooker was to make his assault and all were anxious for the time to come, for all wanted to go to the assistance of Sherman’s brave fellows! At last orders were given for our lines to move up nearer to the rebels and for our skirmishers to drive the rebels into their long lines of entrenchments at the foot of Mission[ary] ridge. It was gallantly done, and Gen. Baird’s Division of 14th Corps (ours) was ordered to assault the enemies works to create a diversion in favor of Hooker who could be heard opening his part of the game. Gallantly those noble men charged across the open field which separated them from the enemy, amidst a perfect storm of shots and shells! They have taken the entrenchments! Here they were ordered to stop. But – no. the balls were flying too thick! They could not stop and live! And absolutely without orders they charged on up the hill! A thrill of anguish past through every frame! “They are lost”! cries Gen. Grant – “Send the whole corps after them”! But long before the order could be carried to the anxious troops – a shout that shook the earth went up from those devoted comrades and forward they rushed upon what seemed to be inevitable destruction! Onward and upward sped those intrepid soldiers! Backward fly the astonished and frightened rebels! Oh! how beautiful those stary flags looked as they fluttered up that steep mountain side covered with bristling bayonets and cannon! What an anguish of suspense we endured, who stopped at the foot of the hill and watched our lines getting nearer and nearer to the top where the final – fierce and bloody struggle must take place! Now the wounded begin to come down! Not, however, crying and groaning with the pain of their wounds – but exulting in the glory and honor they had won on that bloody hillside! No uninjured comrades help their wounded fellows to the rear! No! as long as a man can climb, he must push on for the glorious end – which all now plainly see. – No[w] the top is gained! Do they pause to await the arrival of their slower comrades? No! every man pushes forward into the very mouths of the fierce cannon and with a cheer slay – capture or drive away the rebel artillerists! The enemy, completely “dumb foundered” – fly and our victorious boys start down the hill after them! The victory – the most glorious of the war – is ours! Now rise the soul stiring cheers that tell of gallant deeds accomplished! – “Say, Major, we’ve got 3-4 or 6 – guns how many have the others got?” and such remarks greet every staff officer as he rides swiftly along through the disordered ranks. Yes – we’ve got not only 6 but 56 guns and countless numbers of prisoners and the enemy is every where fleeing in disgrace and terror from the hills they boasted the “yankees” could never take!
Look at those rough men, fondling over those great-grim – cannon – that were so lately sending thousands of messengers of death through their ranks, – as though they were pet children They smile in one another’s face with that happy – exultant smile which can only be imagined by one who knows what difficulties those men had just overcome – and a smile which cannot be described by anyone!
[With just light editing, there are hidden haiku throughout here. For example: “look at those rough men/fondling great-grim cannon/as though pet children”]
Now the different natures or dispositions of the officers and men became evident! Some were wild with joy and cheered, hugged and pounded one another like a lot of maniacs! others shook hands in silence – their feelings being too strong for words! Others stood soberly looking around upon the living, the wounded and the dead and appearently thanking the God of battles for their safty! The [scene?] was very impressive but there is more yet to do and a staff officer must not let the grass grow under his horses feet! Now began the task of getting order from chaos! – All these scattered troops must be quickly got into order to be ready to make good what they had gained if the enemy should try to recover by a night attack! It was now, fast becoming night and as fast a division was rallied and put into its proper place in line the camp fires begin to blaze and every thing becomes quiet excepting those who are sent with the ambulances to gether up the wounded.
Day light again! And all is bustle and excitement! “Why don’t they let us go after them”? ask the men. “If we don’t start pretty soon they will get away,” and the like expressions of impatience. Mean while Rations and ammunition are being distributed and as soon as each division is supplied it starts in pursuit of the flying foe. Hark! Sherman is at them on the left! He has caught their rear guard and is adding another incentive to their hasty march in the shape of shells and cannon balls! The chase is fairly begun and continues all day – with, every now and then, a sharp but short fight with some troops left in some good position to stay our march. It is only a moment and they are again forced to fly – leaving dead, wounded and prisoners in our hands.
At last they crossed the Chic[k]amauga and set fire to the bridge and after marching about two miles on the Ring[g]old road they stopped to rest and built fires to warm themselves. They were safe now until morning for the yankees could not rebuild the bridge and follow any further during the night! But they could though! And did! And while the Rebel rear guard was cosily sitting around their fires and congratulating themselves over the yankee discomforture, Gen Palmer had got one Brigade over the Chickamauga at another point and was silently getting it in line in the woods not a 100 yards from the rebels! – Now all was ready, and word was given to charge at the “double–quick” without firing! The charge was gallantly made in the dark and the first the rebs knew of their danger was to find the yankees in possession of their battery – four guns and four caissons – horses and all! The lord bless us! What a scatterment of rebels! What a skeddadle! All is confusion for a few moments and then silence again raigns in those woods! A full battery and 250 prisoners is the result of that little game! And we move on towards Greyville. Our skermishers get to the bridge in time to save it from destruction and we lay down to sleep by our fires.
In the morning we move on towards Ringgold and skermish with the enemy all the way. – At Ring[g]old we have a very sharp battle of an hours duration when the enemy again runs. At this place we stop for a few days and then the army slowly returns to Chattanooga. Thus end[s] the story of Mission[ary] Ridge. I could write pages of incidents, gallant deeds &c &c – but fear I have already written rather a fierce, war like letter for a young lady to receive? But you must remember that it is all your own fault! I would not write if you didn’t permit me to!
Now we’ll drop war and answer your little note of only twelve pages – But then your twelve pages were on note paper! It isn’t fair . . . [Norton’s letter was on full-size sheets.]
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There apparently was more to this letter, as Norton had not signed off after “It isn’t fair,” which was written at the very bottom of a page. However, there were no other pages in the ALPL collection that represented a conclusion to the rest of this letter. Nevertheless, there are plenty of previous pages filled with descriptive writing for the rest of us to appreciate as readers of other people’s latter-day mail.
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Pankey, Thomas L. (added 20 October 2019)
The following quotation appears on pages 85-6 in the book:
Shepherdsville, Kentucky, November 28, 1862, to wife, Sallie
I want you to write me agood long Letter and let me know how every thing is getting along and let me know how Andersons are getting along wheather they have done all of the work they had to do tell me if George Phillipp is mooved or not and let me know the news in general and all about all the folks that I am acquainted with not that I have any particular love for all of them but I should like to know what they are doing and how they are getting along tell James Pankey [Thomas’s younger brother, about 19 years old at the time] to write me aletter tell he need not be affraid I cant read his writing
—Corporal Thomas Pankey, 91st Infantry, Greene County
In the above, I have included an additional line (shown in italics) from my transcriptions.
I used this particular, slightly augmented quotation at the “Grand Book Launch” to illustrate that letters represent private conversations between correspondents. There is a certain frankness and honesty that is difficult to find among historical resources other than in personal letters.
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Smith, William A. (added 7 June 2020)
On 29-30 June 1862, Sergeant William A. Smith wrote a thoughtful, heart-felt letter to his wife, Mary, which included an answer to her earlier question of “how Slavery looks with the naked Eye.” A partial version of his answer is on pages 148-9 of the book. Immediately below is a somewhat longer version of his answer, written 30 June, to Mary.
Decatur, Alabama, August 30, 1862, to wife, Mary
you ask me to tell you “how Slavery looks with the naked Eye” now it would take more time than I can spare today, to tell you how it looks a Soldier has a very Poor chance to learn much of the good or evil of any such a thing only so far as such things fall under his own immediate observation you Remember that I once wrote to a friend in a Slave state, to know his views upon the Practical working of Slavery, you well remember his answer
I will not give you such an answer, I have no fears of committing my thoughts to Paper
Now to the Question, “How does Slavery look to the naked Eye”? The Shortest answer that I can give and express myself upon the subject is that it looks many times worse than I ever imagined; it is true, that I have never saw the lash across the backs of old men and Grey headed women—but I have seen men and Plow, hoe, chop and maul rails, with not enough clothing on them to hide their bodies—I have saw Pregnant Women (as I have commenced I will tell part of it at least) at the hardest work, with only an excuse for a Shirt and short Petticoat on—both Ragged and torn in all possible ways when it would seem that they was on the very eve of confinement
I have seen Dozens of men Women and children at the different kinds of work under a white man that was almost as ignorant as the Slaves he drove—I have seen one Woman that has tended Eighteen acres of corn an[d] suckled an infant that was born after she commenced to break the ground— I have seen a young wife, modest and nice, walking along the Street, a slave Woman walking close behind her carrying the first born of her modest mistress —look at their figures, it is very nearly the same see their backs, o, says one they are both alike, look at their gait it is nearly the same—examine their features, look close—they certainly resemble ask the young mistress where she got her slave, she tells you that she was a wedding gift from her Father—the secret is out, they are half Sisters look at them again, they favor in every feature and action—the only difference is in the color—Great God! Who is Responsible for this sin—is it the Abolitionists of Illinois, or is it the Amalgamationists in Mississippi or Alabama? Such cases are not rare—I have saw it in Missouri, Tennessee, Miss, and Alabama . . .
Such is Slavery as seen by me with the naked Eye, and yet even the Slave owners themselves tell us that the slaves along our lines are allowed to do as they please since our army came here, and that they are treated much worse farther south—I had intended to not write any thing about Slavery in any of my letters and would not have done so now if you had not asked me to do it.
Should I ever be permitted to return home I can show you some facts that I have collected in regard to Slavery, which I have not time to write to you now.
[further in the letter, William answers another question that Mary had asked]
your question “What do you think of the Citizens &c. I do talk with the Citizens every chance that I have there is some very intelligent men and women in the southern states
one man that I talk with here is a noted Politician and member of the Alabama Legislature he is a States Rights man and can quote Richardson (of Ills) Vallandigham and Olds of Ohio, as well as Uncle Ross can the Bible by the way you will see that Olds is arrested and in Military Limbo this man here draws more consolation from Richardson and Co, of the North than he does from all the sayings of the Leaders of the Southern Confederacy
He says the Whole People both North and South are to blame for the present Rebellion he denies however that it is a Rebellion he says it is Nullification by the north and blames the President Buchannan for not enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law
he says that this War will end in a Military Despotism He says that Douglas Turned Abolitionist before he died he says that Richardson said in a Speech that the Democracy of the north would not help Subjugate the South nor fight for an Abolitionist President that Richardson said that the war was commenced by the President to Free the Slaves in the Southern States
[the letter continues and later in last page margin, sideways . . .] [drawn hand pointing to the right] Charlie says fo you to burn this without reading it
—Sergeant William A. Smith, 7th Cavalry, Marion County
A complete transcription (which may, in overlapping portions, vary slightly from mine, above) can be found in the following online resource document:
Immediately below, I have roughly reproduced the first two pages from this document.
CIVIL WAR LETTERS
Of
William A. Smith
And
Genealogy
David W. Thomson III
With Special Thanks to:
Marion Brimberry
Melvin & Carol Wood
Mike Harris
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Introduction
William A. Smith was a native resident of Marion County, Illinois up to the time of the Civil War. His letters to his wife Mary contain a wealth of information about the people from Marion County and the people who fought in the war, on both sides, and gives names and places where events took place. William saw slavery for the first time in his life and gives a brief account of what he witnessed. The collection of William’s letters comes together like a novel, filled with suspense, emotion, human frailty, and tragedy.
Genealogists and Civil War historians will find these letters to be a treasure of mundane information including prices for clothing and food, a soldier’s inventory, the types of plants grown on family farms, and the attitudes of our ancestors more than 150 years ago. It is interesting to see how William’s view of slavery dramatically evolves within one year, during 1862.
These letters were given to me by Marion Brimberry of Alma, IL with the request to type them up and make them available on the Internet. Marion Brimberry received copies of the letters from Carol Wood of Sandoval, IL. I don’t know where the originals are or who first transcribed them.
There were obvious typographical errors in the letters I typed from, plus there were obvious grammatical errors from the originals. When appropriate, the typographical errors were corrected and generally the grammatical errors were left unchanged. There is also the likelihood of additional errors input by me. In particular, the misspelled word “waggon” was left as it appears in the letters I received.
The genealogical information that follows was provided by Melvin and Carol Wood and is available online at Rootsweb WorldConnet as simcox-wood.
I hope you will enjoy these letters as much as I did. Included in this document are a full Table of Contents and a fairly thorough Index. If you’re like me, you’ll want to go back and investigate some of the letters in greater detail.
This document is free to the public domain. But if you would care to donate $1 as a token of your appreciation, it would go a long way to encourage future publications of this nature for genealogical and historical research. Using the PayPal “Make a Donation” button at the Thomson Genealogy website or sending cash or check can make donations to the author. If you haven’t opened a PayPal account before, you will receive a $5 bonus from PayPal just from signing up. Not only that, but the author will also receive a $5 bonus for referring you, making the donation mutually beneficial. There are no fees for opening a PayPal account.
www.thomson-genealogy.com
David Thomson
518 Illinois St.
Alma, IL 62807
Civil War Letters of William A. Smith and Genealogy, David W. Thomson III, 2003
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