Reddin Wilcox enlisted in Company E of the 51st North Carolina on February 22, 1862. Wilcox gave his age as 16 when he joined up, but he might have been as young as 13 years old. He was certainly no older than 14. Private Wilcox was captured at Cold Harbor and confined at Point Lookout. He was later transferred to Elmira, when that notorious prison camp was opened. Wilcox wrote the letter below while he was a prisoner of war. He died two months later, still a prisoner.
The images below were contributed by Thomas Brace. Transcribed by Kirk Ward.
[Envelope]
Postmark: “SEP 15 ELMIRA N.Y.”
Stamped: “PRISONER’S LETTER EXAMINED ELMIRA, N. Y.”
Miss Rosine M. Parmentier[1]
Care Mr. E. Bayer[2]
Tioga, –
Tioga Co.
Penn.
[Page 1]
Elmira, N. Y.
Sept. 12th 1864
My Dear Miss Permentier,
Your kind note of
the 7th was received, and I can assure you
welcomed this morning. There sometimes
occur moments in persons’ lives in which they
dwell with pleasure upon in after years; such
a moment occurred in mine this morning,
upon the perusal of yr. letter; it was so full
of tender feeling and kindness that, it actu-
ally endeared me to you and yr. family:
how could it have done otherwise? Unless ad-
dressed to one, dead to every touch of sentiment
and feeling. I received a letter from aunt Ellen
not long since, telling me that you were a
very particular of her’s, and desiring me to write
to you. I had been intending to do so for some
time, but procrastination became the thief of
my time, and hence you have never heard from
me. The articles which requested Mr. Muller to
[page 2]
procure have not yet reached me, but I attrib-
ute it to the cause you propose. You are doubt-
less acquainted with Mrs. Ellen Coxe of
Brooklyn? I received a most kind letter from
her a few days since stating that she hoped Genl.
Dix would allow her house to be my prison.
I sincerely hope that she may be successful
in procuring my parole, as I am not in the
army yet, being only sixteen. My aunt Ellen[3]
will be but too glad to hear from you, her ad-
dress is to the care of Wm. E. Hinton, Peters-
burg, Va. for altho’ she is not in the city at
present, yet she receives her mail from there.
Hoping this may reach you, believe me
yr. true but unknown little friend, who
about to forget to send his kindest regards
to yr. family, subscribes himself.
R. B. Wilcox.
Ward 20. Care Major H. V. Cobb.
Prison Camp, Elmira, N. Y.
NOTES
[1] Rosine Marie Ghislaine Parmentier (1829-1908), daughter of famed horticulturist Andre Parmentier.
[2] Edward Bayer, Rosine’s brother-in-law.
[3] Maybe Ellen Cox McGowan Hinton, William E. Hinton’s wife.
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