Private Daniel McG. Currie Letters

Daniel Currie was 21 years old when he enlisted as a private in the Scotch Tigers (Co. D, 51st North Carolina). He served in the company with three of his brothers: Francis, Gilbert and Randal. Currie was wounded at Drewry’s Bluff, resulting in the amputation of his leg. He was retired from service a few months later.

Currie’s letters are part of the Catherine McGeachy Buie Papers in the Rubenstein Library at Duke University. Images are available in the online exhibit of the Buie papers (folder/image #): 1863/57-58, 93-96, 245-248, and 273-276. Transcripts by Kirk Ward.

Camp Whiting Near Wilmington NC February the 5 1863

Miss Catherin Mcgeachy

Dear Miss Kate it

Is with pleasur tha I seate my self to write

you a fu lines for the firste time in my

lif I thought I wod write yu a few line

since it was cloudy and a raine a little two

I in the firste place I am well and hearty

and I hope this may finde you and all the

reste of the famly in good health the health

of the company is prety good we have some

sick bute knote meny causin Daniel A Mc

googen and S J Cobb tha ar in the Hospital

in Wilmington tha ar giting better I think

Tha will soone be well you brother is well

and hearty all of the Lumber Bridge boys

is well only them that ar sick in the

Hospital Thair is knote much news asturing

aboute know thair is knot much news

[TORN] at this time I gess you

[TORN] aboute the [?] as I dou

[page 2]

Well Miss Kate I gess you wode like to

hur how Mr A M Currie is a giting

a longe but I exspect you hurs frome

him prety often iny how bute he is well

and hearty well I donte know heardly

know whate els to write I hurde since

a weak ar too thate all of the ole bachler

and widowes was again to gite maried

I dide knote hur whar tha was gaine

to mary I hurd that Daniel Shaw

Daniel Mc Eachen and Malcon T Currie

Daniel Sinclear Peter Monroe is all

a gaine to gite maried and I exspect tha

will have a fine time at it so Miss Kate

I beleave I must come to cloas

you must excus my sharte letter and

I will trie and dou better the nex time

pleas xcus me pleas dont let eny body

sea this bad writen letter and spellinge

so write soon and give [TORN]

news from you friend D.

Camp on James island Near Carleston

south Carolina March the 14 1863

Miss Cathrin Mc Geachy

Dear friend

I take this as optuniety of writing

you a fu lines to annser you kinde

letter wich came to hand a weeak

ar to a go and I have delaide till

know to annsier it and I hope you will

excus me for note writing to you sooner for

I was a moving aboute so much till

I [?] furgarte it till this time I

hope you will excuse me for note writing soone

if you donte I cante tell you what I shawl

gite round to gite of well Miss Kate I

am well and hearty and I hope this may

find you well and hearty the health of

the company is prety good we have some

few that ar sick but note dangears well

I must tell you that I have scean some

[page 2]

write smarte of the cuntery since I have

left ole North Carolina I have seen some

write smarte of south Carolina bute

I dont think I like to stay heer as

Well as I dide at Wilmington bute we was

ordard to savannah gorgia and I was

ber well satifide thair I think it is

a heap beter place to stay at than

heer I think it is healther thair than

hur I donte beleave this place is

is bere healthery ~~than~~ I think I was

bery well satifide at savannah gr

while I stade thair the city of savannah

is a write prety place and prety large

but it is note as large as the city of

charleston but it is the pretis place but

this place is a bere large town well

Miss Kate I haren no news that wade

interreste you a tall for this is the [?]

[page 3]

place for news thar is note much wair news

a sturing I dont beleave the yanks will

trie to tak this place for if tha know what

I dust ha hade beter [?] ~~them~~ a lone for if

tha dus I think tha will gite the worste

whipin that tha ever gite but I may be

mistaking in it bute it is heard to

tell whate tha may doo for tha ar so

cunin tha may come in some whear well

Miss Kate I beleave I muste change

The subgect and trie and find somthing

els to write a baute you speak somthing

aboute my giting valintines I have

note receive a wan and I was alooking

for some bute it was in bain I

wade lik to larne thair names for

I am a goin to write them and april

fool when it will come well Miss Kate

how meny dide you gite I think

you ~~will~~ gite a heap of them if I

[page 4]

cood see a straite donte you think so

you self well Miss Kate I doo wante learn

thair names bere bad indead pleas tell

me whoo tha was I donte heardely know

what its to write a boute the boys is all

a bothrin me so I donte know what els

to write I gess you wade lik to heer

from you ole sweate heart he sendes his

respect to yaw [?] and [?] [?] as [?]

tine his nam is Mr Wiiam Council

I gust know you wad lik to heer from

him bere much so I beleave that is all

I have gute to say about Mr Archy M is well

and hearty so I will bring this letter to cloas

pleas excus bade writing and spelling for I am

note a good penismen nor I cante spell

good other so write soon and give me all the

news Diret you letter to Charlston south

Carolina so far well my dear friend

I am as ever you friend D McG Currie

To Miss Catherin McGeachy

Sulivanes Island Charleston SC

Miss Cathrin McGeachy Sept the 24 1863

much and esteam

friend I seat my self this morning to

annser your kind letter wich came to hand

scome time a go wich I ought to have

annserd some time a go but did not as

I have no excus have shall I excus myself

I cant tell how must I tell you a big

stoary and git off that way as have will

I git clear of it tell you the truth and

be ohnest about it I was out of money

and stampes and I cod not stand to

frank my letter so that is my excus for

not writing to you sooner so I hope

you will not be mad with me for not

writing to you sooner I will chang the

scubject and tell you that I am in

good health but have ben a little sick

since I came to this place but not bad sick

turn if you can read it

[page 2]

I hope this may reach you in fine

health I have a heape of news to tell

you but it is so old I no you have

hured of it befor now in the first place

we as hur at this place tha call Charleston

and it is one of the places I dus

despise above all other place this place

is not a saft place now thair is

tue meny thing hur tha shell and bumbs

I dont like them sorte stranger at

all well I will tell you that I have

had the plesur of being in a fight

I think I got some of the yanks

at battry wagner when we slid them

at such a rait fiting is not what

pepel thought it was it ent no fun

at all we slaid the yankes that night

Shaur but it ent worth my while for

me to be a writing it to you for

you have hurd it long since so I

will now tell you the news at

present not much at all the

[page 3]

yankes has ben bery still for some

time tha have not shell us in too wee

akes I think tha ar a waiting for

thair battres on Morris Island tha

ar bilding up battres and mannterin

big guns one the Island the fleat

still stayes a way of I dont

think tha will tri this place

eny more till tha will git ready

one the island well I will nauw

tell you how we fair we gites a

plenty to eat as it dus since tha

dus have no one duty most all the tim

we will leave this island in the morning

we ar a gon done one longs Island

to stand picket duty our hole regiment

will go thair ent no yankes on the

Island as we no of but we ar a goine

thair to kept them off if tha wod com

to land it is a splend place I beleave

so I will now chang the subject

and come to [?] I want to

[page 4]

to no who that prety lady was

that scent hody to me I wod lik bere

much to no so I cod scend houdy to

hur you must lette me no what it is for I

wantes to no pleas lette me no hur nam you

must give hur my best respect love and houdy

and every thing that is good dont forgt

at all I wanted to no hur nam ples tell hur

to send hur nam to me all so tell Miss Carrie

that I was not pouting at all only I was

a little mad becaus I was out of stampes don’t tell

hur so I wod like bere much to a ben with you

and Miss Carrie and All for I no I wod had a little

fune give them my best respect and a

heape of good thing well Miss Kate I must

come to cloas pleas excus bad writing and spelling

please Aceppt my best and kindest

wishes so I will remain you tru friend [?]

[?] you truly give my respect to all

the ladies and kept a pations for you self

you truly Daniel

you must lette me no whou that was that sent

hody to me give hur my best wishes and all

that is good writ soon Direct your to charlston

S C cair of capt McDonald Co D 51 reg

NCT Clingmans Brigade

Sulivanes Island Charleston S. C.

Miss Cathrin McGeachy Nov the 9 1863

Most esteam

friend I have taking my seeat to writ

you a few lines this moring to awnser

your kind letter wich I was more than

glad to received and to learn that you

was enjoying the best of health your letter

found me well and hearty and leaves me in

good health and I truley hope this may reach

you in the best of health well Miss Kate

you wod like to haer of the news and I ent

got a single bit that is [?] [?]

but I must give you the news of the day

as fair as I now in the first place

tha have brangd us back to sulivines

Island whear we now is I did not lik to com

at all but we must go whear thair is nead

for us we ar in camp at the loer end of the Island

in the sand hills I dont lik the camp too [?]

for the best but it will do so I will turn over

[page 2]

Well Miss Kate the yankes has ben shauting and

shelling fort sumiter for the last too weakest tha

dont hurt it much at all if eny thing made it

stronger thair was not much harme dune to the

fort thair was some few men kill and som wounder

but not meny I gess you have seean it is the paper

before now tha dus shaut the fort a little [?] but

not much tha ar about [?] [?] tha throw

a shell at it to kept our men from work one [?]

tha have not tried eny of the other fortes yet but

we have ben looking for and attack one forte

moultory for some few day back but tha have

not tride it yet I dont know wether tha will tru

it ar not but I exspect tha will try us befor

[TORN] it up yet I think we ar abel a

nuf to kept them back from Charleston a while

yet I dont think tha will get it soon if tha dus

it will surpries me shaur for we arb ere well fix

for them now I dont think tha cain tak it at

all so I beleave that is all I can say about them

tha shell fort simmiter from morries Island and the monitor

so that is all I can say about them this tim so I

will find somthing els to writ about

so turn

[page 3]

Miss Kat you said that some folks thinks that

six mor months will us peas I wish it mite be

so for I wod be so glad but I am a fread that six

month will be long a gaine by but if we can

hold this place I think tha will be peas prety soon

as I hope tha will well I will change the subject

Miss Cathrin you seeames to think I no

who that was that scent hody to me I did not

no who it was but I kept a gessing but I cod

not gess the writ one so I did not no who it was

I think you ar a head of me now for I dont no

of eny lades done thais you must tell me who she

is for I dont now who it is Miss Ann I dont no

hur at all but you must give Miss Ann my respect

and so on so I will leave that that subject only I

wod lik tu find out the rest of the nam and maby

I wod no who it is and if she is a gaine to school

or not well Miss Kat you said that you had lost

too of you scholars tha run a way from chool and

gut maried and I wod lik to go to chool thais

shaur you wanted me to com over to you scholhous

for you taught I cod git one to rune a way

with me you had beates look out for maby I will

[page 4]

com ons thair some of thaiss days and steal one I exspe

ct the next news I will hur from you will be that

some body will com a long and tak the school mistrs

and run a way and get maried and leave all the

little childring a criing lik little chickings

I exspect that will be the cais shaur well Miss Kat I

Can seea my paper is giting scears and I must quit of my

mishevie and cum to cloas pleas don’t think heard of

my fun so I will cloas I ent gut no fun to writ things

is [?] and I dont hur of eny thing funey so I will cloas hoping

to hur from soon a gain give my respect to Miss Ann

and received the most for you self so I will

cloas hoping to hur from you soon pleas excus all Miss

stakes and writing and spellin writ soon and tell me

all the news you have so I will remain you

tru friend until death my respect and

the best wishes for you self you truly

D McG Currie

Give my respect to my friends ladies and good by

J D McGeachy is well and hearty