Private James A. Little Letter

Private James A. Little enlisted in Company D, 51^st North Carolina on April 26, 1862 at age 25. He served with his brothers, Duncan and Gilbert, in the Scotch Tigers until the end of the war (or at least until the Tigers went home on April 25, 1865). The letter below is part of the Catherine McGeachy Buie Papers, Rubenstein Library, Duke University. Images of the original letter are in the Catherine McGeachy Buie online exhibit, Folder 1863, Scans 183-186.

Transcribed by Kirk Ward.

Camp of the 51 Regt N. C. Troops

June the 3^rd 1863

Miss Sallie McGeachy

Dear friend with pleasure

I resume my seat to drop you a few lines that will

inform you that I am yet living and in

tolerable good health I take this as a pleasure

of answering the verry kind letter that I received

from you when I was on James Island S. C.

Sallie I have writ the saim thing so mutch

from this encampment and since I came from

home it is the saim thing I dont hardly know

what to Say but I must try and find some

thing to fill this paper up, we ar now in camp

Near the Sounds Some eight miles from ~~the~~

Wilmington in a verry nice pine grove it is

a verry pleasant place to Stay at, we ar refresht

during the day by a cool Sea brease we have

verry dri wether hear as much so as it was when

I left home I am in hops when I hear from the

neighbor hood of St Pauls and L. B. [Lumber Bridge] that there has

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fell good rains afer leaving you on Tuesday

eavenin we came through Saif the boys all

apperd to be in fine Spirit if I knew who

your Sweete hart was I could tell you something

a bout him and how he is and so fourt but

as I know him Not I cant guess and write

at the saim time if I am rong thinking he

is a tigar you must tell me when you write

and exscuse me for what I Said Sallie I sean

Some fun last night though it was dangerous

I had to Laugh after we all lay down for rest

ever thing had became still a grait many of

the boys fell a Sleepe ther was verry hevey canon

ading begin out on Sea Some of the boys that

that hird the first canons fell a Sleep also a bout

the time the canonading ceast I fell a sleep my

Self every thing was going on in order I did not

slumber long when I was woke by a man

crying out get up boys get up help get out from

ther fiar fiar help take the cloths out fiar fiar

I got up and looked and the tent looked like if it

[page 3; paper is missing on the lower left side]

was one half on fiar it was verry clost to the

tent whair I Slep but if the whole camp had

bin on fiar I Should a laugh at what I sean and

hird but the best part is not told yet the

boys that fell a Sleep before the canonading ceast

though when they woak and hird the fus that

the yankeys had throwed Shell in to the

Camp and Set it on fiar Some otherers thought

the yankeys had landed and was in to the

Camp befor they wer found out and that

it was an alarm to wake the men but to ther

Supprise it was a tent that caught fiar in camp

[TORN] close to the tent to run

[TORN] the men said the

[TORN] after the tent

[TORN] Something to Say

[TORN] king you to

[TORN] d Spelling

[TORN] friend

[TORN] A. Little

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P. S. I will Send you the vows

of Separation as Soon as I can

Get the ballot.

J. A. L.