Anyone who has ever tried to accomplish an assigned task and hit a bureaucratic brick wall will appreciate the following letter. Those who served in the military will especially relate to Lieutenant Maurice’s predicament. Some things never change. Ordnance Office, Clingman’s Brigade, Sullivan’s Island, S. C., Nov. 12, 1863 [To:] Capt. Wm. F. Nance, A.… Continue reading Cover-Your-Ass Basics: Document and Escalate
Tag: Civil War Letters
“I don’t know what will become of me”: The James D. Williams Letters
An Unexpected Gift On Christmas Day, I received an unexpected and most welcome message from James Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence, a descendant of Private James Daniel Williams of Company I, has several letters written by his ancestor. He graciously sent scans of the letters to me. Notes on Transcription Transcribing the Williams letters took some effort.… Continue reading “I don’t know what will become of me”: The James D. Williams Letters
Application for Retirement to the Invalid Corps (Hall Letters #4)
Private John G. Hall, Company G, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops, was wounded at Petersburg on July 17, 1864. He was hospitalized in Richmond with a severe gunshot wound in the right shoulder. On August 5, 1864, Hall was sent home from the hospital on a medical furlough. By December, the wound was showing no… Continue reading Application for Retirement to the Invalid Corps (Hall Letters #4)
“It Would Revive Him Up” (Hall Letters #3)
Private John G. Hall, Company G, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops, was wounded at Petersburg on July 17, 1864. He was hospitalized in Richmond with a severe gunshot wound in the right shoulder. Captain Henry C. Rockwell, brigade Assistant Quartermaster, sent the following letter to Private Hall’s father. Petersburg Va July 26th 1864 Mr. W.… Continue reading “It Would Revive Him Up” (Hall Letters #3)
“One of the Most Awful Battles that Has Ever Been Fought” (Hall Letters #2)
John Green Hall enlisted as a private in Company C, 35th Regiment North Carolina Troops on September 12, 1861. He served with the Thirty-Fifth until May 31, 1864, when he transferred to Company G, 51st Regiment NCT. On the day that Private Hall wrote this letter, Union troops made an ill-advised frontal assault on dug-in… Continue reading “One of the Most Awful Battles that Has Ever Been Fought” (Hall Letters #2)
Private John G. Hall’s Account of the Fight at Drewry’s Bluff (Hall Letters #1)
John Green Hall enlisted as a private in Company C, 35th Regiment North Carolina Troops on September 12, 1861. He served with the Thirty-Fifth until May 31, 1864, when he transferred to Company G, 51st Regiment NCT. On the day that Private Hall wrote this letter, Confederate troops were pushing Benjamin Butler’s men out of… Continue reading Private John G. Hall’s Account of the Fight at Drewry’s Bluff (Hall Letters #1)
New Information from Anchram Evans’ Letters
(Updated 3/15/2023) The Letters Anchram Harris Evans served in Company G, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops during the War Between the States. He enlisted as a sergeant in January 1862 and served with the regiment until the end of the war. Anchram and his wife, Elizabeth, wrote to each other once or twice a week… Continue reading New Information from Anchram Evans’ Letters
The John J. Wilson Letters: A Summary
The Letters Private John James Wilson enlisted in Company B of the Fifty-First North Carolina on April 19, 1862. The 19-year-old Duplin County native listed his occupation as a farmer when he signed up for the war. Over the next year, Private Wilson regularly wrote to his mother, Amanda. Twenty of his letters survived; they… Continue reading The John J. Wilson Letters: A Summary
A Soldier’s Letter from Cold Harbor
The following letter was sent to the Fayetteville Observer by a soldier serving in the 51st North Carolina. The regiment suffered heavy casualties during an engagement with Yankee cavalry on May 31, 1864. The next day, the Fifty-First was almost completely surrounded, and 122 men were captured. McKethan’s boys were placed in reserve and didn’t… Continue reading A Soldier’s Letter from Cold Harbor