Civil War Letters

Alexander Grelier
9/20/18

Civil War Letters

Captain Charles M. Scott sends a letter to his wife, Anna on April 7, 1862. In this letter he speaks about a terrible and persistent attack that would most likely cause great loss on both sides. There are many wounded and dead men, but he believes his men will be able to hold their own. He sits down the next day and finishes the letter saying that he had undergone great deals of stress.

Hazard Stevens sends a letter to his mother Margaret Stevens on July 13, 1863 regarding the current status of his division in the military. He says that he is stationed and is waiting for a division of troops to be transported to Portsmouth, and hopes to escape going there.

Soldier James A. Sayles sends a letter to his sweetheart, Florence Lee, on May 15, 1864. He tells her about the start of his campaign, noting the many engagements with the enemy that he had experienced since the campaign opened.

Captain William McMicken sends a letter to his daughter Nellie on July 31, 1864. His daughter was most likely too young to read at the time, stating that her mother will likely read it to her. He tells her that he isn’t feeling great, he wishes he could see her, and speaks about a small slave boy he wants to take home if he is able to.

In the first letter I found, soldier William H. Smith sends it back home to his friends on April 9, 1865 about the stress of war on him and what was going on in battle in his past few days. He speaks on how he misses lots of things about home, even stating that he could sit down and have tea which is something he usually wouldn’t do. Throughout the letter explains to his friends that life on the battlefield is treacherous, but he is adapting quite well. This collection of letters written by five different soldiers during the Civil War depicts life on the battlefield, and the severity of every situation. In all of the letters, we can clearly detect the severe stress put on all soldiers, no matter if they are on the front lines at the time or not. All of the letters were written between 1862 and 1865, and provide evidence straight from the soldiers themselves on what life was like, speaking directly to their closest friends and family. These soldiers wrote home because they are aware that these close friends and family are worried sick, and are trying to let them know exactly how they are doing. While some like Captain Charles M. Scott seem to be very honest about the terrible things that are happening to and around them, some like soldier William H. Smith send letters home saying that they are adapting very well despite the extremities of war. This shows that what the soldiers are saying in the letters could be quite different from what they were actually experiencing. Most men at war know that death was very well possible at any time, and know that they might not be able to speak to their families again. Did the soldiers not tell their families the complete truth just to keep them from worrying? Was there more violence and stress than what was mentioned? Because of modern technology, it is much easier for a soldier to see and contact family if deployed at war. Is it easier or harder for a soldier in modern day to keep their families from worrying?

Sources

University of Washington, Civil War Letters Collection This website is where I found all of the letters used in this post!