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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Genealogy > Letters, Diaries and Journals > A Confederate Letter Home |
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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Genealogy > Letters, Diaries and Journals > A Confederate Letter Home |
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| A Confederate Letter Home | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 02:23 pm |
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1st Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum 
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Dear Sister, Pickets don't fire at each other now. We go down to the edge of the river on our side and the Yankees come down on their side and talk to each other. The men on picket opposite are from Ohio, and seem very tired of the war. They say that their term of enlistment will be out in three months and most of them say that when it is out they are going home. Gen. Johnson has issued an order that there shall be no more communication between them, and I think it is well that he has done so because they were getting too intimate. Some men don't know what should be concealed. The Yankees are very much in want of tobacco, and our government gives it to us, and we used to trade tobacco with them for knives and canteens. There is a rock near the middle of the river to which they would swim and trade. After a while they got so well aquainted that some of our men would swim clear across and land among the Yankees. The Yankees were not so bold for a long time, but a few days ago they got to coming across also. That has been broken up now and if any trading is carried on, it is done contrary to orders. I took some tobacco down with me the other day but I found out when I got there communication had stopped. As I was sitting on the banks, one of the Yankees from the other side called to me to know if I had any tobacco. I told him I had. He said that he had a good knife to trade for it. I told him that trading was prohibited. He said "Your officers won't see you, come over, I want a chew of tobacco very bad." I asked some of them who they were going to vote for president. One of them said "Old Abe" but most of them saud they were for McLellan. We have a fine rain last night that was much needed. I had my oil cloth pitched for a tent but it leaks very badly. I got rather wet but the rain was very hard and lasted only a short time, and I got dry and went back to bed and slept very well. One of the Yankee Lieutenants promised to mail some letters for one of our officers and I wrote to Aunt Martha expecting to send it at the same time but Gen. Johnson stopped the proceeding so I did not send it. There is a force of Yankees on this side of the river and have been there for some time. Why Gen. Johnson don't drive them back I don't know he must have some object in view Write to me soon Yours truly (s)O.D.Chester July 15th, 1864 This is written exactly how I found it. The author seems very educated for the most part. I find the communication between the men and the river interesting. He speaks of it happening on a regular basis but only mentions one personal encounter of his own. It makes me wonder how much trading actually took place and how much of it was camp talk. I'm sure it did happen on occasion. The most I have heard about it is during the cease fire at Vicksburg. Fuller
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:05 pm |
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2nd Post |
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calcav Member
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Fuller, Great letter. Where did you find it? Calcav
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:25 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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Calcav, I'm glad you liked it. I found it very interesting. I am doing research on a realtive who fought for the Union cause. He was with the 78th Ohio. In doing the research, I found it necessary to take advantage of all possible links to info. This meant following the Conf side also. Looking up letters, diaries and any personal accounts available. Just with the shear hope of finding tid bits of history. It was months ago that I came across it online. I jotted it down in my research book. I prefer to find my info from books but I also have found the internet to be an invaluable source of information. Fuller
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:38 pm |
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4th Post |
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calcav Member
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Any background information on the soldier that wrote the letter? The contact between the soldiers has always fascinated me. Despite propaganda to the contrary, the individual soldiers did not real see the enemy as evil men. There was mutual respect.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:45 pm |
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5th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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Calcav, Sadly, no info was given. I know if there was, I would have written it down. All I know is that he was Confederate, his name and the date/place he was writting from. I would definately like to know who this man was and the regiment he was attached to. Fuller
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:47 pm |
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6th Post |
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calcav Member
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Fuller, I just did a search of the Soldiers & Sailors website and got a positive match on an O.D. Chester. He served in the 9th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry (State Guards). Calcav
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| Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 03:56 pm |
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7th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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Calcav, Sounds like I'm talking to the right person! Thank you for your research. I will jot that down and add it to my writtings. Fuller
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| Posted: Sun Jan 7th, 2007 12:51 pm |
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8th Post |
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Widow Member
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Fuller, thanks for that wonderful letter. How will future historians be able to study our wars and soldiers today? No letters home! Patty
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| Posted: Sun Jan 7th, 2007 02:43 pm |
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9th Post |
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ole Member 
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Excellent point, Widow! Mom's, Dads, Wives, Husbands -- run off hard copies! Ole
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| Posted: Sun Jan 7th, 2007 06:29 pm |
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10th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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Ole and Widow, When doing research on my relatives who were in the ACW, I have on many occasions thought "I wish I had some letters or journals. It would make my research easier and more personable". I know my gggrandpa who was in the 78th Ohio was educated and he had the abilities to write, he just didn't. His grandson, my grandpa, is still alive. My grandpa said the war was never ever brought up. It was the "don't ask, don't tell" topic in the house. I understand because of the brutality things were best forgotten. Now years have past and I'm trying to find more out about him. I wish there were letters. I am now friends with a Veteran of more recent wars. I have pushed him to put his memories and feelings down on paper. Those papers might not be read for generations to come, but somewhere down the line they will be appreciated. Fuller
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| Posted: Mon Jan 8th, 2007 03:43 am |
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11th Post |
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ole Member
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Fuller: Appreciate your efforts. What doesn't seem all that important now will be greatly appreciated a generation or two down the pike. I have a brother-in-law who participated in the Phillipines mop-up. Brought home a few souvenirs. Other than that, the extended family knows absolutely nothing about his experience. I've been prodding him to write down some stuff (primarily to add provenance and value to his souvenirs and make them more valuable to my sister who will certainly survive him) so his several children and grandchildren will have a tangible, personal exposure to WWII. (Well, I'd like to hear a little about it as well.) Have now watched for the second time a presentation on CSpan2 (book tv -- audible groan) by an author named (approximately) Wukovitz. He's an eight-grade teacher and he talks of the reluctance of veterans to tell their stories. One in particular told his children and grandchildren nothing of his experience because "no one really cares." So this author told that story to his eighth graders and asked for a written response. Some of the responses would have made your throat tighten up, if not actually sent you for a tissue. One particular response (major paraphrase here) was a young lady who said something like "I should live to realize my dreams and, in doing so, they will be realizing theirs." Most said something like "how can you say I don't care when I didn't know anything about it?" Tell the story.
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| Posted: Mon Jan 8th, 2007 04:03 am |
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12th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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Ole, Thank you so much for your reply. You put into words exactly what I have felt. There ARE others who would like to hear these stories. They did not go through what they did in vain. I feel it is a way to honor what they did live through and some died for. It amazes me how the ball keeps rolling as far as my own research. The Veteran I mentioned in a post above here persuaded me to talk to my Grandpa Fuller who was in the Navy during WWII. I had been so busy asking my grandpa about his grandpa in the Civil War that I never asked him about his own experiences. Once I did bring it up with him, the stories came flowing. I learned he was one of the first American groups to land at Nagasaki right after the bombs. Hearing his own descriptions is gut renching. He spoke of witnessing the Japanese dump their weapons in the sea and traveling past Pearl Harbor after the attack. I could go on and on. I do understand what you are saying ole. I could not agree more! Thank you. Fuller
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| Posted: Mon Jan 8th, 2007 05:33 pm |
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13th Post |
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Ann (factasy.com) Member 
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Great letter Last edited on Fri Jan 12th, 2007 06:47 pm by Ann (factasy.com) |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 10th, 2007 04:48 pm |
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14th Post |
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calcav Member
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Fuller, I'm still trying to find more information on O.D. Chester's unit. I came across a short bio of the battalion commander, Col./Major William Phillips. http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/PhillipsLegion/wmphillips.html
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| Posted: Wed Jan 10th, 2007 04:57 pm |
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15th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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I appreciate that calcav. I'm trying to coordinate dates and places to see if the Ohio men he was speaking about could have been my grandpa's group. I know my grandpa was part of the assults and crossing of the Chattahoocee from July 5-17, 1864 "On the 16th, they (78th Ohio) again moved to the extreme left and crossed the river above rebel lines, which was successful in flanking the enemy and causing them to retreat to the inner lines around the city." Thank you again for your help. It is much appreciated. I will look at the link you sent Fuller
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| Posted: Wed Jan 10th, 2007 04:59 pm |
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16th Post |
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calcav Member
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Another tidbit concerning the 9th Georgia Battalion of cavalry: 9th Battalion Georgia Cavalry, State Guards McDonald Battalion Maj. William Phillips Co. A Paulding Cavalry Paulding Raid Repellers R. W. Hamrick Paulding Co. B Marietta Cavalry George D. Rice Cobb Co. C Sweet Mountain Cavalry W. A. Austin Mace A. Mays Cobb Co. D Pickens Cavalry James Loveless Pickens Co. E Haralson Cavalry Haralson Minute Men R. A. Reid Haralson Co. F Breckenridge Cavalry Thomas R. Sheats Paulding This company was formed by dividing Co. A into two parts. This battalion was organized in August 1863 to serve for six months as local defense in the northern half of Georgia.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 12th, 2007 06:38 am |
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17th Post |
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Hellcat Person 
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Intresting letter. I knew trading did go on but I'd always thought it was tobacco for coffee. This shows they traded a lot more than I'd always thought.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 12th, 2007 03:27 pm |
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18th Post |
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ole Member
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Hellcat: That's what most of the stories center around. Consider that Johnny has tobacco but Billy doesn't have coffee. Or the opposite -- Billy has coffee but Johnny doesn't have tobacco (having traded it earlier for a pocket knife). A deck of cards. Candy. A tin cup. Anything the soldier could spare would be currency. Remember that Billy received pay and had access to sutlers; Johnny did not. Suspect that the swapping was more than a commercial transaction; there was an element of social curiousity as well. Ole Last edited on Fri Jan 12th, 2007 03:30 pm by ole |
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