A very Old School Christmas Letter OT (part 1)

[Don Coatney]

My G Grandfather William Curtis Morgan wrote this letter to his wife Mary Townsend Morgan on Christmas day 1863

[Don Coatney]

[John Burke]

Thanks fer posting that Don...I love civil war letters especially ones with great content.....John

[eric wissing]

Great letter. E-mail will be the end of much personal history.

[Chester Brzostowski]

Don,

Great letter.., Your Grandfather references “coperheads” (copperheads) a number of times in his letter. Do you know what he is referring to.? I especially like the political references to the upcoming presidential election. Who was “Old Wooly Horse” I know who Abe is. And I wonder why the confederates would prefer Lincoln over Old Wooly Horse.? Am I getting this correct.?

Thanks, Chet…

[Plymouthy Adams]

Copperhead

Term used during the American Civil War to describe a Northerner who opposed the war policy and favoured a negotiated settlement with the South. The term was first used in 1861 by the New York Tribune, referring to the copperhead snake that strikes without warning. Most Copperheads (also called Peace Democrats) were from the Midwest, where agrarian interests distrusted the growing federal power. The movement's leaders included Clement Vallandigham. Though the movement was unable to influence the conduct of the war, Republicans used the Copperhead label to discredit the Democratic Party.

[Chester Brzostowski]

Copperhead

Term used during the American Civil War to describe a Northerner who opposed the war policy and favoured a negotiated settlement with the South. The term was first used in 1861 by the New York Tribune, referring to the copperhead snake that strikes without warning. Most Copperheads (also called Peace Democrats) were from the Midwest, where agrarian interests distrusted the growing federal power. The movement's leaders included Clement Vallandigham. Though the movement was unable to influence the conduct of the war, Republicans used the Copperhead label to discredit the Democratic Party.

Very Interesting Tim.., Tks Chet...

[Don Coatney]

Don,

Great letter.., Your Grandfather references “coperheads” (copperheads) a number of times in his letter. Do you know what he is referring to.? I especially like the political references to the upcoming presidential election. Who was “Old Wooly Horse” I know who Abe is. And I wonder why the confederates would prefer Lincoln over Old Wooly Horse.? Am I getting this correct.?

Thanks, Chet…

Chet;

The terms copperhead and butternut (both slang and deragortory) were both used to describe southern simpathizers who live in the north during the civil war.

[bob westphal]

It's amazing that this letter has survived the years! There is so much of history that has been lost and changed. Most of us have no idea of what really was happening in those times due to mis-information by politicians and a politically correct media. It is through these priceless family treasures that we can know the true facts.

My great grandfather also fought in the Civil War. He was a scout with the

19th Kansas Calvary under the leadership of a Colonel by the name of Custer. Thankfully, he mustered out just before the famous episode in the Dakotas or I might not be here! He is listed as a "Trail Blazer" at Fort Bridger. Unfortunately his records were amoung those destroyed in a big fire. Hence, we know little about some of his exploits except what he passed down to his children and grand children.

Thank you very much for sharing this bit of history with us!

Bob

[Don Coatney]

I have a huge collection of old family communication including many civil war letters. For examples follow this link.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~inscott/Coatney.html

[Don Coatney]

Time to post this

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=1138&highlight=1863

[greg g]

Even though your ancestor had penmanship and language skills, few posses to day, I can't read it very well on the screen. It might be nice to have the more meaningful ones transcrbribed to text files, especially if you are going to share them. The original and the transcription could be presented together. Especially for the benefit of us with declining visual accuity.

I wonder how far that particular fellow made it in school. It was unusual to have a lot of folks get past 8th grade, let alone secondary school or college. He obviousl paid attention in his grammer classes.

[knighthawk]

What a great letter ! although I can't make it all out, it's always intresting, certainly ALOT longer than the ones I used to write ! I find it very intresting also to talk with someone that is, like, 80 or 90 years old, cause there is another whole life full of experiances you (I) may not be aware of. My nieghbor lady , for eample, 93, used to be a school teacher in the one room schoolhouse, has some great stories, also knows all her family history and pioneer stories as well. lot of fun to visit with.

[knighthawk]

I don't mean to 'highjack' your thread but, this may be a good place..... this 90 year old nieghbor lady I refferred to in the previous posts, was born on the place I now own, making this place 100 years old, like in 2012,. She said, as a 'young girl ' she was told of a store of some kind , on 'our ' property, next to the gravel road that goes by our place. And there is a place near the road that has foundation sized rocks, ground level, outlineing what would be a small building. BUT, there is no record anywhere of there ever being a store anywhere near here. When you stop to think....there's almost another 100 years in there unaccounted for that....who knows what happened ?

[Don Coatney]

Even though your ancestor had penmanship and language skills, few posses to day, I can't read it very well on the screen. It might be nice to have the more meaningful ones transcrbribed to text files, especially if you are going to share them. The original and the transcription could be presented together. Especially for the benefit of us with declining visual accuity.

I wonder how far that particular fellow made it in school. It was unusual to have a lot of folks get past 8th grade, let alone secondary school or college. He obviousl paid attention in his grammer classes.

I have transcribed several of his letters as seen below. I do not know how much education he had.

53rd IND on the Black River Tennessee

Dec the 2nd, 1863

Dear Mary,

I take my pen in hand again to scratch you a few line to let you know how I am getting along. We left Vicksburg on the 27th day of November and moved out here on Black river and the 23rd IND regiment came in our brigade and are camped by the side of us. Tom and the Boston Boys are all well. I was on picket last night and me and Thomas happened to get on the same post and stood together the first time after tha came in the brigade. I rote to you the 25th and sent you 5 dolars in the leter and promist to send 5 in this but our Sutler(?) was left back at Natchez so I will have to pay cash for every thing I get so I can’t well spair it I have always paid the Sulter(?) every pay day. But I don’t suppose you will need it if you get what I have sent. I want you to write how you are getting along and if you have money enough and be shure to write the name of the nearest express office. I have sent home 35 dolars out the last 52. I want you to write how much I have sent home in all I lost account.

Page 2

Pap has sold my horse to Nathan Charles for 75 dolars to be paid when Charles gets pay for the horse the union men took from him to chase Morgan out. Seargeant Burkey has gon home on a recruiting expedition. He took 15 dolars and a gun for me. He is going out to Paps to try to recruit in the vicinity. Linda Walkker rote to Wain Rodman and told him she got to waring a butternut Brespin. She said some of the boys didn’t like it and wanted to no if Wain thought it any harm to Wain one. Wain rote and told her he thought the Buternut color would suit her complexion very much. But told her she wore that she needn’t to write to him anymore. Well Mary I haven’t got any leter from you since we left Natchez. I am getting anxious to here from you. Well Mary I did think that I would’t write any love in my leters as you would want to lett the neighbors read them. But I am forced to exclaim in the language of the Reverant James Howell in his selebrated sermon at South Boston

Page 3

that if I don’t give in to my feeling I will bust wide open. But writing is a pore way for me to express my feelings for love cant be expressed with a pen. But I feel like if I had you in my arms I could tell you how well I do love you. When I lay down at night I think all our life over the many pleasant times we have had together and think how hapy we ought to have bin and how hapy we was then to what I am now. Well I make such a feeble attempt at telling my feeling I will quit for I recon you know me beter than I can describe my self and I don’t think I have ever give you any cause to doubt my love and affection for you and you may be shure that I love no less than I ust to. I hope I will get a leter from you next male. So fare well for the present.

W.C. Morgan

MONROE TOWNSEND’S DEATH

Camp near Vicksburg

June the 27th 1863

Dear Father,

I undertake the painful duty of informing you of the death of Monroe. He was killed in a charge on a fort on the 25th of this month. They had dug under the fort and placed several barrels of powder under it to blow it up and the colonel ordered the captains to detail 10 of the bravest men out of each company to charge on the fort. As soon as it was blown up and Monroe and brother Tom was both detailed and they made a brave charge on the fort and by the time the smoke had cleared away they was at the fort. But the rebels met them and fought them face to face not more than 10 feet apart. They touched a bombshell off and threw it by hand. It struck Monroe in the face and exploded killing him instantly. He was all the one that was killed but several others wounded. Thomas Morgan wasn’t hurt. The brave boys finally succeeded in driving the rebels back and got to the fort, spiked the cannons and fell back. The man that informed me about it was Guiler Standiford. He said he was at the side of Monroe when he fell. He said that Monroe and Tom was as brave boys as was in that regiment. It looks hard to detail the bravest boys to make a charge and get them killed but there is no use to try to make a charge with cowards in the ranks, for a few cowards will spoil the whole thing. They slaughtered a great many rebels in the charge and then spiked their cannons with rattail files drive them in the inch hole so tight they can’t get them out so the rebs won’t have them to shoot at us.

We made a charge on them night before last and got possession of their rifle pits and only lost 9 men wounded in our regiment and none killed. We keep crawling up on them most every day but I think our position is good enough and we ought to just hold our position and drive them out as we commenced to do or make a general charge and go in the Burg at once. I don’t like their little charges of one regiment at a time. We still feel perfectly confident of success. Here I think we will gain the greatest victory ever gained. I am well and hope you may all be enjoying the same.

Blessing

William Morgan

To SG Townsend

LETTER FROM WM. MORGAN TO HIS WIFE WHILE IN PRISON

Prison near Florence S.C.

Oct. 19th 1864

My dear Mary,

I address you a few lines to let you know I am well and hope you are the same. I am a prisoner of war. Was captured in the battle of the 22nd of July near Atlanta. There was 1800 captured with me, 11 of my company. We was taken to Camp Sumpter prison near Andersonville, GA, kept there till the 13th of Sept., then moved here to Florence, South Carolina. I want you to write often (this next line is illegible due to the crease in the paper where it had been folded and it’s age) I have been prisoner. Please send me a box containing one pair pants, shirt, pocket knife, pencil, paper, one half gallon tin bucket of butter, ___________, pepper, salt, needle, thread, ink. Rodman and Kite are here and wants a box similar to mine. Address to W.C. Morgan, Co. E 53rd Ind. Prisoner of War at Florence, South Carolina 8th thousand 3rd hundred (we do not know what these numbers are supposed to mean).

I want you to write a few lines to Mrs. Catherine Schleicher, New Providence and tell her son, Fred, is well and wishes her to send him a box of provisions with a ___________, shirt, socks, __________ book and a __________, and tell her how to direct the box.

Yours very affectionally, W.C. Morgan

Have father to get those things for you.

(NOTE: The blanks are for words that we could not decipher)

[knighthawk]

WOW! that's great! Almost like being right there ! thanks

[P-12 Tommy]

Thanks Don!! I'm a history buff and enjoyed them thoroughly!

Tom

[Joe Flanagan]

I just discovered this today and it's amazing. First of all, I can't believe that letter still exists. Secondly, I just happen to be reading Shelby Foote's history of the Civil War and just last night I was reading the section about the Copperheads. The person Tim mentions, Vanlandigham, was rousted out of his bed at 3 in the morning for making what were considered treasonous statements about Lincoln and the conduct of the war. They threw him in a prison near Boston, a placed called Fort Point. The outcry among the Copperheads and peace Democrats was so great that Lincoln figured he was doing more harm locked up than if he were free. He didn't want to cave and seem weak by just releasing him, so he sent Vanlandigham south with a cavalry troop under a flag of truce. The Confederates said that if he was still loyal to the Union they wouldn't take him. But he did wind up in the south all the same. He took a blockade runner to the Caribbean, then found his way to Canada, then back into the US.

The section on Vicksburg is interesting too. I discovered that the Union lost a lot of troops trying to storm the Confederate works, then finally decided to stop trying and wait them out.

Thanks for posting this, Don. It's much better than most things you can find on the Internet. I'm a short distance from places like Manassas, Fredericksburg, Antietam, and many other Civil War battlefields, I've been a few times, but now I have a new interest to go and see them again. I was out riding with Rodney one day in the Maryland countryside and he pointed out the area where John Wilkes Booth was discovered hiding and was shot by Union troops. Ford's theater is two blocks from my office.

[Don Coatney]

I can't believe that letter still exists.

Joe;

That letter was only a sample. Follow this link for lots more.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~inscott/Coatney.html

[T120]

Nice to have a hand written and lengthy letter by a family member so long ago at Christmas and during the period of the Civil War in the US.It gives the reader not only a glimpse of the politics and division in the country at the time but also an insight into the feelings and personal views of the scribe.An enviable record of family history to be shared.Reading the text,I gather the reference to Canidy referred to Canada.Thanks for sharing.