Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.

Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.

During the Civil War, Riggs served in Company G of the 27th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. In the letter he describes a recent campaign by General Joseph E. Johnston, which was a surprising success: "Gen Johnston completely surprise both our army and the Yankeys in this last fight.The army all...

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Format: Electronic
Published: Alabama Department of Archives and History
Subjects:
Alabama documents
Online Access:http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3190
format Electronic
collection Alabama Textual Materials Collection
building Alabama Department of Archives and History
publisher Alabama Department of Archives and History
topic Alabama documents
spellingShingle Alabama documents
Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.
fulltopic Alabama documents
Riggs, James R., 1840-1864; Riggs, Tom; Soldiers--Confederate States of America; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military life; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military personnel; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects
description During the Civil War, Riggs served in Company G of the 27th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. In the letter he describes a recent campaign by General Joseph E. Johnston, which was a surprising success: "Gen Johnston completely surprise both our army and the Yankeys in this last fight.The army all thought that Johnson was going to retreat...In fact I expect that Johnston thought himself he would have to fall back but did not and all at once moved to the front with His whole command and gave the Yanks a very bad whipping although it was a small fight...every body is a great deal better pleased with Gen Johnston now than they was before every one seems to think that he is the man now and the army is in better spirits now than they have been in some time previous." He then discusses his recent furlough and conditions in his company's camp; despite the lack of variety ("we had beef and bread second bread and beef and very scant of beef but as for bread a plenty of it"), the soldiers are well-fed and healthy ("every one is as fat as pigs"). He also uses the phrase "sound on the goose question," which could be a reference to his support of slavery: "...it seems as if I have some thing on my mind that I don't know to get rid off but I know in a few days longer I will be all sound on the goose question."
spelling Q0000021788 - Q0000021795Q21788 - Q21795Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.During the Civil War, Riggs served in Company G of the 27th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. In the letter he describes a recent campaign by General Joseph E. Johnston, which was a surprising success: "Gen Johnston completely surprise both our army and the Yankeys in this last fight.The army all thought that Johnson was going to retreat...In fact I expect that Johnston thought himself he would have to fall back but did not and all at once moved to the front with His whole command and gave the Yanks a very bad whipping although it was a small fight...every body is a great deal better pleased with Gen Johnston now than they was before every one seems to think that he is the man now and the army is in better spirits now than they have been in some time previous." He then discusses his recent furlough and conditions in his company's camp; despite the lack of variety ("we had beef and bread second bread and beef and very scant of beef but as for bread a plenty of it"), the soldiers are well-fed and healthy ("every one is as fat as pigs"). He also uses the phrase "sound on the goose question," which could be a reference to his support of slavery: "...it seems as if I have some thing on my mind that I don't know to get rid off but I know in a few days longer I will be all sound on the goose question."1864 March 191861-03-191860-1869Riggs, James R., 1840-1864; Riggs, Tom; Soldiers--Confederate States of America; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military life; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military personnel; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspectsTextCorrespondenceRiggs, James R.James R. Riggs Civil War lettersSPR710v34533Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130EnglishThis material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.600 PPI TIFFhttp://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3190
title Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.
titleStr Letter from James R. Riggs near Dalton, Georgia, to his uncle, Tom Riggs.
url http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3190
id ADAHvoices3190
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