Letter from Nat, a Union soldier stationed in Stevenson, Alabama, to his cousin, Juliett.
In the letter Nat describes the landscape; his responsibilities as a commissary sergeant; living conditions and leisure activities where he is stationed ("if I do not enjoy myself it is my own fault. My house is a cozy little nest, a model bachelors retreat I am not pestered with any women to t...
| Format: | Electronic |
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| Published: |
Alabama Department of Archives and History
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3774 |
| Summary: | In the letter Nat describes the landscape; his responsibilities as a commissary sergeant; living conditions and leisure activities where he is stationed ("if I do not enjoy myself it is my own fault. My house is a cozy little nest, a model bachelors retreat I am not pestered with any women to turn things upside down"); and interactions with the local citizens ("natives"). He mentions women who chew tobacco and smoke cigars, adding that "most of them use the weed in some form." He then describes the poverty civilians are experiencing: "Some of the inhabitants about here have really been in a starving condition and some have actually starved to death...the most of them are a poor, ignorant, degraded set. They were 'poor white trash' when the war began and have become sadly demoralized since. The picture is truly a sad one. When will it change for the better? When will this trying ordeal be passed? Who will be benefitted by this terrible baptism of fire and blood which we as a nation are experiencing?" |
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