Letter from Henry Semple in camp near Pensacola, Florida to his wife, Emily, in Gainestown, Alabama.

During the Civil War, Semple served as a captain of an artillery battery organized in Montgomery (known as Semple's Battery). He was later appointed a major and transferred to Mobile. In the letter he describes the Union bombardment of Fort McRee in great detail, and he predicts that the experi...

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Published: Alabama Department of Archives and History
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Online Access:http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/4001
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 Henry Semple in camp near Pensacola, Florida to his wife, Emily, in Gainestown, Alabama.
fulltopic Alabama documents
Semple, Emily Virginia James; Semple, Henry C., 1822-1894; Soldiers--Confederate States of America--Alabama; 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
description During the Civil War, Semple served as a captain of an artillery battery organized in Montgomery (known as Semple's Battery). He was later appointed a major and transferred to Mobile. In the letter he describes the Union bombardment of Fort McRee in great detail, and he predicts that the experience will encourage Confederate forces to seize Fort Pickens: "The men at the fort have worked like beavers and now the fort is stronger & safer than it ever was - It is not only so, but they now know they can defy the utmost power of the enemy and the fleet of the world can not enter Pensacola bay - it is a hard thing to batten down a fort like fort Pickens, but it is easy to make it very uncomfortable, and I think it not unlikely that after a weeks work the men may be so exhausted and harrassed [sic] that we may in the absence of ships, be able to go over and take possession." At the end of the letter, he asks his wife to keep the information to herself: "You must not permit any one to speak of any thing in this letter or coming from me - I may have spoken of matters not intended for the public." (The letter was originally directed to C. T. Pollard, but his name is crossed out, and the name of Semple's wife is written above it.) A transcription is included.
spelling Q0000038053 - Q0000038059Q38053 - Q38059Letter from Henry Semple in camp near Pensacola, Florida to his wife, Emily, in Gainestown, Alabama.During the Civil War, Semple served as a captain of an artillery battery organized in Montgomery (known as Semple's Battery). He was later appointed a major and transferred to Mobile. In the letter he describes the Union bombardment of Fort McRee in great detail, and he predicts that the experience will encourage Confederate forces to seize Fort Pickens: "The men at the fort have worked like beavers and now the fort is stronger & safer than it ever was - It is not only so, but they now know they can defy the utmost power of the enemy and the fleet of the world can not enter Pensacola bay - it is a hard thing to batten down a fort like fort Pickens, but it is easy to make it very uncomfortable, and I think it not unlikely that after a weeks work the men may be so exhausted and harrassed [sic] that we may in the absence of ships, be able to go over and take possession." At the end of the letter, he asks his wife to keep the information to herself: "You must not permit any one to speak of any thing in this letter or coming from me - I may have spoken of matters not intended for the public." (The letter was originally directed to C. T. Pollard, but his name is crossed out, and the name of Semple's wife is written above it.) A transcription is included.1861 November 271861-11-271860-1869Semple, Emily Virginia James; Semple, Henry C., 1822-1894; Soldiers--Confederate States of America--Alabama; 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 personnelTextCorrespondenceSemple, Henry C.Henry C. Semple papersLPR5v3328Alabama 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/4001
title Letter from Henry Semple in camp near Pensacola, Florida to his wife, Emily, in Gainestown, Alabama.
titleStr Letter from Henry Semple in camp near Pensacola, Florida to his wife, Emily, in Gainestown, Alabama.
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