Letter from Henry Semple in camp near Mobile, Alabama, to his wife, Emily.
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 explains his goal as the leader of his men, who have been complaining about life in camp: &quo...
| 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/4004 |
| Summary: | 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 explains his goal as the leader of his men, who have been complaining about life in camp: "I set out with the idea of making the Co a good one, and with the firm resolve to take as many of them home safe from the war, as are not expended...in the service - I don't care a straw what they say of the hardships they have to undergo and the restraints to which they are subjected as long as I know that they are necessary to the welfare of the service - Do you know that I turned out the other day on service more than half as many men as many regiments having five times my members on the roll." He also discusses clothes his wife has sent recently; the possibility of having his two young sons come for a visit; finances and supplies at home; and predictions about the duration of the war ("I think in the course of 6 months all the fighting will be over - indeed before 1 decr"). A transcription is included. |
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