Letter from Henry Semple in Tullahoma, Tennessee, 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 Battle of Murfreesboro, giving specific details about his activity; individuals...
| Format: | Electronic |
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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/4015 |
| 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 describes the Battle of Murfreesboro, giving specific details about his activity; individuals who were wounded in the fight; the numbers of prisoners and casualties; and the apathy with which he viewed the fallen Union soldiers: "You have no idea with how little pity I looked on dead Yankees - no more feeling for them than for dead dogs as I rode over them." He also discusses the difficult traveling and living conditions ("Frozen ground is no pleasant couch yet I have tried it often, & I sleep in the rain without knowing it ") and the health of the soldiers. Though the letter is dated 1862, it was written in 1863; Semple wrote the letter in early January, and he forgot to use the new year. A transcription is included. |
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