| Summary: | During the Civil War, James Hall served as a captain in Company K of the 24th Alabama Infantry regiment. In the letter he discusses his grandfather's death (Abner Crenshaw); recent troop movements; weather and conditions in camp; sickness among the soldiers, including several cases of varioloid ("I do not fear it myself, as my vaccination took exceedingly well"); news and rumors from the front; and his desire to have a servant . His father has "determined to put Ben in the field on account of some misdemeanor", so James asks that he be allowed to hire the slave instead: "An Officer in the army without a servant is placed in a very awkward position. I am now literally minus a servant and have been for some time trying to get one but cannot. Of course Ben...could not do all that would be required of a man but I could get along very well with, him and I believe I would as lief have him almost. Of course I wish to pay good hire for him as I am on my own expenses now you know. I do not think there will be any danger of losing him...Please let me know as soon as you receive this if you can let me have him. I would take any boy of his size, who was bright enough to learn. There would be less danger of lossing [sic] a young negro and he would not be so apt to suffer from sickness." A transcription is included.
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