1863-04-04: George Washington Cherry to Folks at home, letter
This document is a letter from George Washington Cherry near Tullahoma, Tennessee, to his family at home in Alabama on April 4, 1863. In the letter, Cherry lists the confederate generals. He also describes difficulties in obtaining his salary, his depression and desire for the war to end, and interp...
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Auburn University Libraries
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| Online Access: | http://content.lib.auburn.edu/u?/cherry01,21 |
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Electronic |
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Cherry Family Civil War Letters Collection |
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Auburn University Digital Library |
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Auburn University Libraries |
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Family letters |
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Family letters 1863-04-04: George Washington Cherry to Folks at home, letter Cherry, George Washington |
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Family letters Cherry family; Cherry, George Washington--Correspondence; Confederate States of America. Army--Military life; Soldiers--Confederate States of America; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Psychological aspects; Government & Politics -- Military; History -- 1838-1874: Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction; Peoples -- Domestic Life; Peoples -- Military Life; |
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1863-04-04: George Washington Cherry to Folks at home, letter |
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1863-04-04: George Washington Cherry to Folks at home, letter |
| description |
This document is a letter from George Washington Cherry near Tullahoma, Tennessee, to his family at home in Alabama on April 4, 1863. In the letter, Cherry lists the confederate generals. He also describes difficulties in obtaining his salary, his depression and desire for the war to end, and interpersonal conflicts with the widow Gaffney, whose husband's belongings he is preserving for her. This item has been aggregated as part of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL)'s "Deeply Rooted: The Agricultural & Rural History of the American South" project. |
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Cherry, George Washington |
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Cherry, George Washington |
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AUcherry0121 |
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http://content.lib.auburn.edu/u?/cherry01,21 |
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https://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/cherry01/id/21 |
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1705448444882059264 |
| spelling |
1863-04-04: George Washington Cherry to Folks at home, letterThis document is a letter from George Washington Cherry near Tullahoma, Tennessee, to his family at home in Alabama on April 4, 1863. In the letter, Cherry lists the confederate generals. He also describes difficulties in obtaining his salary, his depression and desire for the war to end, and interpersonal conflicts with the widow Gaffney, whose husband's belongings he is preserving for her. This item has been aggregated as part of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL)'s "Deeply Rooted: The Agricultural & Rural History of the American South" project.[page 1]
Camp near Tullahoma Tenn Apl 4th 1863
Dear "Folks at home"
I have a little leisure and
I employ it in writing to you. I wrote you
only two days ago and sent it by Mr Tucker.
Since then I have received a letter from -
you telling me that you were all well
Jim Worthy came here yesterday and I guess he
will go back in a day or two. he says he
had to pass through Opelika in the night and
his business was too urgent to admit of -
his stopping. If he goes back I am confident
he will return to the Regiment in a short -
time as orders from Army headquarters have -
gone forward for the return of all officers detached
from this Regiment in the Enrolling service
You asked me in one of your letters to write
you who were our Generals. The Regiment
is now commanded by Leiut Col Lamply
our brigade is Commanded by Brigadier Genl
Wood, our Division is commanded by Major
Genl Claiborne, our Corps is commanded by
Lieut Genl Hardee, and the Army of Tennessee
is commanded by Genl Bragg. The Western
department is commanded by Genl J E Johnston
You ask me if I ever pay the postage on
my letters. I do not. It is very difficult to get
stamps here, and I think it is better to pay postage
at home than here, as the letter might miscarry
[page 2]
who is Mr Hedly? The man by whom you sent -
the last letter. I never heard from him before
I received the two dollars and a half. Why do you
send money to me? I do not need it and cannot
use it advantageously here. I much prefer that you
keep all you can, if you can use it.
I promised you some time ago that I would send
you some money. I have been disappointed in getting it
as yet, except $90.00 which I thought I might need
The government now owes me $270.00. I intend to
send two hundred home as soon as I get it which
I hope will not be long.
Worthy tells me that Mrs Gaffney is heartily down on
himself and me and that she give him fits at Mr[?]
Collins' some days ago. I am somewhat surprised at it
as her letters to me have always been of a friendly
character and in yours you did not intimate that she
was in the least offended with me. I hope she is
not, for I have put myself to considerable trouble to save
as much of Lieut Gaffneys effects as possible and have
had his things transported when I lost my own, have even
been more careful with his than my own, and did expect
that my motives would be appreciated. Leiut Gaffney was
my friend and I did it for his sake, and not to please
or displease any body living but myself, but of course would
prefer that Mrs Gaffney was satisfied. If she is not I
can't help it, and were I convinced that she was not I
would not care. The above is for you only to read and
talk among yourselves. I do not wish you to talk about it out
of the family as it might tend to widen the breach if
there is any between Mrs Gaffney and myself
[page 3]
I wrote to Mrs Gaffney proposing to buy the valise nearly
or over two months ago, and have received no answer from her. I would
give her more than it is worth even now after I have saved
it for her. I suppose she does not want to sell it. I will
send it to her as early as possible, and I wish you
would try and get me another or a good carpet
bag. I need something of the kind. Please get Brownfield to get it.
From the tenor of the above you might suppose that I
was offended with Mrs Gaffney. I am not in the least
I know that she is a distressed widow and in great
Trouble and it could not be expected that she could
weigh both sides correctly, unless she is different from
others. There is to day another rumor of
the Yankee army on this point, I cannot yet
put any confidence in the Report. We are doing
nothing except drill, eat and sleep, and occasionally
do guard duty. Our hopes of speedy peace have nearly
dwindled to nothing. Yet I will hope and trust.
My health still continues good, except fits of -
blues and homesickness. I am so tired of this horrid
war. About all the pleasure I see or feel is when
reading letters from home, and that is sadly adulterated
by strong wishes to be there. It does appear to me
that a good deep heartfelt laugh would do me an
"amazin" sight of good. A faint smile is about all
I have been able to muster for some time
I don't have enough to do. I am lonely in a crowd
which is much worse than solitude
Did you get the spoons[?]? And what do you think of
them? Put them am[?] and keep them, they'll do to
[page 4]
look at in after years, when God willing we may
sit and talk [crossed out: of] over this horrid revolution
Did you ever get the Counterfeit $5 bill I have
never heard from you about it
You can tell Mrs Bozeman that her son's papers
have not come back yet and that we have
heard nothing from them since she left
How much money did you pay Mr Faulkenberry?
I owed him twenty three 15/100 ($23.15) dollars and Worthy tells me he
paid Brownfield three 40/100 ($3.40) for Mr Faulkenberry, which
would make just nineteen 75/100 $(19.75) dollars that
you should have paid him. I did not know that
Worthy had paid him any thing when I sent you the
money $20.00 and requested you to pay him $23.15, but Mr
Faulkenberry knew the amount, and I guess he told
you of his having received the $3.40 if Brownfield had
paid it over. If you paid him $23.15 he or Brownfield
one owes you $3.40
I am very sorry that the pants you started to me were stolen
I am beginning to need them, and I had become attached to
that piece of cloth, it has seen some hard times with me
I am also needing some cotton drawers, and shirts, socks and
a pair of suspenders, and I would'nt care if you were to send
me a good case-knife. There is one other "thing" I want badly and
that to go home and see you all and my little children
May God bless you all and speedily terminate this horrid
butchery, and let us all enjoy home, home-comforts and
friends, in a peaceful country. All – every one of you
write frequently and often. Yours Truly
G.W. Cherry
"God bless our little children"Cherry, George Washington1863-04-04Cherry family; Cherry, George Washington--Correspondence; Confederate States of America. Army--Military life; Soldiers--Confederate States of America; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Psychological aspects;Government & Politics -- Military; History -- 1838-1874: Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction; Peoples -- Domestic Life; Peoples -- Military Life;Tullahoma, Tennessee, United States1863-04-04Cherry-Goldsby Family Papers, 1827-2018, Auburn University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives, Auburn University, Auburn, AlabamaCollection 1262, Cherry-Goldsby Family Papers, Box 1, Folder 234 pages, 26.4 cmengAuburn, Ala. : Auburn University LibrariesThis image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of this image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. For information about obtaining high-resolution copies of this and other images in this collection, please contact Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archives@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732.Stillimage; Text1262-18-027-056_Letter from George Washington Cherry to Folks at home 1863 April 4 Tullahoma TN.pdfapplication/pdfDeeply RootedAuburn University Librarieshttp://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/cherry01/id/21 |