1864-04-15: Samuel Thomas Williamson to Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, Letter
This document is a portion of a letter from Samuel Thomas "Trinley" Williamson to his wife Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, written from camp near Zollicoffer, Tenn., on April 15, 1864. He discusses camp life, family relations, and recent war news. The Fitzpatrick family emigrated from Ire...
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Auburn University Libraries
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| Online Access: | http://content.lib.auburn.edu/u?/fmw01,52 |
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Electronic |
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Fitzpatrick-Mitchell-Williamson Papers 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 1864-04-15: Samuel Thomas Williamson to Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, Letter Williamson, Samuel Thomas |
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Family letters Williamson Family; Mitchell Family; Alabama--Social life and customs--19th century; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Correspondence; Peoples -- Military Life; Peoples -- Domestic Life; Government & Politics -- Military; History -- 1838-1874: Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction; |
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1864-04-15: Samuel Thomas Williamson to Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, Letter |
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1864-04-15: Samuel Thomas Williamson to Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, Letter |
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This document is a portion of a letter from Samuel Thomas "Trinley" Williamson to his wife Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, written from camp near Zollicoffer, Tenn., on April 15, 1864. He discusses camp life, family relations, and recent war news. The Fitzpatrick family emigrated from Ireland to the Virginia colony in the early 1700s. Over time, the family moved from Virginia through the Carolinas and into Georgia before finally settling in Line Creek, Alabama and Verbena, Alabama. Several members of the family were active politically including William Fitzpatrick, who served in the Georgia legislature, and Benjamin Fitzpatrick, who served two terms as governor of Alabama. Sarah Fitzpatrick, a descendant of this family, married Columbus White Mitchell who was from a prominent Alabama family. The couple had ten children, seven of whom survived infancy. Three of their sons served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy (Phil F. Mitchell, Joseph A. Mitchell, and Columbus White Mitche |
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Williamson, Samuel Thomas |
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Williamson, Samuel Thomas |
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AUfmw0152 |
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http://content.lib.auburn.edu/u?/fmw01,52 |
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https://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/fmw01/id/52 |
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1705449246436622336 |
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1864-04-15: Samuel Thomas Williamson to Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, LetterThis document is a portion of a letter from Samuel Thomas "Trinley" Williamson to his wife Mary Louisa Mitchell Williamson, written from camp near Zollicoffer, Tenn., on April 15, 1864. He discusses camp life, family relations, and recent war news. The Fitzpatrick family emigrated from Ireland to the Virginia colony in the early 1700s. Over time, the family moved from Virginia through the Carolinas and into Georgia before finally settling in Line Creek, Alabama and Verbena, Alabama. Several members of the family were active politically including William Fitzpatrick, who served in the Georgia legislature, and Benjamin Fitzpatrick, who served two terms as governor of Alabama. Sarah Fitzpatrick, a descendant of this family, married Columbus White Mitchell who was from a prominent Alabama family. The couple had ten children, seven of whom survived infancy. Three of their sons served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy (Phil F. Mitchell, Joseph A. Mitchell, and Columbus White Mitche[page 1]
Camp near Zollicoffer E. Tenn.
April 15th 1864
My Own Dearest Wife
This is Friday, a very
gloomy day, it has been raining all of
the morning and having nothing to do
I thought that I would write to you,
one that I love so dearly. There is nothing
in this world that offers to me more pleas-
ure now than to get a letter from you,
and then to answer it. I want to talk to
you and I know no other way than to
write. the last letter that I received from
you was writen on the twent-fifth of [August ?]
I am very anxious to hear from you and
my son I wish that I could hear from
you every day I would then be so much
better satisfyed, it is so long before I can
hear from you, you must keep letters
on the way all of the time so that I
will be sure to get one every week Some
times a week passes without getting
a letter from you, and when that is
[page 2]
the case, it gives me the blues, and you have
no idea how that affects me in camp, and
when I have the blues, I can neither studdy
write nor do anything els, I am every anx-
ious to hear from you now as I have not
heard from you in nearly three weeks, I
think that I will gett a letter from you
by tomorrows mail.
We are still at Zolliecoffers or near that
place, we are within six miles of Bristol
Virginia we have been at this camp two
weeks, and it has been raining nearly every
day, Still we are doing very well, I have
a good tent with a chimney to it, to stay
in, I have not heard from my application
yet, But I still acting assisting surgeon, I
have an easy time of it, but how long it
last I do not know, I sent up another
application the other day it was strongly
endorsed, both by Maj Stallworth, and Genl
Gracie, I think that it will go through
this time, I will do my best this time
I see that you are so anxious for me
[page 3]
me to change my position.
Genl Longstreet has been ordered with his
army to Virginia, he left last week, we are
left behind, in this division, we are still
under Buckner, he is in command of this
department, I would rather remain in this
department than to go to Virginia. But I
understand that Genl Gracie, is trying to
get to Virginia under Longstreet, I am
in hopes that he may fail in the attemp,
I do not want to be where there is any more
fighting to be done, I have enough of fighting I
have known enough to do me, all that I want
now is for the war to close so that I can go home
to my own dear Mollie , & son. I am in hopes that
the war will close this year.
Our rations are as short as ever. The Major &
Adgt Jones, and myself mess together, we
have sent our negro boy out foraging to
day I am in hopes that he will bring in
something the country is eat out, so I am
afraid that he will not be able to find
anything, I never did want some ting goo[d]
[page 4]
to eat as bad in my life as I do now
we have been living on bread for the last
two days, but to day we have a little bacon
They promise us better rations every day but
I cant see that they do any better in fact, it
is not in the country.
I wrote to you on last Monday and sent
it by Capt Gilmer as far as Montgomery. I
sent in the letter a skain of white silk,
it was the best that I could do, it is not
what you want, But as I had it I thought
I would send it to you, there is no chance
to get anything in this part of the world,
If you ever get this note I sent you
on Nell Thompkins, send my Blanket & shoes
that I sent you Lett me know when you
write, I am truly glad you received the
[Drum ?] that I sent you, Did you ever
get the kid skin Uncle Thomas sent you.
I have received several letters from Uncle
Thomas, but Aunt Millie is a long time
answering the letters that I wrote her, I
suppose that she did not get my letter.
[page 5]
[written crossways on page 2 and page 3]
If she had she would have answered it, John [Martin ?] wrote to me
some time ago, he said that they were all very anxious to hear from
you, you must be sure and write to Aunt Millie, I know that
she will be glad to hear from you, you must keep on the good
sides of the old lady, she will do something for us some of these
days, Have you heard from Aunt Matt since you wrote to her, I
know that she was glad to hear from you, you must not stop
writing to her, I wish that you would go and spend the summer
with my kinfolks, they would be glad to have you with them. Uncle
Thomas toled me that if you would go and stay with them this
summer that he would go after you, I wish that you would
go out there this summer then you would be closer to me
As it is if I should get thirty days furlough, I could not
stay at home more than ten or twelve days, it would take me
from six to ten, to go home and about the same number to return to the
command, and if you were in Carolina it would not be so far I want
you if you can to spend most of the summer with Grand Ma, Aunt
Millie & Uncle Thomas But you must use your own pleasure about
going to Carolina, I have just expressed my wishes, Have you heard
from Sister; I have not heard a word from her, she may think that
I have treated her bad by not writing to her but I don't think so, she
did not treat me like a brother, and I do not think that she
treated you altogether right when we were out to see them all
last winter, you must not lett her or any one know what I
think of my Dear Sister, I am very sorry that she does as she
wrong as she does, I would give anything if she would stay
at home as she aught to, I know that you would like very
much to have her with you this summer. but I think that it
would be best for her to stay at home, I wish that she
would get married and then perhaps she would stay at home
you have no idea how it worries me the way she runs
[page 6]
[written sideways across page 4 and 1]
about, so I do not want you to ask her to come to Alabama
any more. What I mean is I do not want you insist on her to
come out to Alabama.
I have been bunking by my self until Adjutant Jones
came into the Battalion We now have a very comfortable
bunk we have four blankets to one comforter, and a plent
of straw to lie upon, so for as our bed we are doing
well but as for rations we fare but badly I am looking
for our forager to come in every moment, My appetite is
ready to eat what ever he brings in, I have had nothing to eat
to day but a few cold biscuits, I am not as fleashie as I
was when I was at home, I have fallen off a good Deal
But I will soon recover from the back set as soon as
I can get something to eat Adjutant Jones is a nephew
to Mrs. Moore, of Montgomery. he has just been two or three
days, the Adjutant, is name is George Jones a brother of Harvey
Jones, they both know Phil & Tobe very very well, Harry & George
in Norfolk, Adjutant-Jones says that Phil was one of the
wildest fellows that he ever saw, but was one of the best
[men ?] that he knew. Harry Jones is Genl Gracies adjutant
so by having George Jones with us, we keep on the good sides
of Genl Gracie, I may say that we are often time favored
by the genls A Mr Bottle married Jones' mother and they
are at this time living in Tuskegee, I think before the
war Bottle lived in Mobile, You may know something
about the family, Lt. Molton has not come to the [illegible]
yet, nor have I heard a word from him in a month
Genl Gracie ordered him to be reported absent without
leave, I wrote to him a few days ago I think that
it will wake him up I have not heard a word from
Capt Middleton since he left [Bristol ?] which has been a month or mo [missing section]1864-04-15Williamson, Samuel ThomasWilliamson Family; Mitchell Family; Alabama--Social life and customs--19th century; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Correspondence; Peoples -- Military Life; Peoples -- Domestic Life; Government & Politics -- Military; History -- 1838-1874: Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction;Zollicoffer, Overton County, Tennessee, United States1864-04-15Fitzpatrick-Mitchell-Williamson Family Papers, 1850-1989, Auburn University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives, Auburn University, Auburn, AlabamaRecord Group 1223, Fitzpatrick-Mitchell-Williamson Papers, Folder 446 pages, 22 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 the Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archives@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732.Stillimage; Text;1864-04-15_WilliamsonST_to_WilliamsonMLM_letterapplication/pdfDeeply RootedAuburn University Librarieshttp://cdm17353.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/fmw01/id/52 |