Letter from a Civil War Soldier

by

John J. Dunphy

This article was originally published in 1/20–1/21, 2024 edition of The Telegraph of Alton, IL. This version, however. includes the actual letter itself.

I have read any number of letters written by Civil War Union soldiers over the years. These letters were quoted in books — and sometimes included in their entirety. I’ve also read Union soldiers’ letters on web sites devoted to Civil War history. But I had never held such a letter in my hands until quite recently. The experience was made even more ironic by the fact that I had unknowingly owned this letter for some years.

I discovered the letter among the memorabilia of the Hurlbut-Messenger house, which stood on Washington Avenue in Upper Alton. It was built in 1841 for Lovejoy ally Thaddeus Hurlbut and his family, who made the house into an Underground Railroad station. Benjamin and Helen Boardman Messenger, both natives of Vermont who had moved to Illinois, purchased the home from Hurlbut in 1884 after his wife’s death.

Both families shared a Civil War connection. Wilberforce Lovejoy Hurlbut, the Hurlbuts’ only son, dropped out of Shurtleff College to join the Union army. For him, the Civil War was a noble crusade to destroy the institution of slavery that his family so despised. He went missing in action during the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864.

Benjamin Franklin Messenger served with a Vermont unit in the Civil War. As Vermont natives, Benjamin and Helen Boardman Messenger would have had no sympathy for slavery. Vermont abolished slavery just one year after our nation declared its independence from Britain.

I don’t know whether the letter in my possession came from the Messenger family or the Boardman family. It’s addressed to “My dear Brother” (no first or last name) and signed “As ever your Affectionate Brother George” (no last name).

My first reading of the letter, which is dated Oct. 23, 1863, left me disappointed. I so wanted to read a Union soldier’s thoughts on Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had gone into effect on Jan. 1 of that year. I also would have welcomed detailed accounts of battles. Nonetheless, the missive is quite moving.

The letter begins with what sufficed for a return address: “Head Quarters 2nd Division 6th Army Corps Camp Near Warrenton, Va.” Located in the Old Dominion’s Fauquier county, Warrenton was “near the scene of battles and skirmishes during which the churches and schools were used as hospitals,” according to the town’s web site.

“I do not hear from home as often as I did when Sarah was alive,” George wrote. “How lonesome it must be to have both of those sisters gone.” Sad but not surprising. The average life expectancy for an American in 1860 was just 39.4 years.

George then wrote that it didn’t seem as though he should ever “go back there to live” and “have a great mind to enlist for another three years.” He stated that “almost all” the members of his regiment intended to re-enlist “if the government will take them as Cavalry.” George also expressed a desire to serve in the Union cavalry.

“We have had a rough time of it since I last wrote to you when we fell back from the Rapidan,” which is a river in north-central Virginia. Major battles occurred near this river, such as the Battle of the Wilderness where Wilberforce Lovejoy Hurlbut went missing in action.

“We come over some ground that you ought to be well acquainted with,” George wrote and then mentioned specific locations such as the town of Brentsville and “Woolfe (sic) Run Sholes (sic).” The clear implication is that George’s brother was a Union army veteran who had served in that region. A bit later, George wrote that “All the money in the Union could not get Dan to enlist again. He does not like it any better than he did doing chores up at Uncle George’s.” Is this Dan also George’s brother? It was not uncommon for brothers to serve in the same company.

George wrote, “I have a horse to ride now that I wish I could take home with me. He knows more than one half of the men.” He also mentioned a colt he owned back home “that is likely to make a good horse. I want you to take good care of it this winter.”

The few references to the actual war include George’s complaint that the “Rebs,” as he called them, had torn up the railroad tracks, which made it difficult for the Union army to get supplies. He also informed his brother that the Confederates “thought to get to the fortifications about Centreville before we did.”

Centreville, located in Fairfax county, was heavily fortified by the Confederates early in the war. The Centreville Military Railroad, built by Rebels during the winter of 1861–1862, was the first railroad constructed exclusively for military use. George concluded this segment of the letter by complaining that the Rebels “dare not give us a fair fight.”

The letter concluded with the request, “By the way, give my best respects to Uncle Georges (sic) folks and to all Enquiring friends. Write as often as you can and give me the news about home.”

For George, receiving news about his loved ones was more important than acquiring information about how the Union armies were faring outside of Fairfax County, VA, where he was stationed. Like virtually all military personnel in wartime or peacetime, his thoughts were of home, Some things indeed never change.

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John J. Dunphy is the author of “Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials: The Investigative Work of the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group, 1945–1947” and owns The Second Reading Book Shop in Alton.

And now, the actual two-sided letter.

Addendum: Denise Evans, group expert with the Alton, Illinois Area History Facebook page, found some important information about the author of this letter.