Civil War Letters

The photo to the left, I believe is either James or Thomas. The album the photo was in came down to me along with the letters. This album also contained photos of my family, including members of the Pentz, Blair, Sweeney and Whittington families.

Below is a list of a short description of each letter in chronological order. Included in the description is, the date, place of writing, the parties involved, and a short description of the contents.

  1. Falmouth, VA, Jan. 15, 1862, from James to Maurice. James speaks of missing the Holiday at home, and hopes to enjoy Christmas with his family the following year.
  2. Camp Scott, 1862, From James to Maurice. James asks his father to intervene with Capt. Mehan in order to get a furlough pass for he and Thomas to come home for 2-3 days. He is weak from Diarrhea, and hopes that some "regular feed" will cure him. Sent care of Walter Stuart.
  3. Manassas Junction, VA Oct. 3, 1862 from James to Maurice. Thanks Maurice for the care package, and speaks of future packages. Directs Maurice to send future letters by way of Washington, and not in care of John Austin, for he has been promoted to Liet. Col. James speaks of running into Dexter Bingham, and of a three day march toward the Battle of Bull Run. He asks to have newspapers sent, so he might read of the elections.
  4. Falmouth, VA, Jan. 29, 1863 from James to sister Margaret. Sent Twenty Dollars home by Dan Chalmers. Tom is sending Thirty by the priest of the 21st (1st ?) Regiment. He asks if Father received the Fifty Dollars for the election. He signs off, "The Army is demoralized, having no faith in there [sic] leaders or the administration."
  5. Falmouth, VA, Feb. 18, 1863 from James to Maurice. Tom did not send his money because he did not trust Dan Chalmers. Speaks of serving picket duty on the banks of the Rappahannock River across from "Mr. Reb", talking to each other as if they never meant to be enemies.
  6. New York, March 30, 1863 from Maurice to his brother Michael. Maurice is disappointed that Michael has changed his name to Keeff. The letter is mostly about forgiveness between the brothers for some past disagreement. Maurice states that his health has improved slightly, he hopes to hold on until the weather is settled so that he "might be of help yet".
  7. Falmouth, VA. April 1, 1863 from James to Maurice. James speaks of seeing Uncle Mike. He is mainly concerned for the health of Maurice in light of a lack of letters from home.
  8. New York, May 30, 1863 from Maurice to James. Maurice speaks of a care package being sent from he, Aunt Johanna and Mrs. Healy. Maurice asks about James' wound, and how long he will be in the hospital. Maurice is quite angry with Thomas, he asks very specific questions of James, When did he last see him, etc. Maurice is afraid that Tom is avoiding sending money home in "his hour of need", if this is so, Tom "is forever dead to us on this side of the grave". Maurice's health is quite bad, confined to the bed. He believes that he will not see his sons again. He asks what positions Lt. Col. Farnham and Capt. Mehan hold in the 1st Reg. Of Excelsior Brigade. He also asks after John Austin, Dan Chalmers, Coburn, Sam Austin, Bill Chalmers and Ben Watson.
  9. Washington D.C. July 15, 1863, "in haste" from James to Maurice. James is concerned after reading a newspaper article about the draft riots in NYC. The article described a man "of a better sort" addressing the mob. James is sure that the description is of his father. He advises his father to avoid this situation or it will shorten his life.

Fallen Branches | Haskin--Bussing Letter | O'Keeffe Legal Documents
| Civil War Letters | Civil War Letters Continued | O'Keeffe Family Information

Email: [email protected]