1864 Confederate CIVIL WAR SOLDIER LETTER Ferguson's Battery in Dalton, GA
This remarkable Confederate Civil War letter was written by James A. Fergusons (South Carolina) Battery of Martins Battalion.
Ferguson, a graduate of the Citadel, commanded the South Carolina Battery until he was wounded in July 1863, after which Lieutenant Rene Beauregard (son of the famous General) commanded. The unit was armed with two 6-lb. The battery was captured by the 119th Illinois Infantry at Nashville on 16 December 1864. Fergusons Battery (later called Beauregards Battery) was organized in April, 1862, at Charleston, South Carolina.
After serving in South Carolina. The unit moved to Mississippi and fought under General Gist at Jackson. Later it joined the Army of Tennessee and was assigned to Palmers, R. At the time this letter was written the battery was posted near Dalton, Georgia, thirty miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Camp near Dalton, Georgia January 18th 1864. I seat myself to drop you a few lines in answer to one that I received from you on the 15teenth which I was glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well.I haint got much to write, Times is hard here and worse a coming. I fear there is a talk of moving back down to Kingston but I dont know whether we will or not 70 miles. But if you come, I will try to let you know some way.
If you dont see any of us there, you can come on up here. I will tell the Agent at the Depot that we are there and you can ask him. It is very bad about some place to stay here. It is very muddy too but I will try to get some place for you to stay if you will come. We are stationed about 7 miles from Dalton to the right as you come up here.
You can go to Greenville and your papers fixed to come on and have them fixed like I was sick and you can come that way the best and I want you to [get] paper bill and to come with sister if she comes and one of you must be sure and come. The Captain out here and I can do nothing here but you can go to the clerk and get paper bill one for that I will ever get to see you. I want one pair of drawers, one pair of pants, two pair of socks, one pair of gloves, and a hat and a coat.You need not bring no scarf. And I want you to bring some red pepper for I want you to bake me one loaf of tight bread. I want one more good bottle of brew from home for we cant cook good here and the beef that we draw they have to lean it up against a tree to shoot it or prop it with rocks. It is one pound of beef and ten pounds of bones.
Come to Branchville and then enquire for the Augusta train and then to the Atlanta Depot in Augusta and then to Atlanta and to Dalton and you had better stay there that night if you get there in the night. Leave Columbia the same night that you come down and meet connection at Branchville and that will.
No, you had better stay at Columbia the first night and that will through you to pass Kingston in the daytime and you find out if we have moved. You can find out by asking the Agent of the Depot. And if you come by the night you can enquire for Fergusons Battery and if you cant hear nothing of it, you will come on up here. If you come up to Dalton, you can enquire for the road that leads to the Spring Place a place that they call the Spring Place.
It aint worthwhile for you to write no more till you come for it [is] so uncertain about getting a letter. It may be a month on the road. I want paper bill 40.The battery is on the left hand side of the Spring Place Road as you come and on the right hand of Dalton as you come up. If you dont come, direct as before. To John James and mother. We're members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.
Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the Illinois Postal History Society. Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog. The item "1864 Confederate CIVIL WAR SOLDIER LETTER Ferguson's Battery in Dalton, GA" is in sale since Friday, January 01, 2016. This item is in the category "Stamps\United States\Covers\Postal History". The seller is "cmvolz" and is located in Washington, Illinois.This item can be shipped worldwide.