61st Virginia Infantry - Mahone's Brigade - Wounded Twice

Item CON-8666

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 2 pages, written in period ink.


Camp 61st Virginia Regiment
Near Madison Run, Orange County, Virginia

March 23, 1864

Miss Bettie Palmer

Much Esteemed Friend,

I seat myself this morning for the purpose of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am well and I hope these few lines may find you the same. I hope you will excuse me for not writing to you before now. But while I am at leisure, I will write you a short letter to let you know that I have not forgotten you and all of your folks. For I love to write to good secesh ladies like you and all the rest of your family. For I know you are all true to the South for you always appear true to our beloved Confederacy.

Miss, tell Mr. Palmer and Mrs. Palmer and Miss Maggie I always think of them and I never shall forget them as long as I live for being so kind to me when I was at home. I have lost my best friend in the army. Poor Whitby Mercer. He was a brave and a good soldier. He died in the defense of his county. He will be long remembered by me and others at home.

Miss Bettie, I wish I could get another furlough and go home and see you all and talk with you all personally. But I am afraid it will be a long time before I will see you all again and may not never see you again. But we should not meet together on this earth, I hope we will meet in Heaven and there to part no more. Where wars and rumors of wars will be no more heard. How happy we shall be. I hope the time is not far distant when this cruel war will be brought to a speedy close. So, all of we poor soldiers can return to our homes and live a happy and a domestic life. You cannot imagine what a poor soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia has to undergo with. But alas! I am willing to endure all the hardships that soldiers has to go through with for the sake of my county.

We have re-enlisted for the war. We shall never return home until the Northern Vandals are driven from our Southern homes who came here to lay waste our land and free all the slaves. I shall never submit a negro to be on equality with me.

I heard there was a great many negro soldiers around Norfolk and adjoining counties. I wish our Division would run into them. We could make them run. I have no news to write worth your attention for everything seems to be still around the army at the present. But I do not know how long it will remain. No longer than the spring opens good and then there will be some hard knocking.

Give my best respect to Miss Maggie and to Mr. and Mrs. Palmer and Miss Nash and Mrs. Nash. So, I will bring my letter to a close. Excuse bad writing and spelling. Write soon as you get this. When you write, direct your letter to me and put the postage stamp and get some of McCandless’ soldiers to bring it out and mail it to Murfreesboro.

I remain your true friend until death.

Abner W. Grandy
Company B
61st Virginia Regiment
Mahone’s Brigade, Anderson’s Division, A. P. Hill’s Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

Give my best respects to Miss Amanda Wright