Civil War Letter
Terrific 1863 Confederate letter written to a Georgia Infantry soldier -
FULL TRANSCRIPT, SCANS and RESEARCH NOTES BELOW.
Other letters from this archive are kept at Emory University.
I believe this letter was sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Henry S. Campbell (1804-1864) family lived in Gainesville, Georgia. Henry S. Campbell\'s mother was Prudence Parkman, and he apparently had a half brother named Marion Parkman; a brother James Campbell; and a sister, Lucy Ann Eliza Maynor. He was married to Mary A. Mericks [Merck] (1805-1882). His children included sons, Warren Henry Campbell (1839-1904) and Thomas S. Campbell (1847-1924), and daughters, Eliza (b. 1829) and Angie.
Warren H. Campbell worked as a bookkeeper in Atlanta before serving in the Confederate Army. Warren served as a private in Company F, 43rd Georgia Volunteer Infantry, enrolling on September 4, 1862. Company records indicate he was on detached service in an Atlanta hospital in early 1864. He was paroled at Kingston, Ga., May 12, 1865, and died at Gainesville, Georgia in 1904. Thomas S. Campbell also served in the Confederate army. During part of 1864 he was at Camp Cox, Cobb County, Georgia, and he apparently was commissioned a first lieutenant sometime during the year. [Source: Emory University, Henry S. Campbell Papers, 1817-1864]
TRANSCRIPTION
Gainesville [Georgia]
Thursday, 2nd April 1863
My Dear Son,
We have received no letter from you since yours of the 18th ultimo, but hope to receive one tonight and learn that you are well and enjoying a fine flow of good spirits. I wrote you on Sunday evening last and told you if you should have diarrhea or dysentery, to be certain to have it checked as soon as you could. I hope you will attend to this should you have either, but hope you will have neither, nor any other disease.
Mr. Perino Brown¹wrote to his father and regretted to inform me of the results of his inquiries to get you a situation in Atlanta in the Quartermaster\'s or some other department in the Confederate Army. His words to his father are, \"Say to Mr. Campbell that Dr. [Joseph P.] Logan, [Chief] Surgeon of this Post, says he would give Warren Campbell a situation in his office if he could be detailed and come at once, but he writes on to say -- which I knew to be true -- that if he had I\'m in his office, he might be ordered out any day for field services, as General [\"Stonewall\"] Jackson is here, and is sending all men to Bragg\'s army who are able to bear arms.\" So you see, that though you could get a situation in Atlanta, it would not be prudent to accept it, in my opinion, for I feel confident if you were in Dr. Logan\'s office, Gen. Jackson or some other person would before you were there a great while, would order you to Bragg\'s army where your situation would be much worse than it is at Vicksburg. If you were to loose your present situation and then be ordered to some company in Bragg\'s army where you would not know no body and be placed in the ranks to undergo all the labor and fatigues of the rank and file, you would be truly in a very bad situation for I know you could not stand such labor and fatigue. My advice is to hold on to your present situation and not to run so great a risk of being placed in the lines as you would do by accepting this place in Atlanta. You have a good situation where you are and to lose it and run the risk of being placed in the lines among entire strangers is a greater risk that you ought to take. Thomas says to keep your present situation for you will never get a better one. I think Mr. [Minor Winn] Brown is of the same opinion.
Gen\'l. Jackson, I have been informed -- and I have no doubt of its truth -- enrolled two companies that had been made up and were at Atlanta and sent them to Bragg\'s army and is enrolling everyone he thinks is able to bear arms. I would be glad to have you with Dr. Logan in Atlanta, but if you could be detailed and come there, there would be no certainty of your remaining there one day. With these things before me, I would advise you to keep your present situation. All things will work out right and for your good. Put your trust in the Lord and obey him and He will guide, guard, and protect you and will bring altogether again to enjoy each other\'s company and to serve the Lord so long as we live. Let not these things dishearten you, but let your dependance be in the Lord and He never will forsake you.
Eliza is improving and she, your mother, and Thomas sends a great deal of love. I am getting on very well and hope to improve as have a prospect now of fine spring weather. We have had for some time past a great deal of cold, rainy weather with almost constant east winds. Today has been pleasant, some winds from the northwest, but not cold.
Your cousin John G. Mercks sends his kindest regards. Give my kindest regards to your cousins John Merck²and Berrien Brown.³The Governor will send in a short time several thousand dollars to the county to buy corn for the wives and children of poor soldiers. The Legislature passed the act to have it done at its last session. May the Lord ever bless my dear son.
-- H. S. Campbell
Your Uncle George [W. Merck] does not sponge on us as bad as he used to. Your mother won\'t let him. He has taken the hint!
Mr. Brom and Miss Ann have just returned from Athens [Georgia]. All well.
When I commenced this letter, I did think I would write but a few lines, but when I begin writing to my dear good son, I do not know where or when to stop, so great is my solicitude for you and for your welfare. The Lord has always been my friend and protector and He will be yours.
¹ Perino Brown (1824-1909) was the son of Minor Winn Brown (1797-1873) and Messina Adams Holcombe (1802-1859). Perino was married in 1850 to Georgia B. McKeen (1831-1888). Perino Brownwas a bankerin Atlanta and lived in a home at the corner of Peachtree Street and Porter Place in Atlanta.
²John T. Merck enlisted as a private in Company F, 43rd Georgia Infantry in March 1862. He died of disease at LaGrange, Georgia, on 1 January 1864 and is buried in Oakland Cemetery at Atlanta.
³Berrien Holcombe Brown was born at Gainesville, Georgia on 8 May 1838, the son of Minor Winn Brown (1797-1873) and Messina Adams Holcombe (1802-1859). He was married to Emily J. Sanford (1841-1885) in March 1861. He enlisted as a private in Company E, 43rd Georgia Infantry in March 1862. He was appointed Hospital Steward in June 1862. He was captured on 4 July 1863 with the fall of Vicksburg, and was paroled two days later. He surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina on 26 April 1865.
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