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Civil War Letters of Wallace James and His Wife, 1864, Accession # 10874, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
These letters were purchased by the Library from Theme Prints, Ltd., of Bayside, New York, on September 25, 1989.
These two 1864 letters were written by an Ohio Union soldier, Wallace James, and his unidentified wife. Complete typescripts are included at the conclusion of this summary .
Wallace James' letter of Monday, June 13, 1864, was written while he was stationed at Martinsburg, West Virginia. He declares his delight at receiving letters from his wife and describes Martinsburg weather as very cold but as having peaches and strawberries in abundance for he and his fellow Union soldiers. Local residents are characterized as being loyal to the Union cause and the ladies in the area treat Union soldiers well. As he was composing his letter a group of four refugee women with a combined total of twenty children passed his tent. He concludes with the hope that God would preserve his wife's health and encloses a ring (not present) for her that he had made while in camp and promises to send two more after they are finished; he says they are not worth anything but hoped they would please her.
Mrs. James' letter is the more interesting of the two and was written on June 23-24, 1864, in New Madison, Darke County, Ohio. She confessed to having "the blues rather bad" until the arrival of two of Wallace's letters of June 19th and 20th, and mentions her activities (washing and ironing) and their [infant?] daughter, Getta. The first half of this letter ends with "i will quit for the present i have got to go wash and iron to morrow and it is after 9 now."
Her letter resumes on Friday evening, June 24, 1864, at seven o'clock, with the observation that New Madison wives are becoming very uneasy, especially in regards to news of the capture of [Union General David] Hunter's supplies [by Confederate General Jubal Early, near Lynchburg]; a neighbor was concerned because she (the neighbor) had had no word from her husband in three weeks. Mrs. James contends that the war would last as long as there were men available and admits that even if Wallace were to come home he would probably be drafted. She also discusses her husband's lumber business and suggests that he hire a man to supervise it during his absence; certain customers were apparently helping themselves when she was not present at the shop. She ends her letter because of the baby's crying but expressed a willingness to write another sheet if she had the chance.
Martins Burg Monday June the 13 1864
Dear wife it is with pleasure that i take pen in hand to answer yours of the eight which came to hand on the eleventh i was on picket at the time and did not get in til yesterday at [noon?] then i was so tired and sleepy that I Cold not rite i slep every [night], since and i feel fine this morning i was happy to here from you and that you was well i hope that these lines may finde you in good health as it leaves me it is ? great satisfaction to me to reade your leaters [letters] if has bin very ? since the rest left and it is a pleasure to all of the boys to here from home we hae not herde from the boys since they left we loock for them in three or four dayes they have bin gon nine dayes it may be that we shal go some places i think we will stay here we had a very harde storm laste thirsday [morning?] it [threw?] down some of our tents and it has bin very Coold every since then this is a butiful morining yet Cold it is Cold here every nite and every [week?] ? in the day time every thing seams to ? , smooth here as fare as i know have slep so mulch that i hardley Can rite at all I forgot to say that i got one dolar in the the last i received and i have received two papers from you they were very acceptable to me they was oolde yet they Came from home i had thought of going to Church in town uesterday if i had bin in Campe the boyes that had the measels is all merley (?) well i shold like to stay in the hospitte if the time did not seame so longe i am happy to here that Cary is of good boy and tryes to help his mom i hope that he will be good that will be happy ? to me you had to Clean House I was in hopse that you wold leave it alone til I Came back I am afrade that i will make you sick i hope not since you have don it if we shold stay here til our time is out we can have plenty of peaches they are as big now as some i got last year when ripe they treas [trees] is very ful strawberys is ripe here i have sean plenty of them the ladies in this place tended on our boyes very well tho some of them was from Ohio yet there is a magority here loyal people i Canot loock one the rebels here with any good fealing tho i thinke they are they best of the to those at home there is at greate many refuges that Comes thro here and they mostly go to Ohio we have some good times with them they say tho they never will [never?] ? ? it is harde to tel what they ? i shal send a ring in this leter that i made for ? of ? rate with my wife i have a [two?] more they are not finished yet I shall send when i Can they are not worth any thing yet I th[ought?] if i made them they would pleas you they have just bin some refuges past here there was four women and that hade some twenty Children it loocked harde i shal have to Close this leter to get it in the ofice before the male [mail] goes oute and I will have to [drill?] rite when you Can May god persurve [preserve] your life is my prayer
from your loving husband
until death Wallace James
June the 23 [1864]
[New Madison, Darke Co.] Ohio
Dearest husband i seat my self to answer yours of the 19 and 20 that came to hand this evening you better believe i was hapy to get a letter for i had the blues rather bad to day i was shure that you was sick i had thought maybe that you was out on picket i would like to see you very much but i supose i must wait till the time comes for us to meet i feel very thankful that i got a letter to night i thank you my dear and good kind husband for ?ing us soon as you could may heaven bless you and protect you is my prayer this morning i was dressing Gretta and she put her litle arms up around my neck and kissed me and turned away i was wondered if she ever thought of and while i was thinking she turned around and said i wish you would come home i wish she could see you some place and see if she would know you it is very warm to night i have got the door open and windows it has not rained yet i am fraid that it will not rain soon anoughf [enough] to do any good Eliza sent word by John Jacobs for me to come down o[n] saturday i dont know wether i will go or not if i should go i will stop at a oaths and go over to henerys it will not cost me any mone [money] henery was here to night he wanted me to go down with him but i did not like to take the baby through the hot sun i was fraid it would make her and me both sick some how i dont want to go i have not more than 3 dolars and [a] half when i come back i will send you that other dolar i will ask mat snodgrass for that 40 ccts [cents] i am fared [afraid] that you will think i have bin exstravagent but i have not got only what i needed i went to the store and got some muslin they say that we will pay 50 cts a yard for calico before 2 months i got Getta a pair of shoes will i wont tell you what all i have got i have got it all set down well i will quit for the present i have got to go wash and iron to morrow and it is after 9 now
freday evening 7 o clock June the 24
Dear husband i have just receved another letter from you i
was hoping to here from you again but i am sorry that you have
to stand gard so much and i am all so sory that the boys have
not got back their wives are geting very oneasey [uneasy?] a
bout them it is rumored that some of hunters suplys was taken
[END OF LETTER]