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Preferred Citation

Civil War Letters of the Tompkins Family, Accession #705, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of twenty-two letters from three members of the Tompkins family, Robert T. Tompkins, A.G. Tompkins, and J.A. Tompkins, 1862-1864, to Mrs. E.H. Tompkins, Nelson Station, Nelson County , Virginia. All but two of the letters are from J.A. Tompkins to his mother, Mrs. E.H. Tompkins. J.A. Tompkins died in Point Lookout Prison Camp for Confederates, Maryland and is interred in the cemetery there.

J.A. Tompkins, Company I, 5th Virginia Cavalry, Lomax's Brigade, writes to his mother from a camp in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, about the desolate condition of the land and prospects of a battle soon (August 14, 1863, October 3, 1863); mention of a battle at Brandy Station and Bristoe Station (October 13 and 18, 1863); destruction of the railroad from Bristoe to Warrenton Station, the infantry loss of five pieces of artillery and a lot of prisoners, and mentions their crackers were full of worms and bugs (October 22, 1863); battle at Kelly's Ford (November 12, 1863); staying at a camp in Madison County (December 4, 1863); details of clothing needs and the need for a good cook for the mess, "the sewing of the government doesn't last very long..." (December 9, 1863); and requests that she find him a second horse this winter if possible (December 19, 1863).

He also talks about exchanging his beef "to an old Negro woman for bacon and cabbage and bought milk a plenty and had enough to eat the whole time we were there" (January 1, 1864); the Yankees putting pressure on his regiment, especially those on picket duty and complaints about a cut in his rations (February 8 and 14, 1864); describes an attack on Uncle Tom by a deserter who struck him in the head with a rock while he was in pursuit of them (April 2, 1864); discusses a sermon by Dr. [James Dabney ?] McCabe and a concert by the camp glee club (April 8, 1864); instead of the grand review of the division by Robert E. Lee that was expected, they encountered the Yankees in some of the hardest fighting to date at Spotsylvania Court House, losing one man in the fight, John Burgess (May 8, 1864); and report of his capture and imprisonment at Point Lookout Prison Camp (May 23, 1864).

Robert T. Tompkins was a first lieutenant in Company C, 45th Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, 4th Brigade, Breckinridge's Division. His letter to his aunt mentions serving near Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the presence of Yankee gunboats (July 21, 1862).

A. G. Tompkins writes to his aunt from a camp near Tullahoma, Tennessee, and mentions a rumor involving William Starke Rosecrans and his own involvement in a battle, possibly at Stones River, Tennessee, at Christmas (March 4, 1863).