Franklin Tennessee Feb 21st 1862
My Dear Wife
I am still thank god alive and with the
exception of fatigue as well as I ever was, little did I think
the last time I wrote you hat we should have been forced
to retreat this far from Green River, our Regiment was
in the advance next to the River General Hindman with
about 1500 men 6 miles in our Rear, and the first thing
we knew General Johnson had evacuated Bowling green
carried off all the cannon and left us up there to get
away the best we could, we commenced our retreat but
it was very slow for we had to protect the infantry
& travel in the rear we got to Bowling green 1 night
the next day we were employed in burning provisions that
could be got off, we burnt over 2000 Barrels of pork and 10,000
bushels of grain to keep it from falling into the hands
of the Enemy we also burnt 2 large Mills and both the
Rail Road Bridges the turnpike Bridge the Depot that
took nearly all day the Infantry had gone on the next
morning just as we were getting ready to leave here
they come about 50,0000 of them they couldnt get to us they
were on one side of the river and we on the other and
without giving the Citizens notice to leave the place
they commenced shelling the Town we staid there
3 hours the Bomms falling all over the town I saw 1
Lady killed by a shell we took a great many of the women
and children on our Wagons and brought them out of the
place, we made our way then to Nashville but before we
got there we heard of the dreadful battle at Donalson
so soon as we got to Nashville without a minutes rest
we were ordered to go towards Donalson to protect
the poor fellows that got away from there we found a
great many we went within 10 miles of the place it
is not such a victory to them as they thought our men killed
many of them than were surrendered in the fort the great
est loss to us is the guns and General Buckner for

[page 2]
a braver man than he does not live I saw a citizen to
day who saw Buckner since he has been a prisoner an
he said that he did not know that Pillow had surrendered
the fort if he had he would have cut his way out or
have died in the attempt.  Floyd did cut out with
the most of his men, it was certain the hardest fought
Battle of the war our poor fellows had to lay there in
the ditches for 3 days and nights without anything to eat
or cover and they fought there the whole time an eye
witness told me to day that the Enemy must have
lost 5000 killed and many wounded. We lost 350
killed, I know this to be so for a physician who help
to attend to the wounded told me so he belonged to the
Regiment but he had on Citizens Clothes and they let him
get away. Yesterday we met a negroe man who had
his master taken prisoner making his way home they
took him too told him he was free that they would hire
him to cook for them he pretended to be satisfied he found
out the names of a good many of the Yankee Officers, and
he pretended go out to buy some of his provisions they let him
go out side of their lines and he made his Escape hundreds
of the men made their Escape after they were surrendered
Billy Carrington is a prisoner he has a Brother in
Austin, well we were are discouraged but not disheartened
the darkest time of night is just before day I am
willing to die or be free and that I think is the de
termination of every man in our Regiment, we are
in a poor fix we have got [?] Terry to command us
The hardest thing for us to do is to give up Nashvville
after they were so kind to us the other morning when
we left the Ladies Cheered us and beged us not to give
up the town, Ma you must direct your letters
to Murphhreysborough Tenn, I wish to god I could
see you now I dreamed last night about you my love to
all my friends all the Webberville Boys are well
Good Bye Your Husband  Wm H Roberts

MSS 10207

[from the diary of Daniel D. Logan, younger brother of Thomas M. Logan and a Sergeant, Co. B, 1st Special Battalion (Rightor’s) Louisiana Infantry]

Friday Wmsburg February 21st 1862
Fry & Norcum left for Richmond this
morning – Harris & I came into &
spent the day in Williamsburg – Put up
at Miss Galts – found Ames here confined
to his room with inflammatory rheu-
matism – Visited Dr Westmoreland &
Dr Purvis at the College hospital to
get an order for a bottle of brandy for
Ames – met Asa Russ of DeSoto there –
laid up with the mumps – Called
on Miss Hattie [Hettie Cary] today & learned that
she had gone to Richmond to the
inauguration – Miss Pearce was out –
Rec’d a letter tonight from Julie –
Accounts from Tenn, report our troops
fallen back upon Nashville after Killing
& wounding 6000 yankees, & losing 1500 or 2000
men at Fort Donnelson, & as usual a pack
of lies from the New York journals

MSS 6154

Centreville Va 21 Feby 1862
My dear Little Nannie:
Yours of 18th came to hand yester-
-day & I’m very much obliged to you for it.
I have just finished letters to Thomas
Rutherfoord and “Gustine: – I told the former that I
would be very glad to see him here about the last
of the month but that I could not encourage him
to join this company for two years or the war – He says
he has his Fathers consent to come in the Army but of
course the poor fellow will be excluded on account
of his eyes – “Gustine” desires a place in the battalion that
he has heard Grey Latham is raising but I disabused
his mind & said that whilst at any & all times I would
take pleasure in helping him I was sorry not to be able
to look encourage him to look in this direction just
now for position –
Grey Latham is again absent at Richmond
looking after the Majority [rank of Major] but I do not know about
his prospects for getting it – Its good for Grey that
Old Jeff cant be in this camp just now –
I hope Dr. D may prove an efficient soldier
& that enough Militia may volunteer to take the places
of dead, decrepid [decrepit] & non reenlisting men –
You will exclude the brevity of this if I prom-
-ise to do better next time – My love to the Cap’n & others at
home – Most devotedly “Nannie Lings” own Choctaw

Captain William A. King, Saltville Light Artillery

MSS 6682

Fort Grafton
February 21st 1862

My darling wifey

I received your sweet letter
this evening and in answer will say in
the first place that while your letters are
very precious and invaluable it is not
worth while to put two stamps on them,
though I am inclined to think that you
put one and Ma put the other.
I am happy to hear that you were the
handsomest lady at Miss Nellie Garrett’s
wedding. It is my private opinion that
you are “the most beautiful and loveliest
and cleverest” lady that was ever at any
wedding–but I suppose that I am too
much in love with you to give an
impartial opinion of your merits.
I hope you enjoyed yourself at the wed-
-ding and will enjoy yourself whenever an
occasion offers–it is hard I know to be
separated, but we ought to trust in Prov-
-idence and enjoy ourselves as much as
we may under the circumstances, drawing
great consolation from the fact that we
love each other so dearly.

[page 2]
It is quite late and I must be content
with a short letter–I will probably
write again tomorrow night
I will and do send you messages of
love, but I cant half tell you on
paper how much I do love you
A Kiss, God bless you and then,
my blessing, good night
Your devoted
Husband.

[Howe Peyton Cochran, 1st Virginia Artillery]

MSS 9380

Low Bremo Feby. 21. 1862

My dear Arthur

Yours of yesterday 4 ock A.M. with its me-
-lancholy announcement, did not reach me until this morning-
But if I had got it immediately after the arrival of the mail
the state of the Roads, and the infirmities of my old age forbid
my undertaking the journey to Warminster at a time when I could
not avail myself of the packet conveyance to be in time–to mingle
my tears with all the dear ones over the mortal remains of
my beloved daughter–Peace be to her ashes–Our spirits can-
not be separated but for a brief space–
In a late season of self examination I thought with myself I
should be willing to give my mortal life for the restoration of peace
and the acknowledgment of the Independence of our Southern Confederacy
and from the intelligence received today, thro’ our friend Dr. Holeman just from
Richmond from a reliable source, that peace may be expected in ninety
–days if not sooner–I trust I may be soon enabled to say: Now,
Lord, lettest Thou, thy Servant in peace.

One of Charles’ servants with a letter from him got here yesterday.
He went down to Hanover day before yesterday to join his wife. I look for
him here very shortly–
The President, it is reported, has intimated he has consoling informat8ion for the
public to be communicated in his inaugural address Tomorrow–

[page 2]
I am sorry to say–our friend Mrs. S[kipwith]. is no better–She has visibly
declined since she has been here–and said to me today–
She was
getting thinner & weaker every day–and yet Mr. S. is talking of taking her
down to Richmond the post packet of next week–I shall endeavour to
persuade him to put it off at least until the weather becomes more
settled–
You will doubtless hear from your Brother of your affairs at
home–my love & heartfelt sympathies are with you all–
Yours affectionately John H. Cocke

P. S[hole in paper] one of the most valuable of the young men, Calet,
died yesterday [hole in paper] at Up[per] Bremo of pneumonia

Letter regarding the death of his daughter Anne Blaws Cocke Cabell, less than two months after the death of his son General Philip St. George Cocke.

Dr. Arthur Lee Brent–Warminster
Willow Bank p off
Nelson County Va.

MSS 640

Camp Walker
Feby 21 1862
My own dear Wife
I hope I am decidedly better this morning
for it is now ten Oclock and I am as yet free
from headache though I am very weak and ner
vious [sic] and can hardly write even to my dear wife
Dr Moffett I am sorry to say does not seem to be
much better, indeed I fear he is rather worse. His brother
in law Mr West & servant got here this morning and
I hope this may have a good effect on him. he
is quite ill – I fear dangerously so. The news from the
west was a little more encouraging last night
a bold and determined & desperate stand by our
little army at Nashville will yet reverse our for-
tunes in that locality. our people have been
asleep our army has been quietly resting on the
honors won at Manassas, Bethel & Leesburg. our
people seem heretofore to think that our Liberty could
be won by staying at home & cheating each other
& making whiskey at $3 a gallon. Let them now
awake to a sense of the great danger that is
really threatening them. Instead of want waiting
to see who the Legislature will excuse from duty
let every man from 16 to 60 who is able to
carry a gun rush to arms. we have a great
abundance of small arms. Every farm house has
one or two shot guns the very best arm. let
them be carried at once into action. Let our re
verses be the occasioned occasion of rousing our
entire population to action – action – fierce – bloody
vindictive action. Let every man put forth his own
effort – bare his own breast to the storm and
no longer depend on his more protective
neighbor. Let every man say I will do or die
and they the day will be ours. we will still
be a free people and a great people – 8000000
of people can never ev be inslaved [sic] if they

[page 2]
will only determine to be free. I am by no means
despondent. the very necessity of the emergency will
compell [sic] our people to action and I learn that
every where they are doing moving in the
right direction & in the right way. I am
satisfied that nothing but a heavy & blasting
reverse of fortune will sufficiently a excite our
people to the sort of action necessary to ena-
ble us to succeed. our nation is in its infan
cy – and like a child needs correction to make
us do right. we were geting [sic] very naughty
& bad – going on like a wicked & prosperous
people forgetful of our misfortunes & lessons –
like a blind girl we were singing & dancing
right on the brink of a great precipice. And
God in his mercy has chastised us. I hope
we will profit by it. I believe he is with us
and wills our success And I believe we will ul-
timately win it but it will be over a much more
desperate resistance than I at first anticipated
I am going to send my horse Frank to your
fathers. I am unwilling to send him to Rock-
ingham just now for I greatly fear that
the valley will fall into the hands of our
enimies [sic] before the 15” of March. I will get
David to buy my horse grain & have him
as well attended to as possible. As to your
going to Rockingham I dont want you to do
so until after the 15” by that time something
may hapen [sic] by which we will be the better
able to read the future & determine on the
right course. I wrote this on a Ball tick
et in which I see my name as one of the
managers used without my authority but I
care nothing about it. with this I received four
tickets which I will send out as a curiosity
to the girls. Most affectionately
E. T. H. Warren

[page 3]
My darling I recd your long letter yesterday after
I had writen [sic] the two pages of this letter. I am sorry
to see you so despondent. our latest news is rather
more cheering than what you heard and last
night it was reported that the enimy [sic] had
attact [sic] our forces at Nashville & that Beauregard
in command had completely routed them and
taken over 2000 prisoners. I dont much believe
this yet I do believe that our loss at Ft Don-
aldson will not exceed 1500 and that we now
have at Nashville an army sufficient to repulse
the enimy [sic] at that point. I say you must there
for cheer up – look on the bright side & make
everybody else do the same – dont listen at any
ones croaking – dont be uneasy about our
Division or brigade going to Winchester Its [sic] not
so. And I believe that Jacksons entire force will
fall back from there in less than 30 days

[page 4]
I cant say when I can come & see you not
before the time when you will most want
to see me. I expect to be there then. You
ought not to mind the foolish talk at home
about you or the children yourself or your husband
they are only trying to tease you and if you
would listen to it all with a smile and give
them a light laughing reply it would soon
end – try & not be worried by such things it does
not become you to be a child just like the
rest of them. I have never heard of Lt Hamiltons
death and as he has connections in our reg-
iment I certainly would heard it – if so. He is
not dead.
Your most affectionate husband
ETHW

“Dr. Moffett”, line 5 – ‘Samuel H. Moffett, Surgeon, 10th VA Infantry.’

“Rockingham”, page 2, lines 22 & 23, and 28 – ‘Rockingham County in the Shenandoah Valley.’

“the valley”, page 2, line 24 – ‘Shenandoah Valley.’

“Beauregard”, page 3, line 6 – ‘Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, Confederate general.’

“our loss at Ft. Donaldson will not exceed 1500”, page 3, lines 9 & 10 – ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Warren was very much mistaken about the number of Confederate casualties at Ft. Donelson, Tennessee. During the fighting which led to the eventual surrender of the fort over 300 soldiers were killed in action and over 1100 were wounded in action. On 16 February when the fort was surrendered, over 12,000 Confederates marched away to captivity.’

“Jacksons”, page 3, line 17 – ‘Thomas J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, commander of the Confederate Valley District.’

“E.T.H. Warren”, page 2, signature & “ETHW”, page 4 signature – ‘Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Lieutenant-Colonel, 10th VA Infantry’.

[transcription and annotations by John P. Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g

Dear Father & Mother

It is now quite late
in the evening & as I have
thought to write to you during
the day & have neglected it
I will not postpone it further.
I have now been in camp nearly
two weeks & during this time
we have not had much to
do as a Band. have only had
two Parades. We however practice
considerable but not so much
as if we were all together.
There are only eleven of us
now.

We received thenews of the
Glorious Victory in Tenn. a
few days since & also news
of the taking of Savannah Ga.
You should have seen the

[page 2]excitement it produced.
Nearly all the officers from
the Col. down went on a big
Drunk & many of the privates
were in the same condition
and I am sorry to say that some
of the band were not clear of
the charge.

We heard today that Gen. Price
with his whole staff were
taken prisoners.

I indeed all these reports be true
it will certainly be a terrible
stroke to the Rebels.

For some days past we have
had orders to be ready to
march on short notice. this
it seems is a general order
to all the troops in the field.
from this I am inclined to
think that something is
about to be done.
I hope so, at least hope we

[page 3]
may be ordered forward.
May be allowed to aid
in giving the finishing
blow to this accursed rebellion.

A few days since a party of
Rebel soldiers prisoners were
started from this place to
Columbus. they were indeed
hard looking cases ragged,
dirty & grossly ignorant.
just the men to be led about
and controlled by the will
of a superior mind.

My health is at present
very good but I have
found it rather difficult
to come down to the rough
camp fare we are obliged
to submit to.

I have thought several
times of writing to Aunt
Cook but I hardly know
what to say to her. What

[page 4]
do you think I had best
say to her. I would like
if you would write to me
immediately & tell me
and you might send
me her letter that we rec’d
when I was at home. I have
forgotten what she said.
The boys all thought
that the apple butter I
brought with me was the
best they ever ate.
I almost wish now that
I had brought some butter
with me.

Campbell had a small sack of
provisions with him but with
his usual carelessness lost
it on the way. I suppose Tom
has made his appearance ere
this. How does he do?

Write soon,
Yours truly, J.D. Templeton

The Regiment’s colonel was future U.S. president Rutherford B. Hayes

MSS 10317

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Played for Guard Mounting
Practiced as usual
read some Heard report
that Genl Price & staff
have been taken
prisoners.
Wrote letters this
evening to Father
& one to S. G. Hanna
Pleasant day partly
clear

MSS 10317

[From the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding, Co. F, 25th Massachusetts]
Have been occupied to-day in
re-arranging our quarters. This
afternoon had a battalion drill about a
couple of hours, which I enjoyed very well.
It has been a warm pleasant day, and
God has granted me many favors, blessed
be His name. I have now got a berth
with Phineas and George, so I feel at
home once more. The Capt. gave us
orders to night to get ready to march
to-morrow morning at nine o’clock with
knapsacks and all, though we may not have to
go. May God so order events, if consistent
with His will, that peace may soon
return to our land and that we may
all return to our friends once more.

MSS 11293

[from the diary of William M. Blackford, former diplomat, editor and bank officer in Lynchburg, Va., with five sons in the Confederate Army]

Friday 21. Another mild clear day which is
very refreshing. No news direct from Tennessee
Northern accounts continue to aver that the loss
on our side in killed, wounded & missing is not
less than 15000. I think this must be exaggerated
The telegraph line I presume has been taken
possession of by our authorities as nothing comes
over it. It is great nonsense in the Governments
attempting to conceal anything from the people
I fear the worst from this silence & mystery.
Letter from Mrs. Hughes about her silver, which I
answered. The President has appointed Friday next
as a day of fasting, humiliation & prayer. In the evening
called with Mary J on Mrs McCormack, a daughter
of Mrs Jett who was a daughter of Mrs Lane of Rappa
hannock, at whose house I have spent some pleasant
days. She was not at home. Mary J read at night
in the Diary of George Dodington, Ld Melcombe
one of the meanest & most corrupt of the politicians
& courtiers of the days of Geo 2d.