[a letter from Charles Ellet, Jr., to his wife as transcribed at a later date]

                                                                    Opposite Memphis
                                                                          June 10, 1862

My beloved Ellie

                      I write by Charles to-day, who is going up to Cairo to
meet you, merely to let you see by my hand writing that I am well and
doing well.
                    It is not two hours since Dr. Robarts extracted the ball from
near my knee, and since then I have eaten a hearty dinner with good
appetite.  Indeed, my appetite has never failed me since I was hurt.
                    I began to be somewhat anxious this morning–but I am satis-
fied now that the removal of this jagged piece of lead will bring
about an immediate improvement.
                     My anxiety is now for you, and Mary and our dear little ones.
Join me here my dear Wife and let us study out the future and talk
over the past.  Bet let me meet you in good health.
                                          Forever yours
                                           Charles Ellet Jr.

MSS 276

[letter of Charels Ellet, Jr., continues]

June 10 — morning–I have got through another
night, dear Ma, and without suffering, though
with a certain share of annoyance from my wound
and from the confinement.  My position, for a
man wounded in battle, is nearly a very comfortable
one.  My centre bed is in the centre of the [?]
cabin of one of my largest steamers–while
Charles sleeps on the floor by my bed–the Doctor
in the state room opposite–Alfred near by and my
clerk and Eddie at hand. I have every comfort that

[page 4]
I should reasonably expect to have while disabled.
One of the most troublesome parts of my condition
is the partial[?] paralysis of my foot.   The ball came
from a steamer that I did not see, for we were at
the time in the midst of the enemy’s fleet   and I
was struck about three inches above the knee joint on
the left side of the back of the left leg–and I
think has passed around and lodged in the right
hand side of the front of the leg  but still above
the joint.  It must have touched some larger
nerve to induce the pains I often feel in the
calf of the leg & the sole of the foot.  There
is very little sensation in my foot, though
more than there was.  My [?] to move my
let also increases.
Charles will leave in a few hours for Cairo
to met his Mother.  Alfred has written for Sarah
also to come. If Mary should come with her Mother
–which I think is not unlikely–we shall have
a family party on board the flagship.
I really do not know what I shall do with them
all.  Memphis is not a suitable place for them–
nor a safe place either.  I shall be obliged to keep
them on board of this flag ship.

You must remember me affectionately to Aunt
Hannah and William and Sarah–My great cause
of anxiety now is for Ellie and my little ones–But
your kind friends are so all kind that I feel more
that you will  have all the support that care
and attention can give.
I suffer more this morning from thrilling pains
in the sole of my foot than from any other
cause–which shows injury to some nerve,

                                  Adieu my dear Ma—
                              Your most affectionate Son
                                                   Charles Ellet Jr.

Ellet, in command of the Queen of the West, was wounded in the battle for Memphis


MSS 276

At Home June 10th 1862
W T Sutherlin Esqr

                   Dear Sir I Recd
yrs of the 28 May saying you
would like to cash yr acceptance
due in March next by my
takeing In[tere]st off.  I am very glad
it will suit you to do so. I will
try to bring it over or send it to you
the last of the month–or the first
of next.  As I have Bot $10.000
Dolls worth of cotton & shall be
hard run for money this Summer
& Winter.  I am also fearfull,
that I shall be compelled to burn
it to keep it from falling into
the hands of the Yankey Thieves
& Scoundrals & Unprincipal Rouges
&c  I am yr friend yr
Well wisher  A. Willis
PS
You missed a good & fine crop
of Tobco by not comening to see
mw which could be sold now
for a least 5 to 8 dols more then I
sold it for &c  AW

W.T. Sutherlin Esqr
         Danville
                 Virginia

               Fredericksburg, June 10th, 1862
My Dear Little Emma
                          I am sorry I’ve
tried your patience so but I have
done so to several could not
write before as I have been
quite buisy My boys keep me
thinking working & running
all the while.  Today it is
rainy things are verry quiet
about the quarters and I mean
to write a dozen letters.  I
dont know of anything verry
interesting to write about.
I have quite a number of
little sesesh acquaintances
who sing about the bonny
blue flag and the lone star
about Jeff & Beauregard but
still love the soldiers who
want to get a chance to hang
them.  One little girl the other

[page 2]
day scolded her brother for
chasing a little union boy to
get the stars and stripes away
from him well they’ll think
better of the old flag after a little
There are more niggers about
here than there were at Wash-
ington Ill give you a sketch
of one or rather a family of them
for there were        half a dozen just
alike perhaps           an inch difference
in heighth .        *       black and greasy
at that but                they have
souls and                 fealings.  I
feel sorry for them and
hope the day may come
when the negro may lay
claim to the sympathy
of the haughty silly southerns.
I was glad once more to
hear  from you write again
Emma love to mother
           Your Loving Brother
                                 Aaron

[*sketch of small African American boy in the middle of the page]

Captain Aaron Sager, Co. G, 76th New York Infantry, severely wounded at Gainesville and discharged.  Later the proprietor of a drug store in Cortland, N.Y.


MSS 15190

                          Fort Albany,  June 10th /62
                                              4 o’clk PM
         Dear Wife
                 I have just now received
a letter from you, and I like it very
much, I think you were in pretty good
spiritis when you wrote it,  It is just the
kind. We are now having a jollification over
a box of goodies sent to Richard Alley
from Lynn, he being the Capt’s servant, and
not being in any “Mess” and being better acqu-
ainted in the mess, and with me, than in
any other, he brought his box right into
my tent, it is a splendid box of goodies,
and the prospect is that now we shall have
a glorious supper, It was got up by a dozen
or more of Lynn, Yesterday, Sylvester Perkins
received a box from home, and in it I
had a Vest, Handk’s, Medicine, and a Note
from you, Perkins’s box had some very
nice fixings in it, so you see, that for
the last two days, we have had plenty of goodies
I hope they wo’nt  make any of us sick.  We shall risk it, at
any rate———–

[page 2]
One souvenir you have sent me in your
dear letter, which, you may be sure, I shall
preserve with the greatest care, and that
is the specimen of writing from Ernie
to Papa, I guess I have read it over about
a half dozen times allready. The idea of
a “four year old” writing a letter, I should
rather have had that, than anything you could
have sent me, except the originators of
it.  You speak about rainy weather, I guess
we have had rainy weather, and plenty of it
lately, it is raining now, and has been, all
day, but we, “within here snug and warm” do’nt
care a darn, if it does rain, so long as we
have got, plenty of goodies for supper.  It
is now about supper time.  I will try and write
again after that has come off.

[Letter from Robert, from Lynn, Mass., and unidentified soldier in the 14th Massacusetts Heavy Artillery, will continue on the 11th.]

MSS 1242

[from the diary of Matthella Page Harrison as transcribed at a later date]

Tuesday, June 10th

A dismal rainy day.  We heard yesterday from Winchester that Jackson was advancing, largely reinforced, towards that place.  Expect him daily.  It seems very certain, too, that McClellan has been defeated at Richmond.  Beauregard has evacuated Corinth, suppose on account of the cutting off of supplies.  The enemy acknowledge his retreat was the most masterly ever effected in war.  They posted sentries of straw outside the town.  On the advance of the enemy they fired at these sentries half a day, no shots being returned.  They advanced and found most of the army had been gone for a week, carrying everything except one house[?] of bacon.

MSS 9759

[from the diary of Joseph A. Waddell, civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Tuesday 10th  Still Fall like–I have had a good fire made up in my
room.  The parlour is again filled with young men which makes it
lively for the young ladies–I have received a long letter from
Sarah to day–She is feeling wretched about Fred & Pax–They
have left for Vicksburg to join their Regiment–May God
protect them from their enemies & the hand of those who hate
them–

MSS 6960

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

Tuesday 10.  I was wakened about 3 by
a step on the porch which proved
to be Charles.  He was with some
30 more cavalry cut off at Harper’s
Ferry last Saturday week, since when
he has been withing the enemys lines
and had a series of the most roman-
tic adventures and endured many
perils & privations–He lost every thing
including his own horse and one
which he captured–I have not heard
a more romantic story for a long
time—Sure enough the telegram
brought us news of the complete rout
of Shields by Jackson & Ewell yes-
-terday with the loss of his artillery
and many prisoners–Truly Jackson
is becoming the hero of the war.
Reinforcements to the amt of 14 or 15
hundred men passed through to day
for his army.  They are Georgia
Regiments just from the sea coast
of S. Carolina–more are coming on
Would that he had 10,000 more men

in addition to his force.  He would
sweep the enemy out of the Valley
–cold rain storm all day–most
unseasonable weather.  Lambert
Minor came in the course of the
day and spent the night with
us.  I had expected to go to Richmd
but think it best to defer the
trip and see if correspondence can
-not affect the object.

MSS 4763 

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

 Tuesday, June 10, 1862

After drawing rations
went to Col Chambers &
bought a lid for a
bake oven and had a
nice roast of beef for
dinner which with our
pickles made of wild
honeysuckle fruit–was
a good one
Practiced before & after
noon.  Recd two
Letters this evening one
from mother & one
from J. S. Olin
Learned by his letter
that Craft is starting
a band in Sav
mothers advise was in
regard to [?]
Has been rather cool for
several days.  Cloudy rained
a little.

MSS  10317