As we continue to commemorate the 150-year anniversary war, here is another excerpt from my book Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife, published by Heritage Books. The following battles were fought by private Charles McDowell in September 1864:
September
19 Battle of Winchester
September 22 Fisher's Hill
Leading up to those battles are a few of the love letters between Charles and his teenage wife Nancy--my great-great grandparents from upstate New York. Nancy not only had to worry about Charles dying in battle, she also worried about "the clap!"
To Nancy
[Tenallytown] Sept the 4-1864
Dearest
Wife,
We are at Tennallytown yet. We are having splendid nice weather her[e]
now.
There is quite an excitement here
about re-enlisting. I bet you two thirds
of the army will enlist. Grant's army is
rather getting the start of the rebs now but they ain’t whipped yet. They are tough fellows. I soon found that out when we went to the
front.
You wouldn’t hardly know me
now. I hadn’t shaved since we started
for the front till today and my mustache got so long I couldn’t eat molasses
very well and I cut it off and most all the rest of my whiskers. The boys don’t hardly know me.
John Perkins is a prisoner. Fred Stell is killed. We can’t hear much about the prisoners.
From your ever true and affectionate
husband, C McDowell
To Charles from Nancy
Dearest Husband, September 4 1864
I have just got the letter that you wrote the
fourth of July. I don’t think purty
much of that girl being so clever. High
Thompson, he found some clever ones out there.
The folks says that he has got the clap [gonorrhea] so that they can’t
go in the house because he smells so bad, and they don’t think that he will
live long. They thought he was dead one
day. The doctor had been fixing
him.
The cannons roared all night last night. They don’t know what it was for but they
think is some good news. They say that
we have taking Mobile Petersburg
You
say that you go and see Miss Feaks purty often. I wish I was there so I could go with
you. I hope that you can stay to
Tennallytown till your time is out. It
seams almost like an age. A whole year
before you can come home but I am glad every time when night comes. I think one more day has past and gone and
your time is so much nearer out but it will pass off after a while. It can’t
last always.
Hank
Jule is drafted. I don’t know whether he
will go or not. They have filled up
Huron’s call. They give them fifteen hundred apiece, but Sodus, they will hafto
come to a draft for there has so many run too.
The
paper states that they are paying all the armies off now but I though[t] your
being to Tennallytown your wouldn’t get your pay. I would like to know if your have heard
anything from Cary
From
your ever true and affectionate wife Nancy McDowell
To Charles from Nancy
Dearest
Husband, September the 11 1864
You spoke about the regiment
enlisting again. I hope that you won’t
be so foolish to enlist again. I had
drather go with half enough to eat than have you enlist again. The big bounty I
would[n’t] look at it. I had drather have
my freedom than all the money.
The men get from two dollars to
twenty sh_______ pr day and thirty dollars pr month. Any body can earn a living, and if you get
hurt, I can work ____ get us a living. I
would work night and bet you should have
enough to eat. I wouldn’t have you
enlist again for two thousands dollars if I could have my way about it. You said that your captain resigned and had
gone home. Who is your captain now?
I sent you some camphor gum I would like to
know if you got it. I would like to
have your likeness since you shaved. I
think I would know it.
Am here all alone today. All the rest has gone to meeting. I wish you was here with me. This makes me think of my dream last night. I thought I was out there with you and we
was up to Miss Feaks and we had a good visit and we was carrying on like
everything and I laugh so loud that it woke me up. I have thought about it all [?] morning
Dave wrote home to know what Pa and Ma
thought about his enlisting. I think he
is foolish. He said he wouldn’t enlist
for all of Verginey. I think he turns
his tune but [?] him enlist. Don’t
you?
I don’t suppose that [you] hafto
stand guard nights now.
From your ever true affectionate
wife
To Nancy
[Probably
Tennallytown] Sept the 12 - 1864
Dearest
Wife
We have had a considerable of rain
lately and it is pretty cool weather here now.
They say Hammond and his wife had a quarrel and he has enlisted.
I got the letter that had the dollar
in I guess I won’t send it back for I have got it most all spent for apple
dumplings and milk. There is peddlers
here all the while with them and you know how I like dumplings. I wish you was
here now to make another such a batch as we had last winter. I think I could manage some of them. They are ten cts apiece. Mrs. Hoxie has 25 cts apiece for pies now, 75
cts a meal.
That fellow that [you] spoke about
[the one with the “clap”] is pretty bad off.
You talk as though you thought I might get in that way. But Nat you
needn’t be uneasy about that and I don't think I am quite as soft in the head
as to go in such speculations as that and I don't think that you would think
that I would do any such a thing. Anyway
if you do, you are greatly mistaken.
What does the folks think about
election out there? Here the most of them thinks Old Abe will get it again and
I think so and I think the war will be settled under him as quickly as any body
else. The most the rebs is waiting now is election. I think they will come to some settlement
after election. They would like to have McClellan in if they could.
I was to Mrs. Feaks today. She is well.
I left a nice little there that I found. She wants me to give it to her
but I don't know whether to give it to her or send it home.
You said you was pretty lonesome. I dare say you be Nat but you must keep up
good courage. The time will soon run round when I can be at home again. Sometimes I feel very lonesome, but when I
think of the time and how fast it is passing, I get over it again. If I can get
through the remainder of my time as well as I have the fore part I shall feel
very thankful, although I have had some pretty close calls.
I think I told you that at Monocacy
a piece of shell or a ball broke my gun and Carpenter told me to throw it away
and pick up another and I picked up a nice rifle. You could have picked up a
gun there any place. I was afraid I
would get over heated that day for I was one of the last off of the field and I
was awful warm when I came off, and then we had to take a double quick once and
a while to keep out of their batteries, and I was most choked for a drink, but
I doesn’t drink much. I was so warm and
another thing, we hadn't any too much time to get it.
I ain’t doing much of anything but I
get just as much pay as though I had worked hard. I am afraid I have got in a bad place to
learn how to work but I guess I can learn how when I get home again
From your ever true and affectionate
husband c. McDowell
I hadn’t but just my letter finished
when we had orders to move. We are in Washington Harpers Ferry .
We have got orders to fall in now.
Chapter Eleven
The Battles of Opequon (or Winchester
To Nancy
(Near
Berrysville - 22 miles from Harpers Ferry ) Sept the 18-64
Dearest
Wife,
We lay in front of the enemy but there is no
fighting on either side, and I guess there won’t be any very quick without they
attack us. All we want is to keep them
here at present.
We are encamped in the woods. It’s a
nice place but we don’t know how long we will stay here. We are about 22 miles from Harpers
Ferry near Berryville. That
letter that had that dollar in ain’t here nor them papers. I guess that is lost. I got your letter dated the 11 when we was at
Washington
You say you was alone. I know you was lonesome but you must keep up
good courage. I feel in hopes that I
shall soon be with you. Now you had
quite a dream. I would have been glad if
it had been true. You said you didn’t
want me to enlist. You needn’t be
scart. I don’t [I] think shall if you
didn’t want me to. I shouldn’t anyway
for all the money they can stack up.
From your ever true and affectionate
husband C. McDowell
The above was an excerpt from my book and play, Ever True: A Union and His Wife. If you would like to see or present a reading of their letters, contact me at saundersbooks@aol.com
