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June 14, 2006 |
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On Oct 11, during the Civil War in 1861, Sophia Estes Williams wrote to her brother, George W. Williams, who was a Civil War enlisted soldier on the front line in Virginia. Nancy Williams Slaton (Sophia and George’s sister) was the wife of Sanford Slaton. He too was in the Civil War and in Virginia combat duty. George Williams finds a tree stump and on November 3, 1861 begins a letter that I am sharing with you this week. The letter written on Nov. 3, 1861, has been translated with the help of my dear cousin, Billie Mc Cauley who lives on the Galveston Island. Billie is a real friend and very helpful in decipering what the letter says. This letter was written on the front line of the Civil War. The letter is as follows: Yorkstown, Va, Nov 3, 1861, Dear Sister, I this evening seat myself to reply to yours of Oct the 11th (it appears that 4 weeks have been necessary for delivery since the letter was written previously) I most glad to hear from you and to here you most all will so this leaves me in Tolabel well I have had the chills for 2 weeks but I am getting well now. (From another source I have learned that 2000 Southern Soldiers were sick for this 2 weeks). Sanford is well an doing well so far we have him at this place 2 weeks today (Sanford was one of the inductees from Onega). I like Tolabel well so far, it about as good a place as Richmond. The boys that is here is all well everything is very high here. Coffee is worth 50 cents on the pound. Shugar 20 cents per pound chickens 25 cents per head. Molasses 1.00 per gallon-Eggs or 5 cents per dudzen, butter 50 cents per pound. I have had a fine dinner today. Birch, Graham and Slaton an myself have had chicken an dumpling for dinner, so I feel much better that I did before dinner. We can’t mail letter and since they for now is so many a head of us. There is thousands of letters ahead of us. I want you to rite for me cant tell all of union in letter. My observation of this letter by the quotes of price on food being to high means to me that they had to buy their own food or at least a big part of it. I think the chicken for dinner was caught in the open field and cooked for their own meals. Many times, I have concluded, that when they found a chicken running loose, then the hen became their own for the next hot skillet. Chicken and dumpling was their order for most of the days. Clothes likewise were a luxury and the soldiers generally had to make their own provisions or write home so the mother and sisters could send them clothing and other necessities. Cleanliness was an almost individual loss to require help from home. Mail was slow, the letters were sent by friends and others back home to the family members.
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