Alexander_MS218_1_3_35a |
Previous | 1 of 5 | Next |
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
|
This page
All
|
Loading content ...
Object Description
| Title | Occasionally we have an excellent dish of beef feet, nicely prepared |
| Creator | Alexander, J. B. (John Brevard), 1834-1911 |
| Date Created | 1862-10-14 |
| Digital Collection | John B. Alexander papers, 1855-1911 |
| Description | Written in October 1862 in the Bunker Hill, Virginia, area, this letter to his wife, Ann, gives a glimpse of the life of the Civil War surgeon, J.B. Alexander, and his frustration with a lifestyle he was clearly unaccustomed to. The food (quality, variety, quantity) and marching long distances only to sleep without the shelter of a tent or comfort of a mattress are just a few of his complaints. |
| Transcription | "My dear wife, as usual, I begin this letter without having anything new or interesting to write you. I have almost quit talking from the fact that everything here has become dull, quiet, and monotinus [sic], to such a degree that the camp looks gloomy with smoke. But I have never seen the time yet that I had nothing to tell you, even if it should be uninteresting. I wrote to you a few days ago by Capt. Oats, replying to your letter which I presume you have got by this time or will get it before you receive this epistle. For the last week we have had a great deal of cloudy weather, but very little rain. The roads here are in fine condition yet, in fact all the principal roads here are turnpikes, graded and macadamised [sic] so that they never get bad mudy [sic] like they do about Manassas Junction. The fences here are nearly all built of stone. The road from Middleburg to Winchester is almost a continuous lane of rock fence. The people were busy cutting corn as I came on here two weeks ago. They cut it off at the ground and stack it about over the field so that they can sow their wheat early, but I do not think that I would like that kind of farming at home. But I do like their plan of sowing a great deal of clover. Annie, I have just engaged 10 bushels of clover seed from Mr. Sam'l Ewing. He lives two miles from Tuckasage [sic] Ford [Tuckasegee Ford is in Mecklenburg County, NC]. I am to get it at 3 dollars per bushel. I expect that Father will want five bushels. You must get him to send for it. Lt. Roberts of our Reg. has resigned, and will go home in a few days, and he says that he is sure that I can get the clover seed and I hope you will be sure to have them procured. I want the McAulay field sowed in clover with oats, whether this fall or next spring. I also would like to have the brick yard field sown. And I want the Lucern [?] lot back of the barn made three times as large as it is now and made very rich, and have it sowed in clover. But I sincerly [sic] hope that I will get home before all this can be done. There is a rumor in camp that our Division will soon be ordered to Petersburg, as an attack is expected to be made near Sufolk [sic]. I wish the rumor would prove true and if it does I will try for a furlough, and if I am refused I will try what virtue there is in a resignation. I have very little to do here and I am getting bored right badly. At present there are but four doctors in our brigade, and you see there will be but little chance for me to get off now, or I would try for leave of absence pretty soon. Davy says that I am homesick, but I assure you I have an excellent appetite. Yet our bill of fare is very simple, flour & beef is all we have three times a day. We buy bacon enough to shorten our bread with, and Bob makes us most excellent buiscuit [sic]. But I am getting very tired of beef steak. Occasionaly [sic] we have an excellent dish of beef feet, nicely prepared. Nothing more today. J. B. Alexander." |
| Subjects--Names |
Ewing, Samuel Roberts, John H., 1820?-1904 Alexander, Ann Wall Lowrie, 1834-1893 Alexander, J. B. (John Brevard), 1834-1911 Alexander, William Davidson, 1840-1927 |
| Subjects--Organizations | Confederate States of America. Army--Military life |
| Subjects--Topics |
Military morale Military camps--Virginia Stone walls--Virginia Macadam roads--Virginia--History Clover as feed--History--19th century |
| Subjects--Locations | United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military facilities; Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 |
| Coverage--Place |
Bunker Hill (Bedford County, VA) |
| Digital Publisher | Charlotte, N.C.: J. Murrey Atkins Library University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Object Type | Text |
| Genre | manuscripts (document genre) |
| Finding Aid | http://library.uncc.edu/manuscript/ms0218 |
| Format | image/tiff |
| Relation | Forms part of : John B. Alexander Papers, 1855-1911 |
| Language | eng |
| Repository | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Rights | Materials in the Digital Collections at Atkins Library are provided free for educational use under fair use as outlined by current U.S. Copyright law and accompanying guidelines. Written permission from the J. Murrey Atkins Library or the rights holder must be obtained before using an item for publishing or commercial purposes. |
| Location of Original | Manuscript 218, Special Collections Manuscripts--10th Floor, J. Murrey Atkins Library |
| Note | Atkins Library has provided the description and subject analysis for these images. We encourage you to contact us at spec-coll@uncc.edu with your comments and feedback. |
| Identifier | Alexander_MS218_1_3_35 |
| Date Digitized | 2011 |
| Rating |
Description
| Title | Alexander_MS218_1_3_35a |
| Creator | Alexander, J. B. (John Brevard), 1834-1911 |
| Digital Collection | John B. Alexander papers, 1855-1911 |
| Digital Publisher | Charlotte, N.C.: J. Murrey Atkins Library University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Object Type | Text |
| Genre | manuscripts (document genre) |
| Finding Aid | http://library.uncc.edu/manuscript/ms0218 |
| Format | image/tiff |
| Relation | Forms part of : John B. Alexander Papers, 1855-1911 |
| Language | eng |
| Repository | J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Rights | Materials in the Digital Collections at Atkins Library are provided free for educational use under fair use as outlined by current U.S. Copyright law and accompanying guidelines. Written permission from the J. Murrey Atkins Library or the rights holder must be obtained before using an item for publishing or commercial purposes. |
| Location of Original | Manuscript 218, Special Collections Manuscripts--10th Floor, J. Murrey Atkins Library |
| Note | Atkins Library has provided the description and subject analysis for these images. We encourage you to contact us at spec-coll@uncc.edu with your comments and feedback. |
| Date Digitized | 2011 |
Tags
Comments
Post a Comment for Alexander_MS218_1_3_35a
