Civil War Letters

The underlying, overarching theme: Honor

Letter 1:

Sayles's letter to his wife.

Captain James A. Sayles was a union soldier fighting in Bottoms Bridge, Virginia near the Chickahominy river. He is writing to his wife, Florence Lee, on June 11, 1864 about how he was highly thought of, how excited he was to go work in General Wilson’s army, and sharing his anxiety over some of his fellow soldiers getting sick because his unit was camping near the river. Letter 2:

Ballou's letter to his wife

Major Sullivan Ballou was a union soldier who fought in the First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia. He is writing on July 14, 1861 in Camp Creek to his wife Sarah about the upcoming battle because he knows he may perish, so he wanted to give her closure. He shares how much he loves her and their 2 boys, but not to mourn him because they will meet again. He was not anxious or worried about dying because he loved his country so much, believes he should if God wills it, and wanted to follow in the footsteps of the revolution soldiers because he respected them greatly.
Letter 3:

Scott's letter to his wife

Captain Charles M Scott was a union soldier writing to his wife, Anna, on April 7, 1862 from the Pittsburgh Landing. In the letter he was telling her about the losses of his fellow beloved soldiers in the Battle of Shiloh. He is also explaining how some of the men tried to swim away and he thought them to be the greatest of cowards because they were not willing to fight for their country and their fellow soldiers. Letter 4:

Squire's letter to his parents

Capt. Watson Squire was a union captain writing to his parents on May 21, 1861 in Elmira, NY. He was telling them how he thought war was very necessary and defeating the Confederacy was an even more important cause then the Revolutionary War. He believes this because he sees the Civil War as defending the “doctrine of self-government” and even if they lose would rather have tried to fight it in honor. He is telling his parents not to worry about him because he is happy with the honorable path he chose, but will try to come home even though he accepts and is okay that he may not.

Letter 5:

Grant's letter to his sister

L.A. Grant was a union soldier writing to his sister, E.G. Sayles, on July 8, 1864 from the 1st Vermont Brigade. He is writing to her to tell that her son was captured by the confederacy, but he may be alive so not to assume the worst. He also emphasizes how honorable he was and that when he was captured he still conducted himself with bravery.

Sign:

This collection of letters from various Union soldiers, Capt. Sayles, Major Ballou, Capt. Scott, Capt. Squire, and L.A. Grant, displays an overwhelming theme of Honor. These letters compellingly evidence that we can presume the majority of Union soldiers felt a consuming love of their country and had extreme patriotism, shown through their willingness to fight. They believed in their cause and would die fighting for it. Thus, in their view any man who would not was the worst kind of dishonorable coward. This led to a strong sense of camaraderie, developing within all the soldiers due to their shared belief that the honorable way was to fight for their country and fellow men. Do you believe Americans in today’s time would heed this call to fight because of their honor? And, if not, then why do you think so many have willingly joined the Army? Hopefully, these impactful, ardent soldiers can inspire us now through their legacy to posses and display a great sense of honor, patriotism, and bravery. Would you stand strong for a cause you wholeheartedly believed in even in the face of death?