4th North Carolina Letter

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

CAMP FOURTH NORTH CAROLINA REGIMENT,
NEAR PETERSBURG , January 18, 1865.

Dear Sister:
I send by the boy Church , a pair of shoes and a pair of socks. Brother can have the shoes fixed up and wear them. I guess they will fit him. I never expect to wear them again. The socks only need a little darning to make them serviceable. I shall let you know when I shall need any more. The book I send is a pretty story of the present war. Everything seems to be unusually quiet. I understand picket firing has been stopped on the lines. We haven’t heard any for several days, neither have we heard any cannonading. The peace question is all the excitement in camp now. From what I saw in the “Examiner” this morning I think myself there is something in the wind. I do hope peace will be made before spring. The men are getting very discouraged, and to tell the truth, they have cause to be. Some of our regiment was down on the lines Sunday, and they say the troops not had any meat for five days. If the men are not fed they will not stay with the army. They are deserting from the lines every night, and going the Yankees. Don’t send me anything else that you will have to buy, or need before the end of the year. We expect to go on picket this coming Sunday, to be gone a week. My love to all.
Your devoted brother,

WALTER

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

UNITED STATES PRISONERS CAMP,
POINT LOOKOUT , MD. , Sept. 29, 1864.

My Dear Mother:
At the battle of Winchester, fought the 19th of this month, myself, together with seven others of our company, were captured, namely Henry Warren, Emerson Winstead, Pat Wooten, Bunyan Barnes, Edwin Barnes, Bryant Stokes, and Joel Taylor. All of us are in very good health. All of us have written although some of our letters may be lost. Give my love to all the family. Please write as soon as you receive this. Direct me care of Major Brady, Provost Marshal. Let me know whether Blake was killed or wounded. Goodbye, believe me as ever.
Your sincere and affectionate son,

WALTER

[woodsda]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

There is actually a book published that has there letters, "As You May Never See Us Again: The Civil War Letters of George and Walter Battle, 4th North Carolina Infantry " by Joel Craig and Sharlene Baker.

Don Woods

[Todd Watts]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

I'm not 100% certain this is the man, but I did a quick search at Ancestry.com and located a probable match.
Walter R. Battle, born abt 1840 to Amos I. & Margaret Battle In the 1850 census they are living in Chowan County, NC. He died of a "brain inflamation" in Wilson Co, NC in Nov., 1870.

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

Manassas Junction, August 23, 1861.

My Dear Mother,
We received your letter this morning when John Clark came. George wrote a day or two ago, which you had hardly received when you last wrote. There is no news of any kind worth writing. George and myself are both well at present. It has been raining here for nearly a week, and it is tolerably cool. This morning was very cool and chilly. It begins to feel like winter is fast approaching. You spoke of sending us some winter clothing. We would be very glad to have a good supply, as we shall suffer if not well clothed in this cold country. I can almost imagine now how cold it will be on top of these high hills when the winter winds come whistling around them. The following list of clothes will be as many as we shall need and can take care of conveniently. Two pairs of thick woolen shirts each, such as can be worn either next to the skin or over other shirts; two pairs of red flannel drawers each, and some woolen socks, that is everything we will need for the present. You can send them by express, and we shall get them. You need not attempt to come see us, for it will be impossible for you to get here. Men are not even allowed to come after their sons to carry them home when they die with sickness in the service. I tell you this to save you the trouble and expense of coming so far and then having to go back without seeing us. It is a great deal harder to get back after you get here than it is to come.
Ed Harris is now here with us, he came day before yesterday. He will leave in the morning, and I shall send this letter by him. He got here through the influence of some members of Congress of his acquaintance in Richmond.
Give my love to all. Tell them to write often and let us hear all the news.
Good bye

Your devoted son,

WALTER

P.S. Please name my dog Nero and try to make him of some account. What is sister’s address?

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

Richmond, VA., July 22, 1861.

My Dear Mother:
As George wrote two or three times since I have, I told him I would write when I got to Richmond . The first thing I knew this morning was that he was writing home, so I told him to leave some room for me and I would write some in his letter.
There is not much to write, as we are about four miles from the center of the center of the city. We don’t hear any news, though we heard yesterday that they were fighting at Manassas Gap all day. We heard none of the particulars. Captain Rather expects to leave to-day, but I do not think we will. Col. Anderson came along with us. We left half the regiment at Camp Hill (five companies). My opinion is that we will stay here until the other five companies come, and all of us leave together.
David Carter and little lawyer Marsh are both captains in our regiment. George got the bundle you sent him yesterday. We are enjoying camp life now to perfection. Heretofore we have to had a plank floor, but now we pitch our tents, spread our blankets on the ground and sleep as sound as you please. I never slept better in my life than last night. If it stops raining this morning I expect to up town shopping, and if I have time I want to have myself and George’s likeness taken together and send it home, as you may never see either of us again.
I can’t tell you anything about Richmond yet, as we have not seen any part of it except one street, that was about four miles long, and led out of town to our camp. We are much obliged for the bed quilts.
They do us a great deal of good. We do not trouble ourselves to carry them, but roll them up in our tents. We got blankets before we left our camps. Some of them were to finest I ever saw. I was detailed to give the blankets and knapsacks out, so I kept the best out for all the boys in our tent. They are so fine and nice I hate to spread them on the ground.
Fitzgerald, Henry Warren, Billy Barnes, Tom Stith, George and myself compose the inhabitants of our tent. We have a very respectable crowd. I like it much better than being in a room with the whole company. As we are we have just as nice and quiet a time of it as if we were in a private room.
Give my love to sisters, and believe me, as ever, your sincere and affectionate son,

WALTER

P.S. I don’t know where to tell you to direct your letters in future, as it is uncertain how long we stay here.

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

WAGON YARD, COX’S BRIGADE, NEAR
PETERSBURG, VA., March 23rd, 1865.

My Dear Mother:
I received your letter, bearing the date of March 14th, a few minutes ago. It seems that about nine days is the average length of time for a letter to come from home here. I wrote you a letter just before we left the old camp, which you have doubtless received ere this. We have moved twice since I wrote that letter. After the first move, we were temporarily attached to Mahone’s Division, the last move we made we joined our own division, which is in the entrenchments in front of Petersburg. Our Brigade is on the extreme left of it, between the Appomattox River and Swift Creek, with the river between us and the Yankees.
I have not been down on the lines since we last moved, but I hear that it is a very good place, inasmuch as we will hardly be attacked in our front as long as we stay there. I am still staying with Capt. Faircloth in the Q.M. Department, but when the campaign opens, I expect to go back to the company, as every man that can handle a gun will be needed there. Richmond and Petersburg have not been evacuated yet, tho’ there is still rumors that the latter place will be. The papers are not allowed to publish and war news, so we are as completely ignorant as you are as to what is going on. I am very uneasy for fear that Sherman’s army will not be checked before we have to evacuate Richmond and Petersburg. If that army could only be whipped, and it must be, or we can’t stay in Virginia, I would feel confident of the final results. There are a good many of our soldiers deserting to the enemy, but I am in hopes we will have enough left to keep the Yankees in check on this line. I feel a good deal of anxiety on account of Cullen’s having to go in service so soon. I would not have him join this regiment for anything. If he can not obtain a better place, I will try and get him into Manley’s Battery from Raleigh, which, if he does have to go into active service right away, will be the best place I can think of. It is on the lines, some two miles to our left, where it has been about ten months, without losing a man in battle. If he was in that company, he would see a much easier time than he would in Infantry, being small, he would be very apt to be made a driver and in time of fights hold the horses in the rear, or in some place where they can be sheltered. What time will he be seventeen? Write to me as soon as you receive this, and let me know what he thinks about it. In the meantime, I will go over to Manley’s Battery and see if I can get him in. I fear it will be full, as I know a good many young men who joined on coming seventeen. It is a very good company and composed of a great many very nice men. I knew some of them before the war. I am intimately acquainted with all of the officers. Baz Manley is Capt. Bunny Guion, James Powell and James McKimmon, is the Lieutenant, all from Raleigh. Tell Cullen to take my advice and never join this Regiment as long as he can avoid it. However much I would like to have him with me. I am giving him this advice for his own good. Please think about the matter and write me immediately. Give my love to all the family. Where is sister? Is she at Wilson? I will write again in a few days, probably before I hear from you. Tell Cullen to write when you do. Goodbye.
Your affectionate son,

WALTER

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

CAMP COX’S BRIGADE, NEAR PETERSBURG, VA.,
February 14, 1865.

My Dear Mother:
I would have written on receipt of your letter and box, which you sent me, but the troops were off at the time and there was no means of mailing a letter. Our division was ordered down on the extreme right last Sunday a week ago, to meet the Yankees at Hatcher’s Run. Our division was not engaged; the other two divisions of our corps did some fighting before we got there. The troops were gone for about a week, and they suffered considerably from the cold. It was snowing and sleeting when they left. I missed the pleasure of that trip. I have been permanently detailed at brigade headquarters in charge of a guard, to guard quartermaster’s stores, and all things generally among the wagon yards. I have three in charge, and all I have to do is to see that they do their duty. We have our quarters separate, and nothing to do but keep up one post at night. We have no other duty whatever to do, not even to answer to roll call. Capt. Jones, our A.A. General, who gave me the detail, told me to select my own men, so I took one from our company, so that I might have an agreeable bedfellow and messmate. George Winstead is his name. Wiley Winstead’s brother. I am just as comfortably fixed now as I could wish to be out here. I shall miss all the trips the troops will have to make over the winter, such as picket duty, and all raids to head off the “Yankees” unless we break up this camp entirely. Our brigade goes on picket this morning, Saturday. I am very much obliged to you for the box of provisions.
I expect there is a movement on hand now, as there is an order to issue three day’s rations to the men. Marching orders do not trouble me so much now, as the guard is always apt to guard the forage, etc., which is left in camp. I think of home every time I take out my little ball of butter to eat with a roasted potato at night before bed time. George Winstead got a few potatoes from home the same day my box came. I generally spend most of my time reading whatever I am able to borrow. I wish I could get something that would be more useful to me than novels. I hope Blake got my shawl home all safe. Give my love to all the family. Dossey has just been in to see me on his way back to camp. He has been to Petersburg on business for Gatson. He is very well.
Your sincere and affectionate son,

WALTER

[Suppelsa]

Re: 4th North Carolina Letter

CAMP FOURTH NORTH CAROLINA REGIMENT
NEAR PETERSBURG, VA., Jan. 29, 1865.

My Dear Folks:
I received your letter dated the 20th inst., yesterday, which made nine days that it has been on the way.
Last week we spent on the front lines doing picket duty in the place of Scales Brigade which has been sent off. We had an awful time; the whole week it rained, and sleeted part of the time, and the rest of the time it kept up the coldest wind that I ever felt. The men on vidette had to be relieved every half hour, to keep them from freezing. One man in our regiment got so cold he could hardly talk when he was relieved. On the right of our brigade, the Yankees were some six or eight hundred yards off, but on the left we were near enough to talk to each other in an ordinary tone of voice, though we were not allowed to speak to them or to communicate with them in any way. We had two men to desert our regiment and go to the enemy. They were two brothers. I am afraid we will have more desertions in the spring than we have ever had yet. The men are getting very must dissatisfied. The Consolidation Bill, which is to be carried into effect shortly will cause a good deal of desertion among our best soldiers. I am afraid our company and regiment will lose their name after all the hard service which we have done since the commencement of the war. There are a good many peace rumors circulating through camp, which gives the men something to talk about. I fear it will all end in another summer’s hard fighting. If Blake comes by home, when he starts back, you may send me gallon of peas and some potatoes. You need not send me anything that you will have to buy. I expect we draw as much meat here in the army as you can afford to eat at home. I home something will turn up by spring which will enable me to go home. I should like very much to see a good crop growing on our little places. What does brother intend doing in case the war continues? I hope he will never have to go. If he does, anything is preferable to infantry in the field.
Give my love to all.

Yours affectionately,

WALTER