Tweet
I found this letter while going through some information on my wife's family tree. I am not sure what unit Oliver was with, but most of his family were in the Grayson County Militia and then Co C of the 63rd VA Inf.
--------------------
LETTER WRITTEN BY OLIVER RECTOR DURING CIVIL WAR
Copy of an old letter written Jan 12 1862 from Bowling Green Kentucky. by Oliver Rector a confederate soldier. to his brother Granville Rector in Grayson County Va
Bowling Green KY
Jan 12 1862
Dear Brother;
I again by the will of God take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at present hoping this will find you and the family enjoying good health. I have little of interest to write at present. The prospects of a fight here are very slim. there is not as much fight talk now as there was when we arrived. I don't think there will ever be a fight here
we have men enough next to the Yankee line to whip most any force. we have men 22 miles from here and they are withen fifteen miles of the enemy. they say the roads are so bad they could not get here now if they should try and under these circumstances I do not think we will have a fight though I cannot tell.
The mud is from shoe top to knee deep and I have never seen it so slippery. we have not seen the sun except two or three times since we have been here. it has rained a good deal but not very hard. today the clouds are from the west and the wind is very high though it is very warm. Most all the men have been laid up with a cold. I have been the worst off with a cold I have ever been in my life. but am getting better now. our horses have all been unfit for use with the distemper. riding on the open cars Came near killing them and having to stand out in the rain & mud there are only about three or four of them fit for use. and there are only about the same number of men fit to ride them on account of the colds.
Columbus has the Typhoid fever he was brought to the hospital last Friday and I came to wait on him. There are 12 or 15 people in the same house but he is the only one in his room with the fiver. he is not very ill and can set up part of the time and in about a week he will be walking around a little. It is a good place to be and the Doctor is good &
kind. we keep the house in good order and as fast as the patients become able to ride on the Cars we send them to Norfolk. that is just as nice a place to be as it is at home, they tell us there are very few invalids there. and there are not many here the health of the men are good excepting the bad colds yellow jaundice and measels. but none had died for a few days until last night when two died one in our room his name was Moore. his brother was taking care of him he had a bad cold and could not lie down. he was drinking a little tea and strangled dying in a few minutes. It put a queer feeling on me to see how quick a man can be taken.
Granville if you haven't got religion I want you to commence praying and never cease until you get it for we don't know when we will be taken away. I may never see you again in this world if I never do my prayers are to meet you in Heaven.
We will not stay here very long I think we will be ordered back to Virginia again and then I will hope to see you all again. I write you all in the Same letter. I want you to write to me and if you hear from Anderson tell him to write to me direct to Bowling Green Ky. Floyd's Headquarters. I have not heard from you since I left home. I send my love to you
all. so if I never meet you in this world I hope to meet you where father and mother are gone. Brother Sister & friends I bid you farwell.
Oliver Rector.
Oliver was killed at Nashville Tennessee Feb 9 1862. he was brought back to Grayson county and buried in the Linton cemetery near where he was raised.
--------------------
LETTER WRITTEN BY OLIVER RECTOR DURING CIVIL WAR
Copy of an old letter written Jan 12 1862 from Bowling Green Kentucky. by Oliver Rector a confederate soldier. to his brother Granville Rector in Grayson County Va
Bowling Green KY
Jan 12 1862
Dear Brother;
I again by the will of God take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at present hoping this will find you and the family enjoying good health. I have little of interest to write at present. The prospects of a fight here are very slim. there is not as much fight talk now as there was when we arrived. I don't think there will ever be a fight here
we have men enough next to the Yankee line to whip most any force. we have men 22 miles from here and they are withen fifteen miles of the enemy. they say the roads are so bad they could not get here now if they should try and under these circumstances I do not think we will have a fight though I cannot tell.
The mud is from shoe top to knee deep and I have never seen it so slippery. we have not seen the sun except two or three times since we have been here. it has rained a good deal but not very hard. today the clouds are from the west and the wind is very high though it is very warm. Most all the men have been laid up with a cold. I have been the worst off with a cold I have ever been in my life. but am getting better now. our horses have all been unfit for use with the distemper. riding on the open cars Came near killing them and having to stand out in the rain & mud there are only about three or four of them fit for use. and there are only about the same number of men fit to ride them on account of the colds.
Columbus has the Typhoid fever he was brought to the hospital last Friday and I came to wait on him. There are 12 or 15 people in the same house but he is the only one in his room with the fiver. he is not very ill and can set up part of the time and in about a week he will be walking around a little. It is a good place to be and the Doctor is good &
kind. we keep the house in good order and as fast as the patients become able to ride on the Cars we send them to Norfolk. that is just as nice a place to be as it is at home, they tell us there are very few invalids there. and there are not many here the health of the men are good excepting the bad colds yellow jaundice and measels. but none had died for a few days until last night when two died one in our room his name was Moore. his brother was taking care of him he had a bad cold and could not lie down. he was drinking a little tea and strangled dying in a few minutes. It put a queer feeling on me to see how quick a man can be taken.
Granville if you haven't got religion I want you to commence praying and never cease until you get it for we don't know when we will be taken away. I may never see you again in this world if I never do my prayers are to meet you in Heaven.
We will not stay here very long I think we will be ordered back to Virginia again and then I will hope to see you all again. I write you all in the Same letter. I want you to write to me and if you hear from Anderson tell him to write to me direct to Bowling Green Ky. Floyd's Headquarters. I have not heard from you since I left home. I send my love to you
all. so if I never meet you in this world I hope to meet you where father and mother are gone. Brother Sister & friends I bid you farwell.
Oliver Rector.
Oliver was killed at Nashville Tennessee Feb 9 1862. he was brought back to Grayson county and buried in the Linton cemetery near where he was raised.
Comment