IDENTIFIED CONFEDERATE SOLDIER LETTER GROUPING – CPL. JONATHAN J. TAYLOR, 31ST NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY

IDENTIFIED CONFEDERATE SOLDIER LETTER GROUPING – CPL. JONATHAN J. TAYLOR, 31ST NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY

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An exceptional archive of four wartime letters written home by Cpl. Jonathan J. Taylor, Co. E, 31st North Carolina Infantry, an Orange County, N.C. farmer’s son, between January and July 1863. The group traces the regiment from the Wilmington defenses (Camp Whiting) to the Charleston batteries, culminating in a remarkable letter penned on Sullivan’s Island just nine days after the regiment’s bloody stand at Battery Wagner on Morris Island — the assault immortalized by the 54th Massachusetts and the film Glory.

Rich in content: anticipation of the Federal “Attact on Wilmington,” $100 sent home by hand, soldiers lost to camp fever, the Battery Wagner casualty report (“Our Regt lost 130 killed and wounded in that fight”), the impossibility of obtaining a furlough, frank discussion of sending enslaved men and managing the home place, and routine domestic matters. Written throughout in strong period phonetic spelling.

Taylor enlisted at age 24 on October 6, 1861, mustering in as Corporal. He was captured at Roanoke Island (Feb. 8, 1862), paroled at Elizabeth City (Feb. 21, 1862), and returned to duty about Sept. 15, 1862; hospitalized at Richmond, Va., May 16, 1864, with a gunshot wound; and paroled at Greensboro May 16, 1865. As part of Clingman’s Brigade, the 31st N.C. helped garrison Battery Wagner during the July 18, 1863 assault — the action this group documents firsthand. Fully supported by his published service record (North Carolina Troops, 1861–65: A Roster; Historical Data Systems, Inc.).

The four letters: (1) Camp Whiting, near Wilmington, Jan. 23–24, 1863; (2) Camp Whiting, Jan. 27, 1863; (3) Charleston, S.C., Feb. 28, 1863; (4) Sullivan’s Island, Charleston, S.C., July 27, 1863 — the key letter. All written to his mother (Sarah Taylor) and sister (Martha E. Taylor).

Condition: Good and legible throughout. Age toning, old mailing folds, scattered staining, and edge wear with minor paper loss to two letters. A scarce, displayable, identified Confederate archive from a soldier present at one of the war’s most storied actions, complete with supporting documentation.

 

FULL TRANSCRIPTIONS

Transcribed verbatim with original spelling, grammar, and punctuation preserved. Brackets indicate illegible passages, editorial clarifications, or loss.

Letter 1 — Camp Whiting, near Wilmington, January 23–24, 1863 (to mother)

Camp Whiting near Wil[mington] Jan 23rd 1863

Dear Mother I sete myself this morning to drop you to let you know that I am well and hope thes few lins may find you well I just written all the news that I have I wrote a letter and sent it to cedar grone [Cedar Grove] by Mr Saxton by hand and put one hundred dollars in it and one paper of nedles in it for safe keeping he did not want to stop at hillsboro and I told him to take to cedar grone and leve it With Williard. Wm Atkison you can send their and get it as soon as you get this letter

[verso] you will spend it in the litter Rapt up inside of it and the nedles also and I can get pins hear for one dollar A paper if you want enny of them Wright and I will get you a paper and send you Wright to Me as soon as you get this and let Me know wirhear [whether] you got this or not and [take] cur [care] of it for Me anothing more at presant I Remane your son untill death wright soon as you get these letters let me know

J J Taylor to Sarah Taylor Jan 24th 1863

 

Letter 2 — Camp Whiting, January 27, 1863 (to mother)

Camp Whiting Jan 27th 1863

Dear mother I Received your letter to day and wos glad to hear from you once more and as Mr Berry wos down hear I thought I would drop you a few lins and send with him I am well at presant hoping when these com to hand may find you all well no fight yet and I hope we wont have enny but we awe expect it Evry day the yankes tha are just wating for good wether to make the Attact on Wilmington I hope we will be Redy for them We have lost 3 men in our Reg this weak with the fever I send fore neck tise [neckties] with Mr Berry for you I told him to leve them at Sally Millers so you cold get them the one that is Round

the out side has a Bleugh [blue] stripe in it is Wm J Haley the other three is mine I bought one of the dark ones for myself and one for George and one for Stephen I wrote you a letter and sent with Mr Saxton to cedar grove and put one hundred dollars in it but I Recon you have got it before now you can give Wm J Haley hankechief to som of them when pasing by and take car of them one for george one for Stephen to fly a Round the girls but take care that you donot get into bisness through nothing more at presant only Remane your affection son untill death Wright soon give My love to all inquiring friends

J J Taylor

I Recieved a letter from Jess to day he is well

 

Letter 3 — Charleston, S.C., February 28, 1863 (to sister Martha)

Charleston S.C. Feb 28th 1863

Dear sister I sete myself this Even to drop you a few lins in ancer to your very cind and affection letter which I Recieved day before yerstirday it found me well and I wos glad to hear that you all wos well also I have nothing of importans to write we are laying now in the woods hear no tents now napsacks no clase to put on but our napsack is coming on some of them

have got hear at last but non of our compeny but I hope tha will be hear in a day or two if nothing happins to them I dont think that we are going to have enny fight hear at last I donot hear enny tolk of it now and I hope we wont while we stay hear for I donot want to get into a nother fight while I am in servies you can get $25 dollars from mother to By corn with twenty five dollars and if that will be a neugh you can have now I do nothing more at presant

[continued] Wos glad to hear from you all once more you can let Frances Collins have $25 dollars to By corn with and if that is not a neugh she can have more I have nothing of interresting to Wright at this time o nothing more at presant I Remane your brother untill death Wright excuse bad writin

J J Taylor to Martha C Taylor

 

Letter 4 — Sullivan’s Island, Charleston, S.C., July 27, 1863 (to mother) —

key letter

Sullivans Island Charleston S.C. Dear Mother July 27th 1863

I avail myself of the presant oppertunety of dropping you a few lins in ancer to yours of the 21 inst which I Received last friday I wos more than glad to hear from home an to hear that you all wos well also Wm Ashley landid hear yusterday an told me that you all wos well this [cheers] me well at presant hoping these may find you All well I just wrote to you day before I Received your letter but I thought I would wright to you evry chance I had while these cannailings [cannonadings] was going on we have not bin in anny fight since last Saturday was a week a go an knight as I have don wrote to you before Our Regt lost 130 killed and wounded in that fight tho the yankes still through som boms once in a while on fort wagner tha ar now Erecting on moris island Which I Expect tha will take moris island at last but wagner has held out well so far and I am in hops it will still hold out till the last You wrote me somthing about comming home to se somthing about affars I would com with plesier if I could get the chance of it but that is impossible no man can get a furlough now we cant get a permit to go

[verso] Ever to charleston much less to go home I Want to go home bad eneyghf but cant is all these times I want to be their to [court town] with George but I think it dont pay now I dont know how he will get through if he has to cam hear it will be a long lonsom road to him I Recon but I cant healp it I feal mey sory about it but if he has to cam before we leave this plas his furlough will breing him through safe an if we still stay hear till he has to com it will be the best Way for him to com bey charlot then to colambia then to charleston and not com bey Wilmington at all but I am in hops that we will go bac to N C before that time or he will find Sombody to com with you said somthing them negroes I had Rather have Aron tu but if you cant get him you will have to take bob an do the best you can I dont know enny other chance now you said the salt had not com mabey George didnot go to the write plase for it it wont be at the deppo it will be at the Express affice in hillsboro Whear Ever that is I dont know myself it aut to har bin their long ago & I have a Recite I will send in this letter you can take car of it for me I beleve I have Writtin all the news tell pat the little crock is At Wilminton yet in my Box I dont know wheare I Ever sent enny more or not I will haf to close Collins is well I Remain your affectionate son tru

J J Taylor to Sarah [Jane] Taylor

[SS][ph:L]

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