A nice group of six letters written by Confederate soldier W.D. Smith to his family from camp in southern Alabama, along with the original leather pouch they were held in. Complete list of letters listed below. The small archive, written on necessity, sometimes barely more than a scrap, deftly illustrates the privations of the Confederate soldiers, especially in the late war. 

In a letter penned on 3 October 1864, he writes of the ongoing illness crisis in camp: “Your letter my dear found me in the best of health, but I don’t know how long it will continue so. For we have a great deal of sickness in Camps. I believe there about thirty (30) of our Command now sick. We sent off to the hospital on last Saturday + of our men, and one of them died on his way to that place by the name of W.C. Adam Carter Sawyer died on [the] same night. We had 3 others that Deserted and went home. Times are pretty hard here and rations appalling. Smaller yet we have no just reasons to complain yet.” Smith himself falls ill, complaining of ague and fever, requiring hospitalization.

On October 20th, he writes: “They won’t give on a furlough if he is so sick that they think he will die in a few days. May it be god’s will to deliberate our Land people from this [destructive] war once more and set these poor old Distressed people at Liberty so that we may all return to our Dear beloved ones in peace is my prayer.” Two days later, he writes further on the struggles in camp: “There is come in orders to camp this evening for all to cook three days [rations] but what is the cause we can not tell. These officers don’t let the privates know what is goin on at all. I don’t think it will turn out to much as it has been the case seven times since we have been down here there is half the old men here on the sick list and not fit for Duty.”

Further research may well reveal more information on the details of W.D. Smith and the regiment in which he served. 

Archive includes: 

1. ALS by W.D. Smith. Camps near Pollard, Alabama, 30 August 1864. 2 pages, 7 x 5 ⅜ in.
2. ALS by W.D. Smith. Pollard, Alabama, 3 October 1864. 2 pages, 8vo. 
3. ALS by W.D. Smith. Camp Lee, Pollard, Alabama, 20 October 1864. 2 pages, 8vo. 
4. ALS by W.D. Smith. Camp Lee, Pollard, Alabama, 22 October 1864. 2 pages, 8vo. 
5. ALS by W.D. Smith. Pollard, Alabama, 28 October 1864. 2 pages, 8vo. 
6. ALS by W.D. Smith. Pollard, Alabama, 5 November 1864. 2 pages, 8vo. 
7. Leather pouch. [New York]: Lyman Sears & Co. No. 3 Barclay St., ca 1860. Maker’s mark embossed to leather. WITH Cotton muslin sack. Leather in poor condition, several remnants in cotton sack. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate]  [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs] [Relics, Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Uniforms]