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Two letters from John E. Hall, part of the advanced forces of the Army of the Potomac, to his father, Bolling, in Alabama.

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@ Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130
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Description

From May 1861 to June 1862 John Hall served in the 6th Alabama Infantry. In the letters he discusses activities in camp; the illness of his brother, Crenshaw, and other men in the regiment; a comet he saw ("with the longest tail that I have ever yet seen to one"); weather and conditions in camp; the lack of provisions and goods in the neighboring community ("there is no place near here that has anything to sell...no way of getting more, as transportation of all sort is cut off except to the soldiers"); money, clothing and supplies he and other men need from home; and a replacement for the previous cook, who was "entirely too lazy and filthy for us" ("I wish you would procure a negroe [sic] for us that can cook...All of the boys are very anxious to get one, and are willing to send pay almost anything for one"). He also describes a recent false alarm of a battle: "Every man was then ready for a fight some were excited and some were very cool, but all were eager for a trial. They all seemed perfectly happy. Men who had not been off of their beds for almost two weeks were falling in ranks and could hardly be forced back to bed...imagine their feelings when a messenger came and announced it a false alarm. They went into their tents looking as down cast as if they had lost a purse laden with gold." The second letter is written...
Type:
Text
Format:
600 Ppi Tiff
Created Date:
1861 July 1 3 1861 07 01
Rights:
This material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.
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From Collection

Alabama Textual Materials Collection

Record Contributed By

Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130