fbpx

Methodist Minister Writes Daughter During the Civil War

By Capper's Staff
Published on December 12, 2012

This letter, written during the
Civil War, is from a fourth cousin of mine who was a Methodist minister, and
was made a captain in the Union Army. He was later killed in action.

Camp Near Lexington, Kentucky

Nov. 6, 1862

Dear Daughter,

I
have been thinking for some time about answering your letter. It was received
and contents noted in due time.

I
am in pretty good health. My throat is a little sore from cold and talking so
much.

We
will drill five hours each day, Sunday excepted, spend one hour at guard
mounting and one hour at Dress or evening Parade so you see that I put in Seven
hours at work. One hour is spent in eating breakfast, dinner and supper,
reports take up another hour, making in all on the part of the officers nine
hours per day. But so little time is given to spend in idleness even if we were
disposed to do so. Today there are three Captains and one Lieutenant put under
arrest and their swords taken away from them. Capts. Lapham, Williams and Hays.
I do not remember the Lieut. They were arrested for disobeying a general order
which requires all commissioned officers to report themselves in person at the
Regimental Headquarters every morning at five and a half o’clock. Lieut.
Bridgewater was placed under Guard for four hours for suffering one man to
break ranks while marching. I believe that nearly every officer of the Regiment
has been, or should be, arrested.

So
far I have gotten along without much difficulty. We have a pretty jolly set of
men down here, about thirty thousand in all, I believe. There is little of
interest in our midst.

I
believe so far as I can learn that there is not fighting going on, all though
of this you know better than I. We get but little news out here, sometimes we
don’t see a paper for ten days, and sometimes we see them every day. I believe
on the whole we are gaining ground all the time. Our Armies seem to be
gradually moving forward toward the enemy and the enemy retreating the
meanwhile. If you ask when this war will cease and harmony prevail again, I
answer when the Nation repents in dust and ashes, then the thing will cease,
and not until then.

My
prayer is that the day may hasten when all will fall down and earnestly repent
of all their sins individually and Nationally, but as to when the Nation will
see the folly of their course, I cannot say. But one thing is certain, I can
see no other way of safety before me by which I can gain a home in Heaven, and
therefore I feel a holy resolve to travel in that way. The best way and easiest
to get along through this world is the path of duty, and as an intelligent man
I want to go in that way. Daughter, you must be religious and make your way to
Heaven.

Old Father Hymer on
the Rushville circuit is dead and gone to Heaven.

Just now I learn that
the Rebels have taken Nashville,
Tennessee.

As Ever, (Father’s
Name)

Mrs. B.B. Ekstrum
Kansas City,
Missouri


Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then
CAPPER’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of
letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in
their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell.
So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and
in 1956, the first
My Folks title – My
Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the
shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the
My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true
tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available
to our growing online community.