Confederate Stories
CONFEDERATE STORIES & SUCH
Here's a few Confederate History items.
A Letter from Camp Myers
September 15, 1861 - Life in a Confederate camp of instruction; a letter from Sergeant Fayette McDowell at Camp Myers [Overton County, Tennessee] to his sisters at home in the Cherry Creek community in White County
Camp Myers September 15th, 1861Dear Sisters:
I will send you a letter if I get it done in time. I write letters for the boys in my idle time, which is not much; until I don't have time to write to you as often as I want to. I will explain to you what I have to do in a day. The drum taps at five in the morning, which is before day, you know. Well I have to get up, wake up the company, call them into line, call the roll, [and] dismiss them. I have then to go to every tent and enquire who is sick. Set their names on paper to hand to the surgeons. I have also to look over the list and count those who were absent, those able for duty, those absent on account of sickness, etc. Set it all down to hand to the adjutant of the regiment. I then go to headquarters to hand in my reports. Next I eat breakfast; next I call the company into line to go on drill. Number them off and march them to the drill front.Sometimes I drill them. They ought to set me over them every day, for I am the best in our company, so they say, and it is so by odds.
When the drill is over, I march the company to the tents. Next I go to officers' drill, not obligated to attend their drill but go only to be up with any one. I get in from all drill at half past ten. I then detail the guard, which has to be mounted at 12 o'clock. Hand the list to another sergeant, and sit down, rest sometimes, at other times I write for myself or others, at 12 o'clock I eat dinner. at 1 o'clock I take back the guard list, call up the guard and march them to headquarters or get some other sergeant to take them.
I then go to the commissary and draw provisions for the company, every other day lately, this takes me about 1 hour. The other sergeants divide the rations among the messes. Six men in a mess in one tent. I have a mess to myself if I choose. I have four others with me. Choosing to sleep with them to help keep my mess in order. This takes me two hours. We then call the company on the street and drill them in the manual of arms (I have drilled them nearly every day at this drill) till 3 o'clock. We then rest till 4 and then call up the company to go to the field for regimental drill. They put the whole regiment together and drill 11/2 hours, sometimes in a run, or, as we say, on double-quick time. We then come to camps, put on our coats and caps and uniforms, and go on dress parade, takes half an hour. I then march the company to camps, call the roll, dismiss the company and set them to getting supper. I have a negro to cook for me.
We drafted three free negroes, and for close attention to duties and not asking for a furlough, the Captain gave [one negro] to me. You know I fee big. He don't cost me anything. At seven I eat supper. Between seven and nine I write letters, love letters sometimes, for the boys. I gave away about 4 quire of paper and wrote letters on about half of it.
The drum taps at nine. I have to see that all the lights in the company are put out. Then if I am ready, I go to bed. If not, I sit up. Sometimes I post my commissary book. I have to keep strict account of everything I draw from thecommissary.Outside of all this I take the sick to the hospital, be always in my place to detail men to perform the different duties. I have to oversee the cleaning of the streets, front and back streets, tents and all.
See to having the guns put in order and many other things that I forgot. You know I am busy. But I stand it very well. I suffer for sleep sometimes. I get to rest on wash day as I pay for my washing. That is I don't drill, only officers drill. Have other things to attend to. I have Sunday [free] from drill entirely.
Yours, etc.
L. L. McDowell
Diary of Amanda McDowell.
August 15, 1861 - Description of food at Camp Zollicoffer, an excerpt from the journal of Amanda McDowell
Description of food at Camp Zollicoffer, an excerpt from the journal of Amanda McDowell. . . Jack. . . has been to camp [Zollicoffer], he says Fayette is not very well, owing to his food and lodging. His food is beef, bacon and flour bread with no way to cook it. They have a camp kettle, and frying pan, and no dish[es] at all. Jack says they have not even got a dish rag or bit of soap, and they cannot cook decently that way, and Fayette cannot eat it, I know. . .
Diary of Amanda McDowell.
.November 11, 1861 - Federal intelligence relative to Confederate camps and unit strength in
Fentress and Overton counties
CAMP WOLFORD, NEAR SOMERSET, November 11, 1861. (Received
November 12.)
Gen. GEORGE H. THOMAS:
I have been enabled to ascertain pretty full and accurate information of the enemy recently in Cumberland, Clinton, and Wayne Counties. The opinion heretofore expressed by me to you in a former communication is fully sustained. The forces consisted of two regiments infantry and about 650 to 700 cavalry, the same that had heretofore been stationed at Camp McGinnis, in Fentress County (the cavalry), and at Camp Myers, in Overton County, near the old town of Monroe, two regiments infantry, under Cols. Stanton and Murray. They became alarmed upon a report reaching them that I was moving upon them with a large force, and the infantry regiments fled precipitately until they reached Camp Zollicoffer, 3 miles south of Livingston, the county seat of Overton County, and about 38 miles south of the State line. The cavalry fled from Monticello very hastily upon the report that Col. Wolford and myself were near at hand and moving upon them, and did not halt until they made Jamestown, Tenn. In a day or two they found that they were not pursued, and returned to their old camp at Camp McGinnis, where they now are, having obstructed the road with abatis.
I am quietly waiting for them to recover from their fright and venture to peep out this side of their brush, and will, if they do so, make a dash at them and cut them off and to pieces. I know their hiding place, and how to surround it, when they get sufficient confidence to think themselves safe.
From a man whom I know well, and have from his infancy, and who has been a prisoner with them for three weeks, until they reached Camp Zollicoffer, I have learned their movements. Mr. Huff is my informant. He got to camp Saturday night just from their camp, and is perfectly reliable. He says they talked very boldly until they heard of my approach (which was really at the time a false report, as it was started about the time you ordered me forward;) they were then suddenly overtaken with alarm, and left as before stated. Huff say, they are armed with stolen Home Guard muskets, with pistols, shot-guns, common rifles, &c., just what they can lay their hands upon; that most of the men are very much dissatisfied with their condition, and swear if they could get away they would, never to be drawn in again. The cavalry are generally well mounted, having seized all the fine horses they could lay hands upon, but badly armed. They had no artillery. At
Camp Zollicoffer Huff says he overheard the colonels talking the day before he got off that they were to remain there ten or twelve days, till they got orders.There is a report that the rebels have at Jamestown, just in the rear of the cavalry, 180 wagons. I have set on foot an investigation, and if I find this to be certain, it will be an incentive to capture which I can't resist, but will do it cautiously and with entire safety to my men, as we should have nothing to do but to frighten the cavalry again and go forward and take them. There is some plausible grounds for belief that those wagons are there for the purpose of hauling the hogs they expected to steal and carry off from along the border as soon as fattened. And this suggests the propriety of my forming a camp forward at Monticello.
Respectfully,
THO. E. BRAMLETTE, Col. First Regiment Infantry Kentucky Volunteers.
OR, Ser., Vol. 4, pp. 352-353.
CONFEDERATE UNITS FROM OVERTON COUNTY
Hamilton's Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, Company "F"
4th (Murray's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Comapny "A," became "C", 1st Confederate Regiment
13th (Dibrell's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Companies "A," "B," "E," AND "F"
8th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Comapnies "B" and "F"
25th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Companies "B," "C," "D," and "H"
84th Tennessee Infantry Regiment Comapnies "F," became "K", 28th Consolidated Regiment
