The following letter was written by Thomas Ruffin Blalock (1836-1863), of Person county, North Carolina. He wrote the letter to his “dear companion” of six years, Susan (Whitefield) Blalock, the mother of his three children, Albert, George and James.

The letter was datelined from Camp Mangum near Raleigh, North Carolina, where the 50th North Carolina was being drilled and equipped for military service. Thomas had accepted a bounty to enlist as a private in Co. A of that regiment in early March 1862. The regiment served in Virginia from June to December 1862, primarily around Drewry’s Bluff. They returned to North Carolina in January 1863 and remained there until late in 1864, serving in the eastern part of the state. Thomas, however, became seriously ill in May 1863 from pneumonia and he died on the 26th of May.

Transcription

Camp Mangum, ¹ North Carolina
April 19th 1862

Dear Companion,

It is with great pleasure that I seat myself to drop you a few lines to let you know that I am well as to health but I am pestered in mind very much for I have wrote to you but have not received a single line from you and I am pestered about it. But I hope that I will hear from you in a few days. I would be glad to see you and I hope I will get to come home in a few days for we will get our bounty today or on Monday and then I will try to come home and see you.

I want to know whether William has to leave or not. If he does, tell him to come to this company and if you can get anybody to do the work till I get there, you can employ them till I get there and then I can make better arrangements for something to eat is going to be an object of importance next year.

I will try to tell you something about our fare. We are faring very well at this time. We have plenty of beef, pork, rice, sugar, and wheat, and corn meal and other [ ]. Our water is very good, Handy enough. We are still at this place and I don’t know when we will leave here. I believe the boys is tolerable well satisfied at this place. The boys are all well except two or three and they are not anyway dangerous at present.

Give my love and respects to all of our folks and friends and keep a large portion for yourself. You must write as often as you can and direct your letters to Camp Mangum in care of Capt. [John Campbell] Van Hook. ²

These lines leave me well and I do earnestly hope they may find you enjoying the same great blessing. No more at present—only I remain your dear husband until death, — Thomas Blalock

To his wife, Susan Blalock

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¹ Camp Mangum was located just outside of Raleight, North Carolina. Thousands of North Carolinians passed through this camp between 1861 and 1863 where they were drilled and equipped for military service. [See Camp, Combat, and Campaign: North Carolina’s Confederate Experience, by Peter R. Thomas, Jr.]

² John Campbell Van Hook was the captain of Co. A, 50th North Carolina Infantry. He was born in North Carolina on July 10, 1831, where he farmed prior to enlisting at age 31. He served as the captain in command of a militia company in the Van Hook district of Person County. The company met for drill at Paynes Tavern before the War Between the States began. Van Hook had previously served as first lieutenant in the 44th Regiment, North Carolina Militia. The 50th North Carolina Regiment was organized on April 15, 1862, at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, and Captain Van Hook was put in charge of Company A. He brought with him the largest volunteer company from Person County. Van Hook was promoted to major on December 1, 1862, and to lieutenant colonel on November 10, 1863.