The following letter was written by John Buchanan Harris (1838-Aft1880) who entered the service as a corporal in Co. F, 63rd Virginia Infantry on 6 May 1862 at Glade Spring, Washington county, Virginia. He was reported sick at home in late July 1863 and was stripped of his rank in November. He apparently never returned to the regiment.

John was a farmer near Abingdon, Washington county, Virginia, prior to his enlistment. After the war, at the time of the 1870 US Census, John was enumerated in the household of his Aunt Nancy Buchanan, working as a farmer near Abington, Washington county, Virginia. In the 1880 US Census, he was still enumerated at the same location but the census taker recorded that John was sick and suffered from “epileptic fits.”

It would appear that John, a sister named Susannah two years his senior, and a brother named Samuel, two years his junior, were taken in and raised by his Aunt Nancy Buchanan which was common whenever the parents died before their children grew to be adults. Nancy Buchanan was probably the younger spinster sister of Samuel Buchanan and Jane Glenn Edmondson of Washington county, Virginia.

Transcription

Giles County, Virginia
Camp Narrows
July 29, 1862

Dear Sister,

I this evening take this pleasure to let you know that the boys came up yesterday and I got my paper and envelopes and ink. I can’t say that I am well this time but I hope these lines will find you well. I am not bad. I can go anywhere. The boys say that I am taking the yellow jaundice and I think I am myself.

I received your letter. I was glad to hear from you all. I thought it was a long time coming. I got some of the cake that Mrs. Hutton sent by John. It was good to kill. It is too good. I wish we had one every week like that one.

I hear from John Hutton that Samuel has gone back to his company. I am glad that he has got well again. I think it is time that he had a furlough to go home. Everybody else has been home and I think it is time he had one. The boys says to tell you that they are tolerable sore today after that long walk they had yesterday. Maybe you will see some of their folks and you can tell them.

You said that my oats was not much but grandfather was going to cut them. You may [tell] him that he must cut enough to pay [for] his trouble if he can and if there is any left, you and Aunt Nancy may have them for I know there is not any worth any attention.

It is nearly time we will draw our money. I will close this. Excuse my bad writing for I have to write on a knapsack. Tell all the girls I send my love to them all. Still remain your brother, — John B. Harris

To Susannah Harris

Dear Aunt,

I hope you are well if I am not. I told that I would write about Calvin ¹ every time I wrote and I forgot it but I will not forget him this time. He took the mumps and was knocking around here and there was a man started to Dublin and forgot some papers and there was a man said he wished he had somebody to get on a horse and go and take them to him and he [Calvin] was standing by and he said he would go—and away he went to Dublin and got so sick he had to be sent to the hospital at the Montgomery White Sulphur and I have not heard of him since. I suppose he will come up before long. I took his knapsack and will take care of it. He left it lying in his tent and the boys that was in there laid on it and broke a bottle of ink in it and ruined everything he had. I took them and dried and rolled them up and put them in my tent.

Me and Calvin is not mad at each other. We are as friendly as we ever was. I will take his socks and send him and take care of them. I have a letter from his home. I opened it to see if there was anything the matter. They are all well. I will close this time. Write soon, all of you, and when I get well, I will write a better one. Still remain your nephew, — John B. Harris

To Nancy L. Buchanan

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¹ I think Calvin is probably Pvt. Calvin J. B. Wise of Co. F, 63rd Virginia Infantry. He enlisted on 1 June 1862 at Glade Spring and on muster rolls he is most often reported as sick. He died of pneumonia on 11 April 1863 at General Hospital No. 21 in Richmond.