This letter was written by Charles F. Dewese (1845-1864), the son of John Allison Dewese (1811-1870) and Mary Ann Sloan (1819-1911) of Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Charlie was carried on the muster rolls of Co. K, 56th North Carolina Infantry from 29 February 1864 until 26 June 1864 when he died of chronic diarrhea at Stuart Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. He was in the hospital approximately three weeks.
Charlie had two brothers who also served in Co. K, 56th North Carolina. They were George B. Dewese and Calvin T. Dewese whose letters I have also transcribed on Spared & Shared.
This is the only extant letter he wrote during his brief time in the service. I should note that Charlie’s writing was atrocious so I have significantly corrected the spelling and grammar to make it readable.
Transcription
Drewry’s Bluff, Virginia
May 22, 1864
Dear Father,
I will write you a few lines to let you know where I am. I am in Virginia. I am not very well at this time. We left Gaston last Friday evening and we got to Weldon a little while before sundown and then we took the train and went to Petersburg about three o’clock in the morning and we lay down in the street and took a little nap and we got up in the morning and struck out and we marched about ten miles and we found about half of our company and we stopped there and stayed all night.
We lay down to take a nap and soon as we got to sleep, we got orders to fall in and we had to double quick about a mile to the breastworks and we lay in the line of battle till about ten o’clock [when] the Yankees commenced firing at us and they there bombs at us about an hour and we just lay low and there wasn’t any of us hurt. I am living here in the old breastworks yet and the shells is falling around us and bursting and flying every [which] way. I tell you, it is a dreadful sight. I am looking to be killed every minute [but] will trust to the Lord to save me.
They had a big fight here the day before we got here and there was several of our company was wounded. Alfred Washan and B[ranch] A. Washam and Lee Brown was wounded. 1 Tom Cashion and S. R. Andrews weren’t in the fight—they have got the measles. Smiley is in Goldsboro and Tom is in Petersburg.
All of our company is out on picket but two or there. They keep up a continual firing all the time. Old Butler is throwing his shells at them and us all the time. You must excuse this bad writing for I have a poor chance to write. I am lying here in the hot sun and I am about to melt.
The men here is talking about peace is going to be before long. I hope it may end before long but there will be some hard fighting before it is ended, I am afraid. Nothing more at present. I will close by requesting you to write soon and give me the news. Nothing more but remain your affectionate brother till death, — Charlie F. Dewese
1 Charlie is describing the fight on 20 May 1864 at Ware Bottom Church in which eight Confederate brigades under Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard attacked Butler’s advance picket lines near Ware Bottom Church. Nearly 10,000 soldiers from both sides clashed in the vicinity of the structure. At the end of the severe fight, over 1,400 men were left either dead or wounded. After the battle, the Confederates constructed the Howlett Line, a series of strong defensive works from the James to the Appomattox River, effectively trapping Butler’s army on the Bermuda Hundred peninsula.
Spared & Shared 23 