This letter was penned by Thomas R. Smith (1828-1864), a private in Co. E of the 28th North Carolina Infantry. He and his two brothers—Reuben Smith and William D Smith—mustered into the “Montgomery Grays” when the regiment was first organized in June 1861 from their hometown of Troy, North Carolina. According to family oral history the three brothers promised each other that if any survived the war, they would take care of the other’s families. Reuben died of typhoid in September 1862 at a hospital in Lynchburg. Thomas was killed during the battle of Spotsylvania Court House on 12 May 1864 when the regiment lost 4 officers and 84 men.

William was the only brother to survive the fighting and surrender at Appomattox. According to the family history, he kept his promise to his brothers by helping to raise their surviving children. As far as is known, there are no surviving pictures of any of the brothers.

Thomas and his wife, Matilda G. Dallard were married on 9 February 1855 in Montgomery county, North Carolina. In the 1860 US Census, the couple were enumerated in Zion District of that same county where Thomas worked as a “hireling” or day laborer.

The following letter may very well have been the last one Thomas wrote to his wife a few weeks before he was killed. 

[Note: This letter is in the possession of Paul Dixon, a descendant 3rd great grandson of Thomas Smith who offered it for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared.]

Transcription

April 17th 1864

My dear wife,

With pleasure I seat myself to inform you that I am well at this time, hoping these few lines may find you well or better. I have been looking for a letter but no letter yet. I do hope you will write as I can’t see you. It is not worth my while to say how nor try for I can’t express it to you but let it suffice to say that I want to see you the worst I ever did. I do hope you will write and give me all the news & tell me what is going on. I am entirely out of anything to write.

O thou who rulest the heavens & earth
thou good & gracious God
thou who to everything givst birth
that walkest on the sod.

To whom we look for every good
that upon our head
to whom all creation looks for food
of whom men asks his bread

Father of every living one
of good as well as bad
who giving they beloved son
So many hearts made glad

We look to thee with upturned eyes
Imploring thy great aid
convert to smiles those heavy sighs
Let all be pleasure made

O grant that while on earth we dwell
our days be those of joy
may all with us on earth as well
with good our hearts employ

And when with earth we come to part
fit us for heaven above
O cleanse this sinful heart
and fill my soul with love

— T. R. Smith

to M. G. Smith