The following letters were written by David “Rankin” Alexander (1834-1864), the son of James Wilson Alexander (1796-1857) and Jane Johnston (1796-1862). Rankin was married to Sarah J. Dewese.
David enlisted at the age of 27 on 16 September 1861 as a private in Co. C, 37th North Carolina Infantry until he was wounded at the 2nd Battle of Manassas on 29 August 1863 and spent the next several months recuperating at home. “The 37th NC Regiment was one of the regiments that kept pace with the ‘Foot Cavalry,’ covering more than fifty miles in two days, its fare being principally green corn gathered by the wayside. At Manassas Junction it was one of the regiments that charged Brig. Gen. George W. Taylor’s New Jersey Brigade across Bull Run Creek on August 27th, completely annihilating it. Moving back to the Junction it feasted sumptuously for several hours upon the captured stores, then took its position with Maj. Gen. Jackson’s forces behind the unfinished railroad cut to await the coming of Maj. Gen. Pope’s army. On August 28th it made its appearance and formed in three lines of battle—came on like the waves of the ocean; several well directed volleys hurled them back, but quickly reforming, they came again and again until night put an end to the terrible slaughter. This was kept up upon on August 29th and 30th; the 37th NC Regiment manfully held its position, although at times it would scarcely have a round of ammunition left to the man. Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill (VA) and Brig. Gen. Lawrence O. Branch (NC) could often be seen dismounted urging their men to hold their ground at the point of the bayonet. The loss of the 37th NC Regiment in the three (3) days’ fighting was 13 killed and 67 wounded.”
After Rankin returned to the regiment he was promoted in rank to sergeant but was killed in action on 3 May 1864 in the Wilderness.
Letter 1
[On the completion of its organization it was moved to New Bern, NC, where it received its baptism of fire on March 14, 1862, in battle at that place. Lt. Col. William M. Barbour commanded it, Col. Charles C. Lee being assigned to the command of the left wing of Brig. Gen. Lawrence O. Branch’s (NC) army. Although fighting under great disadvantage, the regiment behaved with great credit to itself and showed plainly of what material it was composed, reinforcing most beautifully Col. Reuben P. Campbell, of the 7th NC Regiment, whose lines were first broken. It is well to state in the beginning that the greater part of the regiment was composed of hardy mountaineers, as fine a looking body of men as ever marched to the tap of a drum. Outnumbered at every point, the small army of Brig. Gen. Branch was compelled to fall back to Kinston and after a short rest the 37th NC Regiment was taken to Falling Creek.]
Camp Lee
New Bern, North Carolina
February 21st 1862
Dear Mother,
I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well at present and hope these few lines will find you all enjoying the same blessing from the hand of Almighty God.
I have nothing of importance to write to you more than you all know. You have heard the news of the reverses our soldiers have had in the last few weeks but I hope and trust to God that it will not be so very long.
We have not seen anything of any of beings they call Yankees yet and I hope they will never come up here to attack us at this place. They talk like the Yankees would be here in a few days after we come here but I have seen nothing of them yet nor do I know whether they are any nearer to us than they were when we came down to this place.
I have written home several times and have got no answer yet. I have looked for a letter for three weeks and have looked in vain but still I have not lost all hopes of getting letters from home. I do not know whether Sarah gets my letters or not and if she writes to me, I never get them. I have thought that you might have wrote to me before this time but still I know you have a hard chance to get much time to write or do anything else while you have so much to do at home so I thought I would drop you a few lines this time and let Sarah wait until next week.
I cannot write to you all as often as I would like to do and some that asked me to write to them that I do not expect to get time to write to. Tell Margaret I think it is as little as she could do to sit down some night and drop me a few lines. I have not wrote to her I know but I do not [want] you all to wait on me for I tell you, I cannot write to every one.
Tell Calvin and Martha I have looked for a letter from them ever since I heard they were married but have looked in vain. Tell Branch Warsham and his duck to write to me and let me know how they like a married life. I want all my friends and neighbors to write to me and not look for me to write to them.
I also want to know hoe my boy is getting along and also Sarah, how she is getting along. I must close by saying to you to write by return mail. I will look for an answer from you and also from the above named persons. I remain your affectionate son, — D. R. Alexander
Letter 2
[After the Battle of Fredericksburg, the 37th North Carolina went into winter quarters at Moss Neck, about eight miles farther down the river, where it remained and did picket duty, with the other four (4) regiments of the brigade, for the remainder of the winter. David was not with his regiment, however. He was at home in Mecklenburg county, ]
[Home]
February 2, 1863
Dear Brother,
With pleasure I seat myself to write you a few lines to let you know that I am still a home but expect to start to my company Thursday without I get further orders. I have been at home for four months. My arm is not sound well yet. It is still running a little yet but I have a pretty good use of it. But it is nothing like it was before I got shot by the infernal Yankees. I feel like I could shoot at them again for it makes me mad to think about them. They are so barbarous and have no respect for our southern ladies. They treat them worse than the beasts of field. I think the Almighty, maker of us all, will do what is right in His own eyes and I think he will give us success in our arms and help us to gain our independence and make us a happy people. I hope and trust that the time is not far hence when there will be an honorable peace made between the two contending parties and we will all get home to our families and fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters to live as we have done in times gone by.
I will try and write to you after I go back. Your brother, most affectionately, — David Alexander
[In a different hand]
Dear Brother, I take my pen in hand this evening to write you a few lines to let you know that we are all well at this time and hope you are enjoying the same blessing. I have nothing particular to tell you except that Henry Warsham has the small pox and nearly all the neighborhood have had a chance of them but have not taken them yet and I hope will not. Your folks are all well. May was here last night and said they had got a letter from you by Mr. Sheppard stating that you were well. George wrote to you and Calvin sometime ago and have not received an answer yet so I thought I would write again. I think I shall get one tomorrow. If I do not, I will not know what to think about it.
Well, George, all the men in this county are out hunting conscripts and deserters. They have struck up camp in Ferret Town and stay there day and night. Yet they are spending their time for nothing. I have not time to write any more at this time. Rankin expects to start back Thursday and I want to go to Pa’s tonight and it is time I was starting. So nothing more at present but remain your sister affectionately, — Sarah [Dewese] Alexander.
Write soon as you can. I want to hear from you.
Letter 3
[Home]
February 3rd 1863
Dear Brother,
I will write you a few lines this morning again. We are all well and hope these few lines will find you well. I want you and Calvin to write to me after I get back to my company and I want you to write me all the news you can. I have got Mary Tye to stay with Sarah and she says for us to tell you howdy for her. We were all at father’s last night and have just got here through a snow nearly a knee deep this morning. It is beautiful overhead but is bad on the ground for poor soldiers in the army.
I think this will be a great day for those men to gather up the conscripts in Ferret town. Hope they will get the loot one of them. If they don’t, they may look out for to be disturbed some way or another. Wm. Stinson had all his bridles taken one night last week.
Nothing more at present but remain your brother affectionately, — D. R. Alexander
Letter 4
Camp Gregg, Virginia
March 10th 1863
Dear Sister,
I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines in answer to the one I received from you Sabbath day and was glad to hear of you all being well. I got a letter from Calvin and George yesterday. They were both well when they wrote. I was glad to hear from them and more so to learn them both well. I looked for a letter from Gus last week but did not get any but I heard from them in your letter which amounted to the same thing as if I had got one from them but at the same time I would like to have read one from them. I have no reason to complain at all. I have nothing of interest to write to you at this time.
I am still excused from any heavy duty. I cannot use a gun yet. My arm has been worse the last three or four days but I hope it will get well some day. I think it was going on drill that made it worse, getting it mashed about by the other soldiers running against it.
I hear no war news at this time. There is talk of peace sometimes and the next thing you will hear of there is going to be a fight of the biggest kind but I see no prospect of a fight myself and I hope and trust there will be no fight here or anywhere else this year. I think if they will stop all hostilities for awhile, I think that peace will be made without any more fighting and I pray God now soon He may grant us an honorable peace and that He will send the enemy home and let us go to our homes where we can live with our families and friends and connections near and dear to each other. And my dear father and mother, it would do me much good to read a letter from you. It does me so much good to get a letter from any of you.
I suppose you have seen Thomas C. Sloan before this time for he got a furlough and started home last Thursday. I am glad that he got a chance of going home to see you all once more. And father, I want you to attend to the return of my property if I don’t get a chance to do it myself. I have nothing but my land and negro to make a return of. My buggy is not worth returning. I want you to write to me.
This leaves me well except a bad cold and I hope they will find you all enjoying good health. Nothing more at this time except it is snowing now and looks like it might continue all day. I remain your brother affectionately, — D. R. Alexander
to M. C. Dewese
Letter 5
[Home]
April 13th 1863
Dear Brother,
I seat myself this morning to write you a few lines to let you know that we are all well except bad colds and that is bad enough when it takes a deep hold on a person. I have had the worst one this winter I have had for many a year. I am at home at this time and am getting along very slow. My arm hurts me when I use it very much and if I was to handle a gun, it would almost kill me. Bu I hope it will get well someday. I have a furlough from the 2nd of April to the 12th day of May and I have the privilege of getting it prolonged if my arm is not fit for use or if my health becomes impaired any way that I will not be able for duty. I got my furlough without asking for it. The doctor examined my arm and he told me that he was going to try and send me home which he succeeded in doing.
I tell you Mat Alexander is doing [ ]. She is going to work too hard this summer. I understood that some of her close kindred said they were afraid that she would hurt herself working. Well I reckon you know something about her work—how she kills herself and hands at hard work. I tell you, May is some in cane thicket the way she is getting rich is sight to everybody and that you know is she spends her money and can’t see where it goes to, I always try to get value received for my money but she does not care so she is giving it for some fool thing or other. I am sorry to think she is going to kill herself working. Why if she does that, Milas will die [illegible] without asking any questions.
We have had one week of pretty weather and I have nearly all my corn planted and Mc is planting. He is working my land and his together and works his hands and my boy together. I hope we will have pretty weather. It will be so much better on the farms and also on the poor soldiers who are defending their country’s cause. I hope the time is not far distant when we will get to hear from each other without the trouble of writing,
Your people are all well at this time and I hope should these few lines reach you, they may find you enjoying good health. May the good Lord [ ] rest upon you and all the poor soldiers who are now in the field of service. Give my respects to all the company or such of them as inquire after my welfare.
Nothing more at this time but hope to remain your brother most affectionately, — D. R. Alexander
To G. B. Dewese
Letter 6
Camp near Liberty Mills, Virginia
October 6, 1863
Dear father and family,
I received your kind letter on yesterday and was glad to hear that you were all well and I hope these few lines will still find you all enjoying the same blessing. I am very glad that you have undertaken to get a [ ] a settlement of my estate and I hope everything will work [illegible]. I don’t think there will be any trouble in the settlement at all. I would be glad if I could get home to attend to it myself but things are so ordered that I can’t at this time. I hope this war will soon come to a close and then I can get home to see to my own affairs. I have hoped that way so long that it looks like I might lose hope but still I live in hope if I die in despair—I want peace, but I want it honorably or not at all. It would do us no good unless we do get it in this way. I pray the time is not far distant when we will have peace and then what a time of rejoicing there will be in this Confederacy between man and wife, parents, children, friends, and our connections near and dear to us.
I have no news of interest to write at this time, only our army is in good health and fine spirits at this time. Our regiment never has been in better health and condition since I can mind than it is at the present time.
Nothing more. Write soon. Your son, — D. R. Alexander
Dear sister Margaret, I write you a few lines. You’re excused for not writing soon a letter. I hope you will do so no more. I want you all to write as often as you can. Tell mother for her to write and tell Charley to write to me. I would like the best in the world to see you all. I have nothing to write at this time. I am well. T. C. Sloan sends you his respects. He is well and hearty and is the same Tom yet. I see no alteration on him at all. I have wrote to your father about all I can think of at this time…Keep in fine spirits and do not despair…I close and hope to remain your brother most affectionately, — D. R. Alexander
Letter 7
Camp near Liberty Mills, Virginia
December 19th 1863
Dear Mother,
I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well at this time hoping should these few lines will find you all well and in good health. I have not much of interest to write at this time except we have cold wet weather out here and a heap of it and we have to go on picket every two days and we have guard duty to do every day and it makes no difference how bad the weather is—we have to stand guard.
I want more provision from home if I can get it and I want you and my neighbors to send me something every chance you have and I don’t want you to think that I am begging but anything from [home] takes so well. Give my love to all the children and tell Margaret that I think she might have written to me before this time but I will excuse her as she has so many young men to write to that she can’t have time to write to me very well. That is alright. I think among you I ought to get one letter every month. I have looked for a letter from some of you but have not got any from you for some time. I want you all to write to me and give me all the news in the neighborhood.
I would have liked to been at home to seen Calvin and George but I could not be there and here both, but I hope the time is not far distant when we will all get home to enjoy ourselves once more in this world. And if we should never meet on this earth anymore, my prayer is that we all may meet in heaven where peace will forever dwell in our hearts and men will learn war no more. Tell Martha Ann that I have not forgotten her yet. Tell her that I have so many to write to that I can’t write to all of my friends as often as I would like to do.
I would like to see you all and talk with you all. Tell the little boys all for me to be good boys and pray for me while I am out here fighting for them and pray not only for me, but for all of the poor soldiers. Tell them that I think of them every day. I have nothing more at this time but I hope to remain your son-in-law most affectionately, — D. R. Alexander
T. C. [Sloan] is well and hearty at this time. He says he has not forgotten you yet.
Letter 8
Camp near Liberty Mills
April 6th 1864
Dear Sister,
I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well at this time, hoping for you the same good blessing from the hands of Him that giveth and never tires when we receive His gifts in the right kind of a manner.
I have nothing of interest to write at this time. The health of our company is very good at this time. All the men that are present are able for duty and that is something very rare in the army. We have 49 men present and all able for to do their duty. I hate that I have neglected writing to you for so long but I hope you will pardon me. I think you are a reasonable being and will not think hard of me in my neglects. I was sorry to hear of John being so sick but was glad to hear of him being able to ride to my house. I hope he is well by this time and all the rest for you have had a serious bout of sickness this winter. I believe all have been sick from the oldest to the youngest.
I am not in the habit of writing tales on my fellow soldiers but I think I must relate one this time on my friend Robert Deaton. 1 As you know, I am a great friend of his. He tried to play off with pains in his legs and loin joints but they would not swell for him and the doctor could not see anything wrong with him and they preferred charges against him ad had him courtmartialed for trying to play off and his sentence is to dig stumps three hours every day for a month. He wants to put in another summer campaign at the hospital. He likes that place better than to be with the company and do his duty like a soldier. In short, he is no account nor never will be.
Tell all the family that I am well and want all that can write to write to me and give me all the news. Give my respects to all who may ask after me. I am in hopes this war will come to a close someday. If it don’t, it will be the first one. But I hope it will be soon. I see in the papers taken from a Northern paper that we can hold Richmond while we have fifty thousand men to fight. But still their great Gen. Grant says he intends to take it and end the war. But that will not make the rebels, as they call us, stop. No indeed. I fear they will have a hard fight and lose a great many men before they get that place they call the rebel capitol. They are as tired of the war as we are, but they don’t want to give up yet. I want to have peace and if they will let me alone, I will assure them I will let them alone. But they must not tramp [on] my toes if they don’t want hurt.
Tell Pa and Mother to write to me and write yourself. T. C. Sloan sends you his respects but he’s lost all hopes of getting home this spring. Give me all the news from Old Mecklenburg. Nothing more at this time as my letter is very uninteresting anyway. I remain your brother-in-law, — D. R. Alexander
1 James Robert Deaton (1840-19xx) was 20 years old when he enlisted on 16 September 1861 as a private in Co. C, 37th North Carolina Infantry. It appears he was captured and took the Oath of Allegiance in Washington D. C. in September 1862 but was exchanged and returned to his regiment. He was absent without leave for a while but returned in February 1863. He deserted to the enemy on 30 November 1864 and went to Bartholomew county, Maryland, to wait out the war.
Spared & Shared 23 