The following letter was written by Samuel Putnam (1837-1919) of Shelby, Cleveland county, North Carolina, who volunteered as a private in Co. D, 15th North Carolina Infantry in mid-May 1861. He was 24 years old at the time of his enlistment. The 15th North Carolina served in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia throughout the Peninsula Campaign and on the Maryland Campaign in Longstreet’s Corps, McLaw’s Division, Cobb’s Brigade. During the Battle of Antietam, Samuel was wounded and taken prisoner but paroled and sent to a hospital until he could rejoin his regiment.

In mid-January 1863, Co. D of the 15th North Carolina was transferred to the 49th North Carolina, Ransom’s Brigade, in exchange for Co. B of that regiment. When Gen. Robert Ransom’s Brigade was recalled to eastern North Carolina, the 49th served in the New Bern area and near the Chowan River in North Carolina with the purpose of protecting the Petersburg/Weldon/Wilmington railroad. During this time they fought frequent skirmishes with Union cavalry forces attempting to raid the railroad. Samuel wrote this letter from their encampment near Petersburg in July 1863 where he expressed little hope for the Confederacy.

Ten months later, Samuel was still with his regiment when he was wounded in the arm at Drewry’s Bluff on 16 May 1864—a wound so severe it required amputation.

Samuel was the son of Elias Putnam (1807-1859) and Rachel Poston (1808-1841)—both deceased prior to the war.

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Camp near Petersburg, Virginia
July 21, 1863

Dear Uncle,

Once more I am permitted to drop you a few lines to let you know that I am well, hoping when this comes to hand that they may find you & your family all well.

As for news, I hant got none that is good on our side. It looks like this war is going against us but it is just as it is & it can’t be helped though I may be mistaken. But them [that] lives 12 months from this time, they will see how it goes. They say that our men will have to give up Charleston to the Yankees. It looks like they are coming in on every side. General Lee made a bad trip going into Maryland and has got lots of his men killed and no good done on our side. They say the 34th & 38th & 55th [North Carolina] Regiments is cut up bad & I heard that Sam Telford was killed. I don’t know it to be so but expect that he was killed.

Jimmy, you need not tell this to everybody what I have wrote about the war. You may think I am out of heart, but you will see if you are permitted to live how it will go—that is, if we don’t get help from somewhere else. We have got as good fighting men as theirs, but we can’t whip a whole world out. They are going to overpower us for they can do it because they have so many more men than us. And Old Abe has ordered three hundred thousand more men & if they come out, I think we had as well quit. But our men won’t give up until they get all of their men killed.

Jimmy, I want you to write to me and let me know how you are getting along. I would like to see you the best in the world but it is so that I can’t have the opportunity. But I hope that I will be permitted to live to see you all gone. Goodbye. — Samuel Putnam

[to] J. L. Green

Direct your letter to Petersburg’, Co. B, 49th North Carolina troops in Care of Capt. N. B. Corbett, Ransom’s Brigade