The following letter was written by Wright Stanley Massey (1840-1879), the son of Susan Jane Ward (1822-1873) and John McKeogh Dwyer (of Tipperary, Ireland) who were married in Mobile, Alabama in 1838. After Wright’s father died, his mother remarried to Rev. Joshua Albert Massey (1818-1886) in April 1846 and Wright was officially adopted by the reverend in 1859 and Wright took the name Wright Stanly Massey.

Wright is carried in Confederate muster roll records as “W. S. Massey.” He served as a private in Co. E (“Washington Light Infantry”), 3rd Alabama Infantry. This regiment had a long history with Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, fighting in most of the major battles in the eastern theatre in Rode’s Division of Stonewall Jackson’s Corps. In 1863 and part of 1864, Wright was detached from the regiment and assigned to duty in Richmond with Major James S. Milligan’s Signal Corps. In the fall of 1864, Wright was still with the Signal Corps but reassigned to Mobile, Alabama. It’s not clear if Wright was still detached to the Signal Corps when he wrote his letter in January 1865 or whether he had been transferred to the 1st Alabama Artillery as the Lt. Colonel of that regiment indicated in February 1863 that he would gladly accept Wright into his command.

Wright wrote the letter to William W. Ward (1811-1881), his mother’s older brother, and the oldest child of William Ward (1784-1821) and Lydia Duncan Stanly (188-1839) of New Bern, Craven county, North Carolina. William was married to Elizabeth Massey. William and Elizabeth Ward had a child named Thomas Payne Ward (mentioned in this letter) who was born in Louisiana in March 1860. By 1870, the Ward’s were living in Tulare county, California and given the length of time this letter took to reach Wright, it was most likely sent to California. In 1900, Thomas Payne Ward was enumerated in San Francisco, still single, and working as a stenographer.

Readers are also referred to the Charles Wetmore Broadfoot Letters that I transcribed some years ago. Charles was a nephew of Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes and served as his aide-de-camp during the Civil War.

[Note: The following letter was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent of Danya Candis Lorimer who inherited the letter.]

Transcription

Mobile, [Alabama]
January 17, 1865

Dear Uncle William,

I have just read your letter to Mother of June 24, 1864—almost seven months on the way, but the time has by no means lessened its welcome. It was eagerly read by every one.

Tom’s ¹ photograph stands preeminent in our little collection of likenesses. When Mother handed it to me, I did not raise my eyes from it for half an hour, but studied every feature so closely that if I were an artist, I believe I could give you a faithful copy. He is a noble looking boy and is Uncle William all over. If you had him here, he would be the pet of the whole house. You must speak of me frequently in his presence, and teach him to love me, as I shall be all to him that I can, if I only survive this “Cruel War.”

I wrote you a long letter about three months ago but I am afraid you have not yet read it. Just before closing it, I added by way of post script that I had been ordered to rejoin my regiment in Virginia. I went in as far as Richmond, but when I arrived there, I found there had been a mistake in the application of Adjutant Gen. [Samuel] Cooper‘s order, and I was ordered to report back to Mobile. It was quite an agreeable surprise as I had seen but little of my home during the war, and was only glad to get back. I did not dread returning to more active service but I disliked my old company and the infantry service. I would most willingly make an effort to be transferred to some artillery command, if Mother were not anxious to have me near her, and I will not disregard her wishes as long as I can honorably remain in my present position.

On my way back, I stopped at Lincolnton where Dr. J[ohn] P. Beckwith ² and his family are living as refugees from Petersburg. I saw only the younger members of the family, the Dr. and his wife being absent in the eastern portion of the state. In my last, I believe I told you that I had been the recipient of much kindness from them while in Virginia. They are truly kind-hearted people and proved valuable friends to me. Cousin Tom lost his oldest son, Julian [Ruffin Beckwith], at the Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond. He also lost his mother a few months since. She died of old age. Miss Carrie & Miss Nannie are living with some of their acquaintances in Warren county, North Carolina. I think the old Doctor is staying with Judge Badger in Raleigh.

While in Lincolnton, [North Carolina,] I met Cousin William [Robards] Wetmore. ³ He has charge of two parishes, is married, and has a fine boy to amuse himself with. He informed me of Mrs. Caroline [Stanly] Howard’s death. She died in New Bern last summer of yellow fever. Gen. [Theophilus Hunter] Holmes is Lt. General of the Provisional Army and has command of the Reserve forces of North Carolina. ⁴ His eldest son was also killed near Richmond. He was killed last summer while leading [paper torn]. The General was sent from Virginia to the Trans-Mississippi Department but owing to an unsuccessful defense of Arkansas Post was removed to North Carolina. I heard that the General intends making efforts to get into field service next spring.

While in Lincolnton, I took a copy of Cousin William [Wetmore]’s family tree, making several additions to the genealogical column, one of which was “Tom Payne” [Ward] in broad, ineffaceable letters, as big as life. When Tom gets old enough to gratify a curiosity for looking into family bibles and family records, he may possibly stumble across this, and I know he will thank me for handing his name down to posterity.

North Carolina and Virginia are great places for family trees &c., and the best places in the world for finding out kin. If you don’t hunt them up, they’ll hunt you out, and, if the right stock, you become at once an object of interest and attachment. They all believe in “Blood” so strong as to have made my youthful love—first love, I should have said—turn a complete somersault. Like most who [paper torn] I left my heart behind.

My lady love’s Grandma happened to be living in Petersburg and during my first visit to Cousin Louis’ family, my Grandma in prospectus called on me. Of course every one in the house wanted to know why such an old lady would pay me such an attention. I tried to explain the matter satisfactorily to myself, but by degrees they discovered the truth, and I never heard the end of it for unfortunately, the young lady’s uncle in Petersburg happened to be a brick layer. They were continually after me to make contracts for bricks while washing &c. The cruel want of consideration gave a death blow to all my hopes, and Miss So and So, soon becoming a thing which “passeth away and is forgotten.” I had not committed myself by making a pledge of my love but everyone thought I had, and that it had been returned. I don’t know what I might have done but they threw so many “bricks” at me that I have ever since kept at a respectful distance.

Being at home now & near the young lady, I am placed in a very embarrassing situation, for she is continually sending me tobacco bags, woolen skull caps, &c. and is at present making a pair of gloves for me. What am I to do? I can’t throw “bricks” at her. I shall have to bombard her with a more delicate missile. This preference—I am not vain—troubles me very much. I wish you were here to advise me. The Miss Carters and I have never spoken since you left, and as for Mrs. Hayden, Hoiden ⁵ would be a more appropriate name. Understand she has been reconverted into a complete Yankee. Do you remember the budget of letters she returned me and the words of virtuous indignation which accompanied them? In thinking over that circumstance, I often have a hearty laugh over it. I would give anything in the world to be near you that I might tell you every little hting of interest—to myself as it occurs. How could you think for a moment that I was displeased with your lectures upon the use of tobacco. No, Uncle William, never! If I were with you, you might lecture me from morning till night, and I would willingly endure it, just to hear the sound of your voice. I am only waiting for an end of our troubles to join you, when, I hope, we may never again be separated.

Before this reaches you, you may have heard of reverses to our armies in Georgia but do not let it dishearten you. Sherman has been a successful leader for the Yankees, and is supposed to be making his way gradually to Richmond, but there he will meet our noble Lee and his victorious army, and his feathers will soon trail in the dust. The question of putting negroes into our army is being greatly agitated, and I think the strong probability is that before six months roll around, they will be placed in the ranks. The proposition is to put them in with the promise of freedom after the war, if they serve their time faithfully.

I have but little to say of Mobile. Everything is quiet here. A few of the Yankee vessels are riding the waves lazily in front of our water batteries at a respectable distance where [paper torn] been ever since the fall of Forts Morgan, Gaines, and Powell. No apprehensions are felt of an immediate attack upon the place, and everything is in readiness to receive them when they do make an advance.

I am stationed at Battery McIntosh ⁶ in the Bay, about three miles from the city. I am very comfortably situated, and have plenty of time for reading which I use to advantage.

I see Mr. [John Julius] Delchamps occasionally. He is coroner for the city. He lost a son at Vicksburg. ⁷ Our little household has lately received an addition—Miss Minnie Friend. She is staying with us so as to attend school in the city. Sallie and Lou. are both very promising. Sallie is almost a young lady. You would be charmed with her. When you write, tell Aunt Lizzie she must contribute her mite. Give my best love to her with a kiss for Susan. All the servants are well and desire to be remembered. Mother is writing to you. I am sorry to close my letter as I could say [paper torn], but it is getting late and I am obliged to return to my Battery tomorrow morning at an early hour to relieve one of the men who is sick. Do write to me for I think of you frequently and a letter would be most welcome.

Your most affectionate nephew, — W. S. Massey

---

¹ Thomas Payne Ward was born in April 1860 in Louisiana, the son of William W. Ward.

² Dr. John Beckwith (1785-1870)—a native of Connecticut—and his wife, Margaret Cogdell Stanly (1878-1864) of New Bern, North Carolina, lived in Petersburg, Virginia, where John earned his living as a physician. John began his practice of medicine in New London, Connecticut but went south for his health where he met and married Margaret in 1807 in New Bern. He served as a surgeon with the New York forces in the War of 1812. but returned to North Carolina where they lived in Newton, then Hillsborough, then Salisbury, the Fayetteville, and then in 1823 in Raleigh where he served as a commissioner for building the capitol in Raleigh which was completed in 1840. They finally settled during January, 1845 in Petersburg, Virginia. In the mid-1840s, John and his son, T. Stanly Beckwith (also a physician) fell out of acceptance in the medical community of Petersburg for promoting “Beckwith’s Antidyspeptic Pills” which were considered quackery and they were eventually driven out of business and when the family income collapsed, Kate Beckworth (their daughter, born in 1822) opened a school for young ladies. When Petersburg went under siege in 1864, the Beckworths were driven out by the shelling. The Beckwith’s cook had been killed, but the other slaves stayed on, scrounged for food, and helped make do in the hardscrabble conditions of the failing Confederacy. When peace came, the Beckwith slaves set off to claim their freedom, and for the first time, the white Beckwith women were confronted with cooking and the laundry. In 1865, Dr. Beckwith relocated to the Bronx, New York, to live with his daughter Kate, taking his daughters Cornelia and Nancy with him. Thomas “Stanly” Beckwith (1813-1884) married Agnes Ruffin (1816-1865), daughter of Edmund Ruffin (1794-1865) of Virginia. Stanly and Agnes’s son, Julian Ruffin Beckwith (1839-1862) served in Co. E, 12th Virginia Infantry and was killed by a shot to the forehead in the Battle of Seven Pines on 31 May 1862. Margaret Cogdell Stanly was the daughter of Ann Cogdell and John Wright Stanly. .

³ William Robards Wetmore (1834-1904) was rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from 1862 until his death in 1904. He was married to Mary Bingham (1837-1904) in 1863. William’s parents were J. Ichabod Wetmore (1792-1851) and Elizabeth Ann Badger (1797-1865) of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Wright mentions William’s first born Lemuel Bingham Wetmore, born December 1864).

⁴ Theophilus Hunter Holmes (1804-1880) was married to Laura Jane Wetmore (1817-1860).

⁵ Hoiden means a wild boisterous girl; tomboy.

⁶ What remains of Battery McIntosh lies southeast of the USS Alabama at the north end of Mobile Bay. Battery McIntosh was meant to be a defensive battery, a small fort, to protect the Tensaw River and the City of Mobile during the American Civil War.

⁷ Joseph William Delchamps (1845-1863) was killed on 27 May 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi while serving in Co. F, 40th Alabama Infantry. He enlisted in May 1862 when he was only 17. His parents were John Julis Delchamps (1821-1906) and Sarah Elizabeth Bancroft (1826-1885).