The following letters were written by Richard (“Dick”) M. McClure (1816-1895), an Irish emigrant who served during the American Civil War as Captain of Co. A, 63rd Illinois Infantry, mustering in on 10 April 1862. Dick’s first wife was Mary Jane (1820-1875) and together they had at least six children by 1860 ranging in age from one to thirteen. The family was enumerated in Christy, Lawrence county, Illinois at that time. Dick married a second time in 1878 to Julia Ann Rousch. He died in 1895 and was buried in Sumner Cemetery, Lawrence county, Illinois.

On the 1st of January, 1864, the 63rd Infantry re-enlisted in the veteran service, and on the 10th of April arrived at Centralia, Illinois, where it received veteran furlough. On the 21st of May it reported at Huntsville, Alabama, and on the 23d was ordered to Triune. On the 30th of June it arrived at Kingston, Georgia, where it was stationed to guard the line of railroad. It continued here until November 11th, when it was ordered to join General Sherman at Atlanta. On the 15th it left Atlanta on the march to the seashore. After the capture of Savannah, it participated in the Carolina campaign, and was in all its battles and skirmishes. At Columbia, South Carolina, it lost one officer and five men by the explosion of an arsenal. On the 24th of May, 1865, it took part in the grand review at Washington, and on the 3d of June started for Louisville. Here it was mustered out of the service on the 13th of July, and on the 16th arrived at Camp Butler, where it was paid off and discharged. During its term of service the 63d traveled 6,453 miles, of which 2,250 miles was on foot.

[Note: These letters were sent to me by Sarah Prather who found them among her great-grandmother’s belongings. She sent them to me for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Letter 1

Memphis, [Tennessee]
March 1st 1863

Dear Mary Jane,

Oh how bad I want to see you so. I received a letter from you and Beck which I was glad to get as it has been so long since I have had one before. I felt very anxious to hear from Jim as Mrs. Robinson said that he was worse but I am glad to hear that he is some better and I trust that as soon as the weather gets a little warmer and he can take a little out doors excursion, that it will help him more than anything else. I feel sorrow for my poor boy and I trust that the Lord will soon restore him to his for mer health and usefulness. I don’t see how you can get along without him.

A few days ago we got two months pay. I sent you two hundred dollars by express. I suppose you have got it before this. Squire Robinson starts for home this evening. If I had known that he was going so soon, I would have sent the money with him and thereby have saved you $1.50 express charges. Yesterday, we were mustered for pay again. There is yet four months pay due us and there is a rumor that we will be paid soon again. This, however, may be doubtful. But it is said that it is the intention of the government to pay the troops regularly every two months after this.

Dear wife, I should have no objections to soldiering if I only could have an opportunity of seeing you and the young ones occasionally, but I cannot do it.

The last few days the weather has been beautiful. Since it quit raining, it has turned warm and the grass is growing fast and everything indicates that spring is at hand. I wish it may be the same in Illinois as I know you must be tired of rain and mud by this time. This is the pleasantest place that we have camped at since we left Bird’s Point and if we can serve our country as well here as elsewhere, there would be few of us in favor of moving. But we do not know what a day may bring forth. We may be ordered to move when we least expect it. Under the present state of affairs, there is nothing certain. There is no news of importance from Vicksburg. Grant is still concentrating his forces at that place, but it may be months before he makes an attack.

I don’t know how to advise you about the farm. There is so little dependence to be put in renters that it hardly ever pays to have horses abused by them for the little they raise. If you could rent as much of the lower 8- to some person or persons as you could, letting them find everything and give you the one third; and if you could hire a hand and have that field that was in corn last season—I mean the field south of the barn—and as much more as would be convenient close to the house, I think this would be the best policy.

Dear Ma, I write one or two letters to you every week and if I thought it would be any gratification to you, I would write every day. I want Beck to write whether I do or not and if she does write a better hand than that last page, she had better take lessons of Ma’s. Yours, — Dick

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Letter 2

Memphis, Tennessee
March 29th 1863

Mary,

Yesterday I received two letters from you—one dated March [ ], the other the 25th, They were gladly received as all other communications from the same source. We have abundant cause to be thankful to our Heavenly Father for his unceasing mercies towards us in thus preserving out health and lives whilst so many of our fellow beings are passing into the invisible world.

Whilst we have cause to rejoice in God’s dealings towards us as a family, others have their trials and afflictions to contend with. Eugene Dobbins died at the General Hospital in Memphis on the 27th inst. His disease, I believe, was typhoid fever. He was one of our best soldiers and was universally liked by both officers and men. He was always cheerful and ready at all times to discharge a soldier’s duty. But he is gone and our company will miss him. Dear Ma, I want you to communicate this afflicting news to his poor Mother. In his sickness, he frequently talked about her. To her he was a good son.

Another of my boys started for home yesterday but I doubt if he gets there alive. He has been sick for a long time. His Mother, Mrs. Stratt’s, came down two months ago and has nursed him ever since but he still continues to get worse, and I could not get him discharged until the doctors seen that there was no chance of his recovery. It is almost an impossibility to get a man discharged at present.

Col. [John] Glaze has just received news of a very destroying character. His Father is crazy and I think it affects him more than if he had heard of his death. He cried like a child whilst reading me the letter. I could not help but respect his tears for they were the out gushings of an affectionate heart. That heart that I well know would never quail before an enemy, is now rung with affliction for a suffering parents. I believe I informed you that he had been appointed Chaplain of our Regiment. It seems that he met with a great deal of opposition from th members of his circuit and it seems that his mind has been exercised to such an extent that it finally gave way. It is strange that a man of his ability should be the subject of such a calamity. But mysterious are the ways of Providence and we poor shortsighted cannot fathom its depths. The Colonel will try and get home if possible. He can do more to quiet his mind than anyone else. I do hope that he may get off.

Dear Ma, there is no news of any importance. Everything is quiet at present but in other places there are great preparations going on for a desperate struggle. It is thought that there will soon be another fight between Rosecrans and the enemy in East Tennessee and Grant is working away with dogged perseverance to reduce Vicksburg. Destitution is felt to an alarming extent through many parts of the South which is thought will have a great tendency to bring the war to a close. I wish something may soon bring it to an honorable close. Yours Old Man, — Dick McClure

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Letter 3

Triana, Alabama
May 30, 1864

Dear Albe [?],

Yours of the 20th came to hand. I was glad to hear that you and your charge were all well. This is the only letter that I have received from you since I left home. You should have received three letters from me before this. I wrote from Centralia, from Cairo, and from Huntsville. We remained but one day and night in Huntsville until we were ordered to this place. Triana is 18 miles southwest of Huntsville on the bank of the Tennessee river. It is a poor, dilapidated place. Everything is gone to rack and [ruin] and the few inhabitants that are left are the emblems of poverty and hard times.

Four days ago I commenced this letter and now, I suppose, it is time I should finish it. I was sent to Huntsville on business pertaining to the regiment and among other things to ascertain when we should be paid. I accomplished all satisfactorily. The Pay Master came out yesterday and paid off the regiment, but the worst of it was the officers received only half pay for the term of their leave of absence. Consequently I cannot send my Old Woman as much as I would like. The amount I took from home with me is all gone already. The rest of the officers were all fixed up so fine that I looked like an odd sheep among them so I bought me an officer’s blouse, a pair of pants, and a little trunk or valise. That and paying from 75 cents to $1 per meal for what I eat from [the time] I left you until we came to this place slipped away with my pile.

I sent this morning to the Express office $154 and fifty belonging to Jimeney Purley. You may use all of it as we can replace Jimeney’s when needed. There is four dollars in fifty cent pieces. Give each of the young ones a fifty cent note to buy candy or any other notion. Pap would like to give the candy but they must wait.

I have little or no news to write. We get less [news] here than you do at home. When we do happen to get a paper, it is generally a week old. But as far as we can hear, everything looks prosperous on our side. The last we heard from Grant he was within fifteen miles of Richmond. And Sherman well down towards Atlanta. If both those places are taken, I think the Confederacy is gone up, but there will be many a brave life sacrificed yet before that is accomplished. Lee will make a desperate and determined effort before he gives up Virginia and Richmond. The Rebels themselves freely acknowledge that if they lose Virginia, they lose all.

This month is going to be one of vital interest to our country. Indeed, it may tell of the future destiny of this great nation for weal or woe. But we have all confidence in our armies and generals. But there is a higher power than that of man rules the destiny of nations and we have faith to believe that our cause is just. We have no idea how long we may remain in this place. We may stay here all summer or we may start before a week. If Sherman should need reinforcements, our division may be ordered to the front and our place supplied by the hundred day men. But don’t think that they will be sent so far south.

Our duty is not very heavy but nevertheless important. There is quite a rebel force on the opposite side of the river from here. We see their pickets every day and were the river not so wide, we would have a daily skirmish. But the stream is three-quarters of a mile wide and that keeps the belligerents at a respectful distance from each other for the present. Their object in crossing would not be so much to fight us as to tear up and destroy the railroads and as these roads are of vital importance to the whole army in Sherman’s command, they require to be guarded with unceasing vigilance.

Let me know in your next how much corn you have planted and how that clover looks and all them other items that you can think of. Direct as formerly to Huntsville. Yours as ever, — Dick