This letter was penned by 21 year-old Pvt. James Burton Allen (1840-1910) of Co. I (the “Hanover Grays”) of the 15th Virginia Infantry. The regiment was raised in April 1861 and James enlisted on 23 April, just one week prior to the date of this letter. It was organized in May drawing in recruits from across Richmond, Henrico, and Hanover counties. Its first colonel was Thomas P. August. James was detailed as an ambulance drive in February 1863.

James was the son of William Allen and Nancy Hooper of St. Paul’s Parish, Hanover county, Virginia. James survived the war and was married in 1867 to Lucy Ellen Earnest (1848-1923) in Hanover county. James and his wife are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

[Richmond, Virginia]
May 1st 1861

My dear Father,

I have seated myself down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and I hope that these few lines will find you the same. I have no news to write but we are drilling five times a day and we are learning very fast and I am more satisfied than I was at first and I hope that it will not be long before we will [get] out of the encampment. But I don’t hear anything about war and I don’t think there will be anything of it. The boys are very charming at the present time and they had meeting last Sunday and I was on guard for twenty-four hours but tonight is a pleasant night and the lights from the camp [are] pretty and you ought to come over here to see us drill. We are going through the tactics first rate and I do wish that you would get me some money from Dale Wicker. And if you can’t get it, I do wish that you would send me the amount by the first [man] that comes over here. And I do wish that you would send me my carpet bag.

And I have nothing more to write. I must close by saying give my love to all of the family and to Ma and tell her to write to me. And Pa, you must write me word how that are all and tell Benjamin Tucker ¹ to write to me. Your most humble son, — James B. Allen

Answer this as soon as you get this.

¹ Benjamin H. Tucker also lived in St. Paul’s Parish in Hanover county, Virginia, as did James Allen in 1860. He was three years older than James and the son of Henry Tucker and Sally Barker. Henry owned seven slaves in 1860.