I can’t confirm the identity of the author of this letter though I think it might be possible it was Robert Sylvania Bryan of Talbert county, Georgia. It is unsigned but the name “R. S. Bryan” in period handwriting has been annotated on the reverse side of the letter and I cannot find any other Confederate soldiers with that name. Robert’s confederate pension record, however, states that he served the entire war in the 10th Georgia Cavalry under Capt. Perry Morris in Gen. Joe Wheeler’s command but this regiment wasn’t organized until late in the war.

The author was a member of volunteers raised in Georgia and South Carolina to aid in the defense of Charleston which was blockaded by Union gunboats and believed to be threatened by land as well. The letter was written two days after the 7 April 1863 attack that failed to force Fort Sumter’s submission. He mentions fighting at the Stono river on Johns Island where Confederate forces attempted to protect critical supply lines with Savannah.

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

Charleston, South Carolina
April 9th 1863

Dear Mattie,

I accept the first opportunity to write you a few lines. As yet we have done nothing but lay in camps though they will commence drilling us tomorrow & say we will drill 4 hours per day. And the Captain tells us tomorrow we will have to go to James Island to be put on duty. So you see we don’t know what time we will have to fight nor when we will go home—but you may look for me inside of thirty days.

I walked over a portion of this town this morning & don’t think it near as pretty a place as Augusta. I saw four Yankee gunboats today but no fighting today except in Stono river. But you will see everything in the paper long before you can hear from me. I see 12 Columbian’s [Columbiad’s?] here.

Tell brother to plant my cotton whenever it suits as he knows best what to do. And he can have my corn replanted as it comes up. Be sure to send to Mr. Bradshaw’s for the cotton seed.

The Boys keep up such talking that I can’t write. We have a good tent. I don’t much think we will have to fight at all so don’t give yourself any uneasiness. Do the best you can. Kiss the children for me and accept my love. The same to brother. All well so far. Yours affectionately. Direct in care of Capt. G[eorge] T[wiggs] Jackson, Augusta Volunteers, ¹ Charleston Hotel

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¹ The captain was George Twiggs Jackson (1822-1899), an Augusta businessman. During the Civil War, he was elected captain of a company he helped raise in Augusta and responded to Gen. Beauregard’s call for volunteers to go to Charleston, South Carolina, when that city was threatened with a land attack while being bombarded from the Federal ironclads. Subsequently he was promoted to the command of the Augusta Battalion, and saw active service in Georgia and South Carolina. No unit history exists for this regiment which is sometimes designated the 1st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Local Troops) (Augusta).