The following home front letter was written by 18 year-old Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Jane Cobb (1845-1892), the daughter of John Cobb (1803-1871) and Roseanna Wagner (1809-1881) of McLeansville, Guilford county, North Carolina.

Eliza wrote the letter to her 26 year-old brother, John A. Cobb, who enlisted at age 25 in June 1861 as a private in Co. M (Guilford Dixie Boys”), 11th (later 21st) North Carolina Infantry. He was promoted to a 2nd Lieutenant in January 1863 and was with his regiment in Hoke’s Brigade, Early’s Division of Ewell’s Corps at Gettysburg where he was wounded by grapeshot, most likely in the assault at dusk on East Cemetery Hill on 2 July. He was taken prisoner on the field and treated at the Letterman General Hospital near Gettysburg where his left hand was amputated. He remained in captivity until he finally died of small pox at the Marine Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland in May 1864. [See his treatment record in footnotes.]

At the time that Eliza wrote his letter to her brother, the regiment would have been in winter camp near Fredericksburg, Virginia, where one member of the 21st North Carolina wrote his friend at the time, “We are all well and fat and sassy, and black and dirty and lousey.” [William Sprinkle to Thomas Poindexter, 7 April 1863]

Transcription

McLeansville, North Carolina
March 16, [1863]

Dear Brother,

I seat myself to answer your most kind letter come to hand the 14th inst. It wasn’t dated. It found us all well and leaves us the same. John, I have been to three burryings since I wrote to you—Uncle Joshey Boon’s ¹ youngest son Boston, and Cabsil’s oldest daughter. Them two was buried at Shoemaker’s Church in one day. And Calvin Hubbard [was buried] last Saturday at Mount Pleasant. ² He belonged to D. R. Mac’s company. There is a great many deaths in the country now.

John, you didn’t say anything about your shoes. John, they are going to meet at Greensboro to call out the conscripts again. Hope they will make all the saltpetre and gun shops skedaddle—and shoe shops too. ³

John, what did you do with things of Tom Newsom that was in your Company. Miss Rumley wants to know whether he got them or not.

There is great prospect of peace when hens is laying eggs with letters on. Mr. Hollenian saw the egg in Raleigh. It had raised letters on [it]. The letters was there would be peace restored in 90 days to all nation in the earth. I pray to God it might be so.

I will close, Please excuse my short letter for I have no news to write. Write and often. From sister—Eliza Cobb

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¹ Joshua Riley Boon (1822-1884) of Guilford county, N. C., was married to Matilda Ingle (1832-1907). At age 42, he was drafted into Co. A, 53rd North Carolina Infantry in December 1864.

² William Calvin Hubbard (1831-1863) was the son of Solomon Hubbard (1787-1835) and Sarah Jane Matthews (1806-1860) of Mount Pleasant, Guilford, North Carolina. He was married to Emily Donnell (1831-1878) in 1859 and had two young sons when he volunteered in 1862 to serve as a private in Co. A, 53rd North Carolina Infantry. He died of disease at Kinston, North Carolina, on 3 March 1863.

³ I believe Eliza is hoping that the drafting of conscripts to serve in the Confederate army would not longer exempt those who worked in the saltpetre, gun or shoe making industries which it had previously done. Many volunteers resented that otherwise eligible young men hid behind these exemptions to avoid service.