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Field name |
Value |
Collection Reference Number
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GLC02082.38
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From Archive Folder
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Collection of Jeremiah M. Tate, H company, 5th regiment, Alabama, infantry
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Title
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Jeremiah Tate to his sister describing Gettysburg and retreat through Maryland and Pennsylvania
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Date
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19 July 1863
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Author
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Tate, Jeremiah M. (fl. 1829-1877)
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Document Type
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Correspondence
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Content Description
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Describes the retreat through Maryland and Pennsylvania. Mentions the plentiful food. Describes the battle of Gettysburg & retreat. Written in pencil. May be missing conclusion. Author assumed based on letters of similar handwriting and content. See GLC02082.39.
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Subjects
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Battle of Gettysburg Civil War Military History Confederate Soldier's Letter Confederate States of America Soldier's Letter Diet and Nutrition Battle
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People
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Tate, Jeremiah M. (fl. 1829-1877)
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Place written
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Darkesville, Virginia
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Theme
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The American Civil War
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Sub-collection
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Papers and Images of the American Civil War
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Additional Information
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Folder information: Jeremiah Tate of Pickensville, Alabama worked as a grocer prior to his enlistment in Company H of the 5th Alabama infantry. Private Tate served for a time with Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah. For a short period in 1864, he was a hospital nurse in Mt. Jackson which brought an additional seven dollars to his monthly pay. Having survived four years of service, he returned home in 1866 and married a young widow, Martha Ann Taylor Speed. Tate's letters, written to his mother and sister Mary Jane at Jenna Point (Tuscaloosa County, Alabama), concern First Bull Run, Peninsula Campaign, Seven Pines, Antietam, Stonewall Jackson, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg (letter #34 dated near Carlisle), and Petersburg. A number of letters concern fraternizing with Yanks and songs he sings. His first name "Jeremiah" per coded name in letter #31. Some itemized letters are actually continuations and are noted as such. Many of the original envelopes were turned inside-out and re-used.
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Copyright
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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
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Module
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Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945
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Civil War: Recipient Relationship
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Sister
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Civil War: Theater of War
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Main Eastern Theater
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Civil War: Unit
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5th Alabama Infantry, H company
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Related documents
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to Dorcus and to his sister
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Transcript
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Show/hide Camp Near Darkesville Virginia July the 19th /63 Dear sister Mary I seat my self this evning to reply to your kind favor which came to me yesterday, it was thankfully received and was red with the gratest of pleasure I was truly glad to hear that you was all well, and doing the same, I wood like to give you a [struck: short] full histrey of my travaily through Maryaland and Pennsylvania but it is a matter of imposibility without I cood speak to you verbaly, I had both a nice and hard time, when we first arrived in Pennsylvania we saw a fine time we got evry thing to eat that hart cood wish, such as milk and butter apple butter chickens honey molases sugar coffee tea chease and Whiskey wines of all kindes, everything was cheap all it cost us was to go after it, one of my mess said said that he had fifteen cents in silver when he went to Pennsylvania and that he traded on it all the time he was over thare, and he [2] [struck: and] burleaves that he bought at leaste one hundred Dollars worth and came out with ten cents, I will tell you of a little sircumstance that taken place the day we crost over south mountain on our retreat back to Hagerstown we kept three days rashions cooked and in haver sacks owing to the wether being very warm and frequent rains, was the cause of our rashions spoiling and we had fell short of one day, so on the sixth inst we was crossing the mountain and all hands was hungrey as they had no time to forage frequently through the day [inserted: when] General Oneal was riding up and down the lines they boys wood holow about rashions, in the evning just before time to camp, he spoke to General Rodes and asked him what he must do, he said he cood not pass the men but what they were crying out rashins and he new that the men was hungrey and that thare was no Rashins at the commissary [3] Rodes said well Cornel go on and when we camp to night you need not put out any gard to night and I will insure you that my old Brigade will not suffer, so we went into camps about sunset, and in about one hour one of my mess came in with ten fine hens, sitch a pulling of fethers you never saw, in a very short time he stept off and soon returned with a side of bacon and flour enoughf to do two days you may imagine that we fared well that night I cood tell you of athousand little instances that ocurd that wood make you laughf. we left Hagerstown on the thirteenth instant came to Williams port on the crost over the Potomach on the fourteenth in to virginia, we are now in camps eighteen miles north of Winchester I no not how long we will stay hear rumor say that we will go back to Maryland as soon as the army rests a while and recruits a little more [4] all the objections I have to going back is that we cant git our letters and from home but sildom one thing we fare mutch better thare than in virginia and we have them to fight let us go where we will, but our wounded is bound to suffer thare for it is so fare to any railrad that it impossable to move them, and they are apt to fall in to the hands of the enemy as thousands did in the late battle at Gettesburg my Regiment was not in the fight but one day that was the first day and the first day of July but was under a hevy fire of shell for three days, but little damage did except the first day our loss was hevy [insert:in] my Company thare was two kildded on the field [struck: and] William Brownlee and William Herald the number wounded is not known as thare was sum taken prisoners that was thought to be wounded but nun seriously it was a hard fight and the troops completely broke down
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