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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC09004 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1863 |
| Title | Thomas M. Gordon to Mrs. Edward Brown regarding an execution and life in the Confederate camp |
| Date | 9 February 1863 |
| Author | Gordon, Thomas M. (fl. 1861-1865) |
| Recipient | Brown, Mrs. Edward |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Gordon, a Confederate soldier, begins his letter by stating he greatly misses his home and friends. Says that he has been attending church and receiving some comfort from religion. Writes about a man from his regiment who deserted and is now sentenced to be executed by firing squad. States that he ministered to the soldier and read to him from the Bible. "Twelve men from the Regt. will be detailed to perform the execution ... I hope that I will not be one the number he has a wife and two children she came to see him a few days ago." Adds that the man wanted his wife to stay to see him shot but she refused. Expresses sympathy for the wife and writes that she tried to get the condemned man a new trial but failed. Asks Mrs. Brown to pray for his safe return and to write him. Lists his post to write to as 1st Va Regt of Artillery, care of Capt. Willis J. Dance. Written from camp near Bowling Green, Caroline County in Virginia. Addressed to Brown in Sunny Side, Cumberland County, Virginia. Envelope has two Confederate States, Jefferson Davis 5 cent postage stamps. |
| Subjects | Religion Military Law Desertion Confederate States of America Christianity Artillery Death Penalty Soldier's Letter |
| People | Gordon, Thomas M. (fl. 1861-1865) Brown, Mrs. Edward (fl. 1863) Dance, Willis J. (fl. 1861-1863) |
| Place written | Bowling Green, Virginia |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Religion |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Gordon enlisted on 16 July 1861 as a private in the Virginia Powhatan Light Artillery. He was paroled at the end of the war on 25 April 1865. Captain Willis J. Dance is listed as captain of this artillery. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |