Student’s Visual Organizer Letter
as a Word Document
August
29, 1862
Dear
Thomas,
I hope you are doing well and General
Pope is not treating you poorly. Me, being 14, I’m doing well. I’m not hurt yet
so I’ll keep fighting, eating, and (barely) sleeping.
I am with 20,000 troops. There are 55,000 Confederate, on my side. I
am not used to working with so many people, and at first I felt like a small
mouse on the battle field. Now I try and act big and brave like a lion. The battle
field scares a lot of soldiers because you are always at a high risk of dying.
Are you afraid of the battle field, Thomas? I hope you are not. A battle is
loud and bloody. Gun powder is everywhere and it seems every second a cannon is
booming from both sides. Shots fly everywhere and all around, my soldiers fall
to the ground. Dust is on me everywhere and is caught in my throat so I can’t
breathe… I let out some shots and hear cries of pain from the North. Then all
is silent. Night has come and it is time to have dinner and rest for tomorrow’s
battle. Thomas, do you ever cry because you have lost someone you loved? I
cried that night because a good friend of mine died in the battle. He died
saving someone else so he died with honor, didn’t he? Tomorrow I’m going to
fight hard for him. Have you done that for someone, Thomas? I hope you
have.
My leader, Stonewall Jackson is pushing us hard, but he is giving us
some better hard tack. Is that what you call a hard biscuit? What do you eat?
Are you cold and hungry? Sometimes when I’m in battle and I’m tired and hungry
I imagine meat, coffee, sugar, that hard tack, or some canned fruit or
vegetables. I know it is silly and foolish of a soldier to think such things,
but I can’t help it. I miss the good food Mother made back home in the South.
Only you wouldn’t remember that, with you living in the North with Aunt Amelia,
getting your education. I’m sorry I brought Mother up, forgive me. I know you
miss her and Father.
I wager that you don’t have any better
sleeping quarters than me. I sleep in a tent on a gum blanket, trust me, it’s
not comfortable with canvas on one side and rubber on the other!
The uniform is not that comfortable
either. It is very hot to wear and is really ugly. That’s the truth! It is a
dark gray sack coat, which is too big for me, with a kepi (hat.) I also have a
canteen for holding water. The pockets in my coat are good for carrying my
weapons. I have a Minie Ball gun and/or a Rifled Musket. I am a very well
trained
I do not want to fight on the South’s
side. I disagree with slavery strongly, but Mother made me fight for this side.
I hope the North wins. African-Americans should not be judged by the color of
their skin. I have made loads of black friends and I don’t notice any
difference.
Some of the friends I have made, both
black and white, die on the battle field. From this war I have experienced
pain, excitement, joy, and madness. I swear I will never fight in battle again
after this war.
God bless you and bring you home to me in the
South. Then you can see Mother and Father and then we will move to the North
and buy a house together and we can both be happy and get educated. Do you want
that, Thomas? That is what I want more than ever, to live with you. We could do
great things like free slaves and give them education! We could do that,
Thomas! Will you?
Your
forever loving little brother,
Charlie
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