The Tented Field: A Family's Civil War Letters

Contents

Author’s notes:

A Soldier’s Story by Ennio Morricone

CIVIL WAR LETTERS: J. T. DOWNS SR.

1861

1862

1863

1864

REMARKS AND MEDITATIONS ON LIFE IN A MILITARY PRISON.

by

JAMES T. DOWNS, SR.

Author’s notes:

What is offered here is the text, as far as I know of it, written by my family three generations before me. In the 1960s, my grandfather transcribed the original letters by typewriter and carbon copy on a manual typewriter. Even though he was a very frugal man and would have used as little paper as possible, I believe he copied without abbreviation or edit. The grammar is colloquial and not what we would consider correct sometimes, but it is how it was written. I transcribed the typed pages to computer. It has been a labor of love and I have gotten to read the letters, probably, more than any one else in the family. I found my great-grandfather’s writing to be educated, descriptive, sometimes dramatic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it interesting he did not gripe about conditions, in regular camp or prison. He described them as best he could without a lot of judgments. As mentioned below, the originals are at the University of Texas in the Archive Department, hermetically sealed…etc; preserved for future generations to observe.

The letters are offered chronologically.

Susan Downs Burleson

 A Soldier’s Story by Ennio Morricone

Bugles are calling

From prairie to shore

Sign up and fall in

And march off to war.

Buckles and buttons

Torn and forgotten

The rose is gone

So soldier march on to die.

There in the distance

A flag I can see

Scorched and in ribbons

But whose can it be?

Now ends the story

Whose is the glory

For if we dare

Our comrades ‘r out there to see.

A copy of one of the original letters:

CIVIL WAR LETTERS: J. T. DOWNS SR.

The following letters between members of the Downs family were written during the Civil War in 1861 to 1865. The major portions of the letters are from James Tickell Downs, Sr. to his parents in Fort Adams, Mississippi; some are from Robert, his younger brother and the remainder between his sisters and their parents. The family lived on a plantation in Mississippi just north of the Louisiana border and very near the river. One of the sisters, Susan, was staying with her mother’s sister, Rebecca Tickell Hunter, at their farm near Lake Village, Arkansas, also on the Mississippi River.

The letters begin in May 1861. South Carolina had seceded in December 1860 and six other states, including Mississippi, had joined the Confederate Union by February 1, 1861. Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederate States of America on February 18; Fort Sumter fell on April 12, after which, the remaining four states joined the Confederacy. James (Jim, Bud) enlisted in Company D of the 21st Mississippi Regiment, which served in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was followed in a few months to the same unit by his younger brother, Robert (Bobby).

James and Robert were both wounded in the Seven Days Battle on the Peninsula. Neither wound was serious. James was severely wounded and captured in the battle of Chancellorsville, May 1, 1863. He was sent to a military hospital in Washington where his leg was amputated several times for gangrene. Eventually, he was sent to the prison camp at Elmira, New York. Robert survived the battle of Gettysburg but was later captured and died of dysentery in a prison camp in June, 1865, after the war was over. All the surviving members of the family moved to Dallas in the early 1870s.

FAMILY TREE

John Lewis Downs Sarah Tickell

Married: February 15 1835

Children:

The following material was compiled from the original letters by Dr. James T. Downs, Jr. in the early 1960’s. These copies and most of the originals were also copied and are in the library of the University of Texas at Austin by the efforts of Judy Downs Douglass.

James T. Downs, III

December 1979

1861

Livonia, La. May 18th, 1861

My dear Mother,

I have now been here three weeks and have heard not a word from home although I have written three since my arrival here. News constitutes no part of my information at least until it is stale, so you must not expect an interesting letter. The news of most interest to you of course is to know of my welfare, my future prospects, etc.

At present I am laboring from the effects of a very severe cold which was contracted by getting wet and not changing my clothes—now don’t scold. I shall not do it again. Mr. and Mrs. Calmes left home on Monday last and have not yet returned and in fact I know not when they will return—probably not for a week or more. I wish they would return soon for I am all alone keeping house, which is very lonesome business by one’s self. It seems though that I am so constituted as not to grieve about loneliness although I am remarkably fond of company and especially that of the fair sex. To tell the truth of the business I am tired of leading a bachelor’s lonely life and shall remedy the matter by taking unto myself a better half. Then I can have somebody to go about with me and darn my socks, patch my clothes, etc. If you don’t want me to take a French gal you had better select one of your liking and that quick for I have matrimonial notions in my head and shall be compelled to recover my lost rib in order that my future days shall not be so lonely.

Ruffin Keller called on me a short time yesterday. He says he has secured a school about six miles from here on the opposite side of the Bayou. He started for home this morning or at least said he would but as it was so early I could not get a letter ready to send by him. His school is a very good one if as he says it is—it is in Mrs. Bell’s neighborhood. He told me that he would have about 25 scholars and would get $3.50 per mouth which you know is very excellent wages—but I don’t know that he will have as many scholars as he said he would.

Since my advent as a school teacher I have received three new scholars but one (of the old ones) I presume has quit. My school now consists of twenty seven paying scholars and two charity ones. I am now making the rates of eighty four dollars per month but board has to be deducted which leaves me sixty nine clear.

After Calmes return my wages will not be quite so good as he gives me all that school makes while he does not assist me, but will call for a division when he assists—he has not been inside of the school room since the second day I taught. They are rather a hard set of people down here. They want Calmes to teach and nobody else and he has to make them believe that the school is entirely under his control. Some though are well pleased with me and for my life I can’t see where I have given any of them grounds for complaint. Calmes tells me all they say and he curses them and tells them if they are not satisfied with me just to say so and they will be without a teacher. I am not telling you all this to make you believe that it is a matter of life and death here to teach school but to let you know that there is one family that seems to be my enemies although they have never spoken to me in their lives. I speak of Thompsons for the old (Blaze of a) lady wears the britches and she entertains an idea that I don’t know how to teach etc. I have only met with Amos a few times and one of the times was this morning when he condescended to invite me down to see him.

It always seems strange to me why we (it seems especially) have enemies when we, that I am aware of, have never injured anybody. Calmes lives in a house and on the premises of Thompson and the school house is also his and so, I have been told, he says just as soon as Calmes ceased to teach school in it he will have it torn down and just as soon as he moves out of the house he is living in he will also tear it down—all just because Calmes has employed me to teach school for him. Sam Fenner sent me an invitation to come down and see him and his son said that he would come up for me this morning but it is now eight o’clock at night and he has not come yet.

I have always had a desire to go to a level country but if all level countries are as this seems to be all I ask is to be saved from such a country though it is not the country at last but the people that inhabit it. There are doubtless some very excellent people in this country but I have them yet to find out. Perhaps I shouldn’t pass sentence so quick for it may not be the peoples fault but mine for I have made no advances scarcely towards cultivating acquaintances. I am acquainted with one family that is indeed friendly toward me for they send me newspapers and the like and seem to think a great deal of me.

Ruffin Keller said he would come down on Monday next to commence teaching and that his Pa would come with him. I will save this letter until then and if I have an opportunity will send it by him.

The talk of war is all the go over here and I expect it is all the talk everywhere else. The crops are generally very good, that is all I have seen but are not very well advanced. I do hope Pa will make a very large crop this year and will get a fine price for his cotton—which however considering the warlike spirit of the country will be very doubtful. Tell Pa not to think anyways hard of a poor fellow for not writing to him for he don’t care much anyhow just so he hears from me occasionally.

If you have not sent my trunk up to the receipt of this you will please put my old watch in and also my comb and brush but my looking-glass you can retain. Don’t buy anything else for me at all for times are too hard and money is too scarce and besides I have plenty anyhow for the people don’t dress very fine here every day and as I have one Sunday suit I can get along very well. I have just finished my supper which consisted of a leather hoecake, a piece of meat, molasses and a glass of milk—hard living quite—plenty though if only cooked well. There is one thing though that I say in favor of hard living and that is that I am free of dyspepsia. I believe I have told you about all I know and more besides. I will close for tonight but will leave my letter unsealed so I can more if necessary. Don’t think from the tenor of my letter that I am afflicted with the blues or anything of the kind for I am not, my time being occupied during the week with my school the greater part of the day and the balance I spend reading and fishing. I have commenced reading law and it is absolutely necessary to have my Latin Lexicon so please don’t neglect to put it in my trunk. With my love to all the family and respects to inquiring friends I will close with a good night.

From your son

James

May 19th

Today is Sunday and looks very much like rain this morning. It doubtless will be a very lonesome day for there is no church near enough to walk to and I have no horse to ride and I tire of reading all day.

There is such a poor selection of books down here that I can’t find anything to read that interests me.

For fear that the letter I wrote to sister Emily concerning my trunk don’t reach her I will give you instructions about it: direct to Jas. T. Downs, Livonia, Care H. Rene, Waterloo, La. Don’t forget the Latin and Greek Lexicons, Cicero’s orations; Latin, Greek and English grammars; that will do until I come back.

Goodbye

James

Livonia, La. June 5th 1861

My dear Mother,

Your very welcome letter accompanied with five others came to hand yesterday evening while I was engaged in calculating up my wages for the purpose of settling up my business and going to war. There is no news worthy of note at present except that we had a light shower a day or two ago which will be beneficial to the crops. Calmes and wife returned last Monday after an absence of three weeks and I am not now so lonesome though I am not satisfied to remain here longer while so many of my friends and associates are enlisting and going off to war. Charlie Keller and George Peets have both addressed me on the subject of going to war. I told Stemly my reply to Peets and have replied in almost the same manner to Charlie Keller. I wish I could have been at the Fort when the flag was presented and have gone with Brandon’s company.

Ma you must lay aside so much of your material and adopt some of the patriotic affections. I see that you are gradually coming to it. In a few days if Pa and Stemly write favorable letters in reply to those I wrote to them a few days ago, I shall wind up my business here and go immediately to the tented Field if there is any chance of getting with Brandon’s company. I have now made enough if I can collect it all to pay up all my accounts and have enough left to take Bobby and me on to Richmond where we can get with Brandon’s company. I know Ma that it will go hard with you to have both of your sons that are large enough to go to war but you should feel proud to know that you have raised two sons that can render service