Camp Corinth – April 9, 1862

Camp Corinth

Apr 9, 1862 

Dear Fan 

It is not worth while to try to humbug you any longer, you will hear the truth long before this reaches you.  We have fought a great battle + yours am out of it bullet free any how, for which I know you will join me in thanks to Almighty GoD for I do feel truly thankful Joe + Grim + Timmy were not in the fight. They were sick in camp. Peter, Capt Jack + your man can say they took a hand in the big fight.1 

“This letter is written with a yankee pen on yankee paper taken from their camp with my own hands so you can guess how the fight went.”

Every thing is in confusion for today + I cant collect my mind enough to write you any of the particulars of the fight. When I am at leisure more I will give you not an account of the battle, that you will see in the paper, but what will interest you more my own impressions of things, as they passed before me.  We are very tired + foot sore + are bound to rest a few days. This letter is written with a yankee pen on yankee paper taken from their camp with my own hands so you can guess how the fight went.

There was a great many killed +wounded on both sides. We dont know our killed + wounded yet + I reckon we will never know that of the Enemy.  

I send you this to let you know that we are all alive + in reasonable health, + when I remit a few days I will try to be a better man prolix in my account. In the mean time make yourself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances I will take the best care I can of myself + the boys 

write to me + pray for us all + believe me your Same old boy till we meet 

GoD bless you Alex

The Letter:

Click on images to enlarge.

 

[podcast]https://bearspace.baylor.edu/Group_TexasCollection/www/morgan_letters_podcasts/1-camp-corinth-491862.mp3[/podcast]

Listen to Alex’s letter.

 

  1. Grim, Timmy, and Peter are unidentified soldiers. The Infantry roster, however, shows that Charles B. Grimshaw (Grim?) served in Company B of the 19th Louisiana Infantry. Peter Clarkson who, like Alex Morgan, was from DeSoto Parish, served in Company F. To read about Joe and Capt. Jack, see People of Note.

5 thoughts on “Camp Corinth – April 9, 1862

  1. Again many thanks to my wonderful cousin who has published the book on the Green(e) family; Richard G. Cary Montalvo put together a beautiful book “From Pioneer to Plantation”. His gggrmo and mine were sisters; my gggrmo was Elizabeth Harriett Green, wife of James McCown; they were the parents of “Fanny” (Frances Eugenia McCown Morgan). No I was not named after her nor knew of her till much later in life in genealogy research; knew little of my father’s family. Uncle Jim McCown filled me in on a few names and some of the old interesting stories, esp. the one of “Fanny” hiring the stagecoach to bring back two coffins from La. to Tx. Verna Bonner who was the Historian of Navarro Co. Tx gave me the Manning line years back. Mic Barnette did an amazing history on the McCown’s; he had Barnette Books in Houston Tx and I never got to meet him like most of my friends/relatives in genealogy but to this man I am forever grateful. We are descended from Sampson McCown, father of James McCown (Sr.), father of my James McCown, grfa of my father Travis Riddle McCown and father of Fanny. I appreciate Amie Oliver of the Baylor Baptist Texas Collection for this and for helping me access the letters; hopefully one day i will not be so “computer stupid”.
    f

    • Eugenia and Alex were my grgr grandparents. Can you please tell me the stagecoach story and who were those in the coffins?

  2. Absolutely; Uncle Jim McCown, one of my father’s younger bros I met on two occasions, told me the story. My father Travis Riddle McCown was son of Travis Riddle McCown (II) who is the baby sitting on James Alexander McCown’s lap in the picture. My father had two bros, Jim and Ross. Uncle Jim and I were interested in genealogy and I believe my father was terribly interested also but last time i saw him i was 14 yrs old. Jim told me a very interesting story. Col. Fortson was the 2nd husband of widow of James McCown b. 1808 Elizabeth (“Bet”) Green(e); she is the mother of Fanny (Frances Eugenia McCown Morgan). When she was about 19 years old she was already married and hired a stagecoach to take her to DeSoto Parish La.; she came back to Marshall Tx with 2 coffins (Jim made this story so interesting); the story has it that the people of DeSoto were very cruel to Col. Fortson, Bet and their very young little girl. Elizabeth McCown Fortson was “finally happy”. Col. Fortson was a very handsome man and already become a widower a few times already. The baby girl died, Eliz. died and Col. Fortson died, all within a yr’s time according to what i was told and Jim said that Fanny Morgan came back with 2 coffins to Marshall Tx. He believed that even though there is only one tombstone at James McCown’s grave for him that Fanny had her mother and her baby sister buried by her father. It is a sad story for all involved, both sides of the story the way I see it.

  3. Correction; Uncle Jim McCown had been told that the people of De Soto La had “been very cruel to that couple” (not the baby). I doubt that the whole town was that way although small towns, as nice as they are can sure be mean.

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