Army of Northern Virginia

~~ 6th Alabama Infantry ~~
Thomas S. Taylor Letters


1861 - 1865

~ Civil War letter of Thomas S. Taylor, May 1863 ~

This letter was posted on May 27,1863. It was probably from Guiney’s Station Virginia south of Fredericksburg Virginia, even though Thomas posts his address as "Guiners Station." The letter is written about three weeks after the battle of Chancellorsville. In this battle the 6th was part of General Stonewall Jackson’s daring flanking movement in which the Confederates surprised the Federals and completely routed them. This very emotional letter from Thomas to his father concerns the death, exhumation and reburial of his younger brother William killed in the battle on Saturday May 2nd. It expresses his desire to have William buried in Autauga County Alabama. It notes that if that is not possible he will be buried in Richmond. Further research has shown that William’s body never made it home. He was in fact buried in Richmond Virginia’s Oakwood Cemetery, Division D, Row 33, and Grave 18.

 Camp 6th Ala Regt May 27th,1863

My Dear Father

I am just in
receipt of yours of 17th inst & although I feel very
much fatigued I will write you a short letter. There is
nothing new in Camp . Dr. Davis is soon to start
home. He will probably bring the body of Brother
Wm. I went this morning to the battlefield & dis
intered him & had his body disinfected & put in
a nice coffin & box & now have it at Hamilton’s
Crossings (a depot near us) where it will remain
until the Dr. gets ready to leave. The cost of the
Coffin & disinfecting cost $100.00. It will cost
about $125.00. to send the corpse home. The cost is
a mere trifle when taken in consolation of having him buried
in our own dear family burring ground. I could
not rest easy as long as I knew his body was
buried on the battlefield & subjected to be plowed
up. He was out in the open field & nothing to mark
his grave. I knew too that sisters would be glad
to plant shrubs and his grave & Mother & you would
be glad to know that his remains sleeps beside
the loved ones who have gone before him.
I know that it makes but little difference or no
difference to the dead where they are buried. But it
is a pleasure to their bereaved friends to know
where they buried & be able to visit it some
times, to shed tears of Grief. It is a pleasure to me
to be able to do what I have for my poor Brother.
Should I ever return home it will afford me
much pleasure to visit his grave & to know that
I performed the last token of love by doing what
I have. I may not be able to send him home.
If this is the case I will have him interred in
Richmond, Virginia.
My health is tolarably good. All our boys are
in good health. But most of us are getting very
tired of war. The revival in our Regt is still
going on. A good Chaplain is very much
needed. Our soldiers are asking every day where can
one be had. Tell Bro. Talley to visit us if
Can possibly do so. Our men will amply reward
him. He can get the Chaplains if he will
have it. It pays him $80.00 per month. We
will make it $125.00 month if he comes.
Dear Father & and Mother pray for me. Tell all
of my friends to continually pray for me that
I may be faithful to them and I know for myself
that my redeemer liveth that to die would
be my gain. But I desire to live that I may be
useful to society & to my family. Oh, may
God hear these ten thousand prayers that are
daily going up to him for peace. May Heaven
bless you my dear father & mother & sanctify
your good. Write to
me often. your son

T.S. Taylor
Co."G" 6th Ala Regt
Rodes Brigade
Rodes Division

To T.C.Taylor Guiners Station
Mulberry P. O. Virginia
Alabama

© Copyright: February 21, 1999
H. E. Cross, Jr.
All Rights Reserved


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