Clay County, Texas MUSEUM MEMORIES Civil War Letter from Red River Camp Submitted by Lucille Glasgow The following is a copy of a clipping found in the Archives of the Clay Co. 1890 Jail Mseum: Letters of 1861 Described Life of Soldier in Area, written by Katricia Cochran, was published in the Wichita Falls Times of Sunday, February 4, 1962.
It was the summer of 1861; the place, a camp on the Dr.
Smythe and the other men of the regiment had been called up for
one year of duty. Their job was to enter
treaty negotiations with the Indians. It
apparently was not much of a challenge. He wrote, some of the latter (Choctaws, Chickasaws, other civilized tribes and Comanches) are reported to have already come in and to show a willingness for peace. Should this prove true it may change our entire operations for the future.
To an educated man like Smythe, life in the camp was dreary.
News of the country and especially the threatening word
of the Civil War was fleeting. Reading
material was scarce.
His plight was much like that of the military personnel today
- his loneliness for his wife and two children is repeatedly
reflected throughout the letters. Following
are excerpts from the letters.
Camp on
Rumor says there are seven or eight hundred warriors embodied
and waiting the order of Kansas
I have not yet crossed
This portion of
I could be entirely
contented in camp if you and our dear little ones were here but
without you all else is as nothing. How
I will be able to bear so long a separation I can not now fully
realize and nothing but a strong sense of duty to my country
could ever induce me to sacrifice my feelings, but the cause
is a holy one, one for which we should willingly sacrifice personal
comfort and ease, endure all manner of hardships. It is a cause
that meets the approval of my conscience, my judgement and my
warmest affections. It is a cause for
which I have labored long and jealously and with whatever of
ability I possessed and now that perils cluster in thick clouds
around the star of Liberty it behooves all her true Votaries
to come to her rescue and if needs be, baptize her robes in their
hearts best blood. What our future
movement will be I cannot say. No amount
of sagacity can foresee what new move will be made on the military
stage. Time alone can unravel those
mysteries of the future. Smythe wrote
of missing his children, Harry and Ida. Cheer
up, my love, and do not give way to despondency.
Trust in the goodness and mercy of God and he will guard
and protect you. This letter
will be mailed from Montague, our nearest post office.
Some 45 or 50 miles east. You
will continue to write and direct as heretofore and write at
least once a week and send me those newspapers. The second letter
was written from It was a stirring
scene; all was bustle and hurry to save our forage and subsistence.
Wagons were rushing wildly along to and fro - assisted
by 250 horsemen each with a sack of flour, oats or beans thrown
across his saddle and dashing rapidly through the fast encroaching
flood. Soon all was
safe from the devouring element. When
we had got safely beyond its reach it was sublime to look upon,
the foam crested waves proudly and impatiently dashing against
the trembling banks and breaking down all barriers to the raging
torrent. To enable you
to judge of the suddenness and extent of the rise it will be
sufficient to say that in one hour it rose 15 feet and spread
to a width of 300 or 400 yards. Other news: Co. McCulloch returned without a treaty with the Comanches; stealing and murder was going on at the border settlements; a supply train with 300 or 400 men was due; two men, Capt. Davidson and Andrew McCarthy, were killed by an ambush of 150 Indians; and that should old Abe not send us work from Kansas it is intended to make a ground campaign of the entire regiment against the red rascals in the autumn. So you see, we have plenty of work on hand. |