From Blog, Edge of Obscurity: Tracking The Ailing Confederate
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| First page of letter William Lane Welborn wrote to his father, Joseph, in December 1864. William wrote from Winder Hospital in Richmond, Va., home to 50 military hospitals. Winder later housed ill Union soldiers, then served as shelter for Richmond residents impoverished or displaced by the war. Several fires ravaged the hospital complex during its existence. |
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| Back page of Private Welborn's letter. William was an "advanced" 34 years old when he wrote to his father in Randolph County, N.C. Records show William was a wagon maker by trade. Born on Oct. 8, 1829, he was married twice and lived to age 91. He spent much of his adult life near Asheboro, N.C. |
Here is what William wrote. Words in parentheses are mine. William's brother, David, who served in the Confederate navy and also was stationed near Richmond. David was sickened during his tour of duty and apparently was hospitalized in another Richmond hospital when William recuperated at Winder Hospital.
December 14th 64
Ritchmond VA
Dear Father I write you a few lines to let you no how I
am I think I am
a giting wel
I hope these few lines may find you al well I received your letter to
day and was glad to hear from you
I am triing to git in the navy
awhylt I do not no whether I
will git in or not
The doctor said he
would secont me before the board I want you to send me a letter just as soon as
you git this letter with out delay and tell me how to direct a letter to David
Welborn I do not how
to direct a letter to him if I did I would start
one to him today
give me the directions
and give to him mine so he can rite to me tell him to rite to me as soon as he can for if I am
sent to new command the timing is not with me so I will haf to writ first if I get
transferred I have
moved from where I was
Direct your leters to the 17th ward, secont division winder hospital
Richmond V.A. I have nothin of
interest to rite to you more than they are a fiting
(fighting) all around here and it is harde times here, a worse acoming I fear we git a
little bred and a little beef twice a day
we are a bout half starved here I do not think there is any chance to git home a
tal but think that if I wil be quick that I can git in the navy to work
my pen is so bad I can not writ with it so I must
quit.
Wm. L. Welborn
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| This official military record shows William L. Welborn enlisted (was drafted) in the Confederate army on Aug. 14, 1864, only a few months before he landed in Winder Hospital with some illness. I found this entry in a roster I unearthed in a library in Warrenton, N.C. William's younger brother, Lyndon, trained in Warrenton before being sent to defend Richmond in 1861. For more on Lyndon, who was killed in battle, see blog Archives.  |
From Blog: Lonesome And Bereft
Col. Robert Welborn Pickens' handwritten poem, dedicated to the memory of his wife, Kate. My ancestral cousin wrote the poem at age 99, circa 1945. The poem, along with letters from Pickens to a relative, are part of my family (Welborn) historical papers. Pickens claimed that at age 18, he guarded the legendary Confederate Gold near the end of the Civil War in Anderson, in Upstate South Carolina.
These letters shall not be reproduced or published in any manner without the express written consent of B.J. Welborn.
Letter from Private Robert M. Welborn, August 1864
Posted February 2012: My Confederate ancestor, Robert McFarland Welborn, wrote this letter in pencil on a folded sheet of paper to his father Joseph Welborn of Randolph County, N.C. Robert had mustered at Camp Holmes in Raleigh, N.C., on May 30, 1864, and left the camp on August 10, 1864 for Camp Weldon in Halifax County in eastern North Carolina.
This letter, full of misspellings and local expressions and without capitalization and punctuation, survives as Robert's only missive during the Civil War. Robert, drafted into the North Carolina Junior Rangers at age 17, survived the war. He applied for a soldier's pension in 1907 at age 70. I continue to unravel Robert's story and will post more information about Robert and the Junior Rangers soon.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Examining The Handwriting of My Civil War Ancestor
Posted July 2011: Letters from David Lindsay Welborn, written while on assignment to the CSS Fredericksburg. The ironclad gunboat was patrolling the James River in defense of Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. A family member long ago punched holes in the letters in order to place them in a notebook.
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| Letter #1, Front Page |
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| Letter #1, Back Page |
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| Letter #2, Front Page |
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| Letter #2, Back Page |
Letter #1
This is from Your son D.L. Welborn
Please right as soon as you get this letter from me tell me all the news that is goin on so no more at this time
Direct to D.L.. Welborn
CS Stemer Fredericksburg
James River
Id direct to the same place I want you to right soon and the rest to rite I canot rite mutch for I have not got no paper nor no money I lost all the money I had as I came heare so I will Step I haft to go and draft my soap and my tobaecer and my hamuk to sleep on
Letter #2
Oct 30, 1864
Richmond, VA
Dear Father
I will try to write you a few lines to let you no whare I am I am eight miles below Richmond on the Fredricksburg Steamer That is an iron clad gun boat We have six long guns on this boat
I have a hard time I got here yesterday mronin and hav been sick ever sins, night and day I am not well but I am told that cannons are moving hear every day
I would give the world to be home but can’t be thair I thought that I would work in the navy yarde but they put me on the boat ...and my… the lice
I get plonty to eate sutch as it is they have coald me on deck now so no more
From you son D.L. Welborn
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Posted January 2011: Letter from Elijah Mendenhall Welborn
Not long ago, I found a treasure trove of war-era letters written by my ancestors. They were mainly from four
Elijah Mendenhall Welborn wrote this letter to his father, Joseph Welborn, of Randolph County, N.C., concerning his younger brother, Lyndon. Lyndon had recently volunteered to serve in the Confederate army against his father’s will. The letter was addressed to Joseph Welborn, New Market, NC
Wilkesboro NC June 4th 1861
Dear Father
I received your letter and in reply say to you that Lyndon left yesterday was a week ago I have heard from him all most evry day sience he left
heard from him at Raleigh he is in fine spirets a young man that was their at coledg (college) got home (he) stayed with him 2 days in Raleigh he is a Mr Curtice…lives in sight of us he says the compney that Lyndon is in is given up dto be the finest looking & best compney evry way that has passed through the State at any point
General Stokes is the captiane that was the Excuse for volunteering in stead of standing the draft they say that drafted men always are first in the hard places of the battle & that they are subject to be badly used by their affilly (affiliates)
Mr Curtice says that Stokes Compney has been taken by the Govaner of the State that they can have any (provisions) they want
if it was nessessary that Lyndon should go at all .....perhaps he has done the best for him self that he could have done
So it is not worth your while to fret yourself about it atall for your children will do as they pleas any how
I broke up his cortship perhaps had I not done that he would not have vollenteered
So the matter is the world if filed with evry thing when there is no war when there is some somewhore else
If we have to sacrafise every thing to gratify the ambitio(us) lying poltician the time has com to perform that act if prosperity health sole & body must be sacrifised this is the time to pitch in
We are sell and have got oute our corn all most twice our wheat is good
so far their has ben bontiful chance of rain fell yesterday last night & today heare we have had a coldt spring up to last few days (which) has brought out things very mutch
no more but I remain you son
E.M Welborn (Elijah)
……I will write to you on any intelojenes (intelligence) from Lyndon
I said in the out set of my leter that I heard from Lyndon evry day I would say it was not direct from him just from the compney hat he was one of the members
I have not heard any thing diret from him
Seince writeing I let a jonny man write out to (the) compney he says Lyndon has gone to it doing his will he cant be conroled by his friends (he is doing what) most (parents’) children do you must make the most of it
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The first letter my Confederate cousin, Lyndon McGee Welborn,
wrote during the war (dated July 5, 1861).
Click on image to enlarge.
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Page 2 of the first letter my Confederate cousin,
Lyndon McGee Welborn, wrote during the war (dated July 5, 1861).
Click on image to enlarge.
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Warrenton
Dear brother, (Robert)
i received your kind letter yesterday with much gladness i was going to write to you today if i had not got your leter this makes two i have gotten one a good while ago but i have not forgoten it
you want me to tell you if we had any fighting to do yet we have not and i hop(e) we wil not have any to do i would like to see you all
we have got four Company in this Redgiment we all marched up in town
yasterday and they give us a fine dinner we had beans and rosten ears (roasted corn) and everything that was good
Pa asked me one question i don’t think that i answered that was about our Company and oficers Stokes is Promoted to Colonelship and has escepted (accepted) J.B. Gordon is our capton they have trated me very kindly so far
we have met with clever folks every whare we have went yet and have seen the most prety girls yasterday the Court house was cramdfull of ladies our Colonel and all of our captons made speaches and the ladies on hering this they wept biterly
we promisted them that they nead not fear the enamy for we would stop them if they don’t stop we don’t want to fight if we can shun it but if we have it to (do) we will do what we can for them none of you need not fear the enamy becaus we wil drive them back
we have ninety eight privates in our company it is the best company i hav seen I hav many friends in this company and would hate to leave them if i left them they would hav thought hard of me
i did not like to join they regulars without leting you Pa know it but all of them beged me to stay and I did not want to leave them after i had started if I had not joined i think that Frederick would have joined and i could not stay at home by my self
I would be very well Satisfied if Pa was but I don't feel that i am doing wright whe(n) i am doing any(thing) against his will
Robert read the 20th Chapter of Deuteronomy
I received a letter from Elisha (Elijah) last saturday he said they ware well but i have had later news than that Mr. Spainhour one of our company went home some days ago and returned day before yasterday Elisha said that they had dry weather wheat was good and he was halling his bacon to Statesville
I must bring my few lines to a close I am wel and harty and wish you all the same if any of you have any news let me no tel David that i will write to him next tell hary that i wil remember him and hope that (i) will see him again tel him again look for me between now and chritmas no more
From your brother respectively
Lyndon M. Welborn
