This is the second letter I have from the Civil War era. This one was written by Col. Jonathan Webster Childs. He is the older brother to Lewis E. Childs, the letter transcribed in the previous post. Again, this letter is written to my great-great-grandfather, James Webster Childs, of Augusta Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan, while he was in the legislature for the State of Michigan. See more on J. Webster in the last post and watch for more detail on him in a future post.
Jonathan was born March 14, 1834, in Laoni (Laona), Chautauqua, New York. This is near Jamestown in the southwest corner of New York. He was the first child of Aaron Childs and Hannah Bemis. He married first, Frances Crawford, born in 1840. They were married in Appalachicola, Franklin, Florida, on June 29, 1866. Frances died in December, 1871. They had no children that I could find. Nothing more is known about Frances. He married a second time on December 28, 1873, in Savannah, Georgia, to Frances E. (Fannie) Gause. They had two daughters, Elaine, born in 1875, in Richmond, Virginia, and a second daughter, Abbie Blanche, born in 1876 in Washington, D.C. Abbie only lived two months. Elaine did marry and have a son.
Johnathan died on May 24, 1896 and Fannie died in 1913.
There is a great deal written about Jonathan Webster Childs and his time in the service during the Civil War and discussion of the reasons he may have resigned. If you are interested in further information about him, please refer to the following book:
There is a great deal written about Jonathan Webster Childs and his time in the service during the Civil War and discussion of the reasons he may have resigned. If you are interested in further information about him, please refer to the following book:
The 4th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War by Martin N. Bertera and Kim Crawford.
Martin and Kim used the following letter and many others as background for their book and discussion of this very interesting episode in the Childs family and the Civil War.
As with the first letter, I have left the spellings, punctuation, etc. as they were written.
As with the first letter, I have left the spellings, punctuation, etc. as they were written.
Headquarters, 21st Mich Inf’y
Camp
Union Aug 15, 1861
Dear Uncle,
Several weeks has passed since I
wrote you last. And notwithstanding I
have not heard from gm. Allow me to try again.
You have doubtless been informed that our Regiment is brigaded under
Gen’l Sherman, who ranks at the head of the Brigadiers, he had given him to
make the selection thirty-two Regiments.
And the following are those he chose.
9th Reg’t
Mass
14th Reg’t
NY (Utica)
DeKalb, NY City (German, all of whom have seen
service)
4TH
Reg’t Mich
Ayers
Battery (formerly Shermans)
Company
I U.S. Cavelry
During the past week there has
been added to his brigade one other Battery, and a company of Cavelry. It has been about a week since we came over
here, and were placed in advance of all other Regiments. The remainder of the brigade lies between us
and the river. The enemy is at Falls Church and we are constantly expecting to
have a brush with them. Our pickets are doing a little skirmishing each day. Our
pickets until Sunday extended about a mile beyond the Rail Road, but now they
are taken in and extend only half a mile this side of the R.R. Yesterday our
scouts brought information that the rebels had advanced to the Rail Road with
two pieces of artillery and several companies of cavelry. Several companies of
our troops are stationed out with the furthest picket. I was out there one
night with two companies.
We are all of us kept constantly
in the dark as to when where or how the next movement will be made. Defeat in a
great measure seems to attend our armies, both here and in Missouria but our
zeal in the cause does not relax in the least. The men are all anxious to have
a fight and I venture to say when the “Fourth” is called into an engagement,
they will fight most desperately. Many things has been said in Michigan against
our Regiment, calculated to lower it in the estimation of people at home and abroad.
Several of our officers have been spoken of by those same designing persons in
a manner calculated to give a faulse [sic] impression as regards their ability
to discharge the various duties devolving upon them. As regards our Colonel he
is a man admirably calculated for the position which he holds. He is in a word
beloved by the whole Regiment and not one could be found who would for a moment
hesitate to _____ his own life for the safety of the Colonel. His devotion to
the Regiment is unbounded. unlike many
commanders he is always to be found in the camp instructing his men and never
leaves except upon business connected with the Regiment. As regard the
proficiency of our drill, few Regiments if any now in the field can excell us
in Battalion movements. and had it been
otherwise we should not have received the second post of honor in Gen’l
Sherman’s brigade. of which with pride,
we can now boast. And furthermore a cordiality of feeling greater never existed
between the officers of a Regiment. To my certain knowledge there has not a
thing transpired to mar the good feeling which has ever existed. We believe
there is one and only one exception. Dr. Turnicliffe of Jackson who at the
urgent request of the Governor was placed upon the Colonel’s staff as surgeon
with the rank of Major, has during the whole time he has been with shown great
dissatisfaction. and now particularly
since the Col. requested him for his own good and that of the men also, to
remain in camp and not visit Washington so frequently as he was in the habit of
attending Congress daily and frequently would not return for many days. He is
now in Mich on a furlough and we have information from good authority that he
is saying all he can against the Regiment. Later information says he has
received an appointment in the first Regiment. There is also another, the
correspondent of the Detroit Free Press who signs his articles “Hamilton” &
“H” (H.H. Finley) who went with us from Adrian to Washington expecting to
receive the appointment of Captain or Lieutenant or anything else he could
obtain in the Regiment but the Col. received word from the Governor not to give
him any position. Consequently the Col. told him it was not likely any opening
would occur for him. And from that time he has openly declaired that he was by
nature vindictive and would do his utmost to ruin the reputation of the
Regiment. and he has constantly been
putting in circulation false reports concerning as viz = that the officers were
intemperate that there was no discipline, that the Col. and Quarter Master
contrived to cheat on the rations, that the officers quareled amoung
themselves and were dispised by the soldiers, etc. etc. All of which are the bleakest bare faced
lies. He made himself busy with the 1st 2nd & 3rd Reg’ts
circulating such reports. He is careful to keep without our lines, should he
enter them the men would tar & feather him. and no power could prepurt (?) them from doing
so. There are other things in this connection that I will write soon. If
outsiders would let us alone there would be nothing to mar the peace of this
camp. Every report that has been put in circulation calculated to injure us,
can be proven to originate from a spirit of jealouscy [sic] and envy.
Hoping to hear from you soon I
remain Dear Uncle every your affectionately,
J.W. Childs