Letter from Ellison Capers to his wife Lottie, May 8, 1863
Title
Letter from Ellison Capers to his wife Lottie, May 8, 1863
Subject
Description
Capers writes from aboard the West Point and Atlantic Railroad. He tells Lottie about the women and children who come out to wave to the soldiers as they go by and how some of the soldiers yell at them in return. He also remarks on some news in the paper as well as when he will mail letters and what he had for breakfast that morning.
Creator
Source
A1961.1, Box 3, Folder 11
Publisher
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
Rights
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Relation
Ellison Capers Collection
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/491
Date Valid
Audience
Text
[Page 1]
On the West Point & Atlantic R.R. Ga.
Friday Morning, May 8th/63
8 A.M.
My angel - We got to Atlanta before day, & left about an half hour ago. The 8th Geo. Batt. just ahead & the 46th Geo. & the 16th S.C.V. just behind, in sight. We are stopped here for a moment. Really I have laughed a great deal this morning. Every house, station, village, or town we pass, the ladies, old & young, & the children, white & black, (we are off!) flock to wave their handkerchiefs & hands, & in (stopped again 9 A.M.) some cases confederate flags. Our men wave their hats & shout at the top of their voices. Clarence, who is all life & fun, & Holmes & [illegible], went out on the platform, & would shout “good bye” and halloo at the most amusing rate, & really it occurred so often, & the dear, noble women seemed so much in earnest, that the “good bye” of Clarence and [illegible] seemed a farce. Tell Frank a little boy about his size had (off again) (stopped 10 A.M.) a little flag in his hand, and waved it with all his might. I missed brother at Atlanta. The morning papers give us
[Page 2]
the sad news of Lieut. Van Dorn’s death, & an interesting account of Lieut. Forrest’s successful pursuit of the Strait’s Yankee Raiders. I send it to you as I read it in a separate envelope. (Off) We are all getting along pretty well. Expect to get to West Point, which is the terminus of this [illegible] and just on the line between Georgia and Alabama, about 3 or 4 this afternoon. I doubt if we get off from West Point before tomorrow. I mailed my first letter to you last night at “Union Point”, on the Geo. R.R. and will mail this, D.V. at La Grange, Geo. and again one at West Point. Now we are off. As we pass the mail train at La Grange, I will mail this at the next station, so as it may go by today’s train. I hope you may get my letters safely. At Atlanta we boiled some eggs & rice, fried some ham & bought some warm baker’s bread, & I enjoyed my breakfast very much. I mail this at [illegible], 51 miles from Atlanta. Always kiss my dear children for me. Good bye, my angel Lottie.
Your Ellie
On the West Point & Atlantic R.R. Ga.
Friday Morning, May 8th/63
8 A.M.
My angel - We got to Atlanta before day, & left about an half hour ago. The 8th Geo. Batt. just ahead & the 46th Geo. & the 16th S.C.V. just behind, in sight. We are stopped here for a moment. Really I have laughed a great deal this morning. Every house, station, village, or town we pass, the ladies, old & young, & the children, white & black, (we are off!) flock to wave their handkerchiefs & hands, & in (stopped again 9 A.M.) some cases confederate flags. Our men wave their hats & shout at the top of their voices. Clarence, who is all life & fun, & Holmes & [illegible], went out on the platform, & would shout “good bye” and halloo at the most amusing rate, & really it occurred so often, & the dear, noble women seemed so much in earnest, that the “good bye” of Clarence and [illegible] seemed a farce. Tell Frank a little boy about his size had (off again) (stopped 10 A.M.) a little flag in his hand, and waved it with all his might. I missed brother at Atlanta. The morning papers give us
[Page 2]
the sad news of Lieut. Van Dorn’s death, & an interesting account of Lieut. Forrest’s successful pursuit of the Strait’s Yankee Raiders. I send it to you as I read it in a separate envelope. (Off) We are all getting along pretty well. Expect to get to West Point, which is the terminus of this [illegible] and just on the line between Georgia and Alabama, about 3 or 4 this afternoon. I doubt if we get off from West Point before tomorrow. I mailed my first letter to you last night at “Union Point”, on the Geo. R.R. and will mail this, D.V. at La Grange, Geo. and again one at West Point. Now we are off. As we pass the mail train at La Grange, I will mail this at the next station, so as it may go by today’s train. I hope you may get my letters safely. At Atlanta we boiled some eggs & rice, fried some ham & bought some warm baker’s bread, & I enjoyed my breakfast very much. I mail this at [illegible], 51 miles from Atlanta. Always kiss my dear children for me. Good bye, my angel Lottie.
Your Ellie
Collection
Citation
Capers, Ellison, 1837-1908, “Letter from Ellison Capers to his wife Lottie, May 8, 1863,” The Citadel Archives Digital Collections, accessed July 17, 2025, https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/491.