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Charleston, S.C. March 7th 1865
My Dear Wife

Almost two weeks have elapsed and we are still in Charleston, with no better prospect of getting to our commands than when I last wrote.¹ I am looking for some word from you by next mail. How long we may remain here, I am unable to determine.

My health has been excellent for which I have every reason to be thankful. We have been spending our time reading such books as we could get from the houses in the neighborhood and making a tour through the city each day seeking information of Sherman’s whereabouts.² We recd. a small mail from New York on Saturday [the 4th] consisting of papers chiefly, the latest being of date the 23rd February. There is nothing new, and the place is as dull as you can possibly imagine.

I was at church on Sabbath morning and afternoon. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered after the morning Service, & Col. Merrill & myself were partakers.³ I felt very much blessed. The congregations were not large, yet they seemed kindly disposed toward us.

The weather for the past few days has been very pleasant, and the gardens are being cultivated. There are peas, beans, onions &c. up in our garden, yet we do not anticipate remaining long enough to receive the benefit of them.

Schools have been opened for the negroes, and the streets are thronged with them about school hours. They seem to enjoy it very much.

We have been making good use of our piano and have a concert every day. Some new music would be very acceptable, however; we have repeated all we can remember so often that we are getting tired of them. I have just finished reading the 2nd volumn of “Queechy” & must hunt up something new to-morrow.⁴ The only excitement we have is an occasional fire. We had quite a large one last Sunday evening down town, three unoccupied buildings were burned.

The streets of Charleston are becoming quite lively. Stores are being opened up in those portions that have been vacated for the past two years on account of our shells.⁵ They are also patching up their houses where the shells in many places have entered. The city is garrisoned almost entirely by negro troops.⁶ I have heard of no disturbance thus far. I have not been on the streets at night, and do not know whether the city is lighted up or not. The part we occupy is very quiet and two blocks from the business portion of the city. The citizens are flocking to the Provost Marshall’s Office to take the oath [of allegiance]. They cannot open a store or get a letter out of the office without showing their papers having taken the oath. It seems rather hard but it will undoubtedly do good.

We are still getting along very comfortably here, though we cannot wholly escape the “Blues.” We might be in a much worse condition, however. My Leave of Absence will expire in 13 days more, & then I will be in the same boat with the rest. I feel sorry that I did not spend another month in Pontiac regardless of Public Opinion;⁷ but I doubt not all will yet be well.

Dr. Bennett had a conversation with a Rebel Surgeon to-day who told him that he thought there would be no fighting.⁸ Yet it looks very probable that there will be a battle somewhere before the war ends. Many here are of the opinion that they [the Confederates] will evacuate Petersburg & Richmond & retreat in the direction of Lynchburg.⁹ I hope no more fighting will be necessary, yet cannot realize so happy a termination of the war.

Burk is upstairs playing “Home Sweet Home,” & I can almost imagine myself there at times.¹⁰ I dare not think too much of it for fear of the Blues. I have neither seen or heard anything worthy of note.

This is my fifth letter from Charleston. How happy I would be to hear from you & Howard to-night. Remember me in love to all the friends. I must try & write to the boys soon. I fear I am very, very lazy; don’t you think so? I have written but two letters, except to you, since I am here — one to Mother and one to the [Pontiac] “Sentinel,” but I will try & do better.

May Our Father bless and make you happy. Col. Merrill & Dr. Bennett insist on my reading my letter, so that they may gather items for a letter home. They offer three cents in money & a sentence each to fill out the sheet, but I could not accept such a proposition. There is sufficient evidence of nothing to write about. Write often. Direct to the Regt. Good night.

Your affect. Husband
J. F. Culver

1. The occupation and destruction of Columbia by Sherman’s army on February 19 compelled the Confederates to evacuate Charleston. Employing the Northeastern Railroad, General Hardee moved his troops to Cheraw, where great quantities of stores, both public and private, had been previously sent. Cotton, which was stored in the city in large quantities, was burned in the warehouses, and the fire, spreading, caused much damage. A powder magazine caught fire and exploded, killing about 200 civilians. Union forces led by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren and Maj. Gen. John G. Foster that had been blockading the harbor and bombarding the city and its defenses from James Island occupied Charleston on February 18, the morning after it was evacuated. Cox, March to the Sea, pp. 178-79. Since arriving in Charleston in the fourth week of February, J.F.C. had written four letters to his wife, but these are missing from the Culver Collection. This is unfortunate, because in these letters he would have described the voyage down from New York, the receipt of news of the fall of Charleston, and identified where he was quartered.
2. Sherman’s columns had resumed their advance through South Carolina on February 19. Evacuating Columbia, the army marched north. Slocum’s wing, traveling by way of Winnsboro, crossed the Catawba River near Liberty Mills on Washington’s birthday, camped in and around Chesterfield on March 3, and advanced into North Carolina the next day, the 129th Illinois going into camp in a forest of young pines. General Howard’s right wing had occupied Cheraw the previous day, after a slight skirmish. On the 7th the XX Corps crossed the Great PeeDee at Cheraw, and, after making a 17-mile march, halted for the night near Laurinburg, a station on the Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherfordton Railroad. Grunert, History of the 129th Illinois, pp. 197-207.
3. Samuel Merrill was mustered into service on Aug. 1, 1862, at Indianapolis, Ind., as captain in Company K, 70th Indiana Infantry. He was promoted to major on April 11, 1863, and to lieutenant colonel eleven months later. Colonel Merrill on Jan. 8, 1865, having received a 30-day leave, left his regiment at Hardeeville, S.C., and rejoined his command in late March. Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers, NA.
4. A popular novel, Queechy, by Susan Warner was first published by G. P. Putnam of New York City in 1852.
5. On August 22, 1863, the Federals had opened fire on Charleston with a 150-pounder Parrott (The Swamp Angel), emplaced in the Marsh battery, near Morris Island. Although the Swamp Angel burst on the 24th round, it was replaced by other heavy-rifled guns. Additional batteries were erected on Morris Island, armed, and the bombardment of downtown Charleston continued. Warren Ripley, Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War (New York, 1970), pp. 118-22.
6. On February 28, 1865, the Charleston area was garrisoned by the following black units: 54th and 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments; and the 21st, 33d, and 35th U.S. Colored Troops. White units posted in the area were: the 54th and 56th New York Infantry; 52d Pennsylvania Infantry; Battery B, 3d New York Light Artillery; and the 1st Battalion, 3d Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. O.R., Ser. I, Vol. XLVII, pt. II, p. 626.
7. Apparently, a number of the neighbors had complained about J.F.C.’s long absence from his unit.
8. It has been impossible to further identify Dr. Bennett.
9. Those holding this opinion were correct. On April 2-3, following the battle of Five Forks, General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia evacuated Petersburg and Richmond and, with the Armies of the Potomac and James in close pursuit, started for North Carolina and a hoped for junction with the Confederate armies led by General Joseph E. Johnston.
10. It has been impossible to further identify Burk, other than that he was a member of the brigade band.

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The database: ImportGenius

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View ImportGenius demos here.

Want help using ImportGenius? Contact Willow or Kim and set up an appointment.

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