Civil War Letter

Civil War Letter

The following was attached to letter written by Marilyn Reagan of Whittier CA in 1987 to Georgia Farwell of Eagle Rock, MO.

The following is a letter written by Jane Page to her son, John Page. John Page and his wife, Francis (Ralston), together with their children, left Kings River, Arkansas, (near Kingston) and made their way by wagon train to California in 1857. They eventually settled near Salmon Falls, California - a little foothill town now submerged under Folsom lake (a few miles East of the town of Folsom, California).

Kingeriver, Madison County

A. D. Nov. 14, 1866

Dear Son and Daughter: I embrace the present opportunity of writing you a letter to let you know that I am still in the land of the living and enjoying very good health and I do hope these few lines may reach you and find you all enjoying the same great blessing. I have a heap to write to you, more I fear than I shall think of. I have sorrowful news to communicate. Your father fell a victim in time of the great war. He was killed by the Federal forces on the 4th day of March, 1865. He was at Sam's house on the mountain (where he lived when you left) when the Federals charged up it, frightened the old man [he was 75 years old, editors note] and he tried to make his escape by running. They charged after him and shot him from the back of the neck down to the waist. He had nine or ten balls pass through his body. so scared and disturbed was everybody that I had to stay with him in the woods all day by myself with my apron spread over his face. We got a little help to bury him. We buried him in the __?__ ground of Sam's orchard. We had to bury him without any coffin but this is not all, Posey [youngest son] is gone. He died a natural death. He died in Federal forces at Little Rock. He lay sick for a long time but at last God released him from his pain and then he went away. Gone to try the realities of an unknown world to us.

I will now tell you all I can about the children that is living. I will begin with Sam. He is living near Fayetteville, Ark. He moved South during the war or rather at the close of it. He lost two of his children while he was South. Dave is living near Kingston, Ark. He has had a good deal of sickness in his family this fall and lost one of his children. Moses is living near where you lived when you lived on dry creek. He is married and has a family. Cook Cobb is living here in the Settlement. He and family are all well. Frank is married and is living where your father used to live and I am living with him. John Daily is living still higher up the creek than where we live. Milt is in Texas. I got a letter from him a few days since. He is doing well. I believe I have told you all about your brothers and sisters that will interest you.

I now will attempt to tell you something about the war in our country, as follows. In the year of '61 they began calling for volunteers here. They made up a company of confederate soldiers here in this settlement. They went out and served awhile in the war and then returned home. They were engaged in the Oak Hill battle where they proved victorious, drove the Yankees off the field. The Southern Soldiers then moved out of Missouri and left it to the Yankees. Shortly after they came down in large numbers again. General McColough and Trice met and encountered them at Elk Horn in Benton County, Ark. in dreadful conflict. The Federal proved victorious and General McColough was killed. Trice went to the east with old Ben- fell our countries destruction. The federals then mustered all their forces and encountered General Hindman and his array of conscripts at Prairie Grove near Fayetteville and whiped him. Drove him across the Arkansas River. Shortly after this battle the Yankees came to Kingsriver and commenced their dreadful slaughter of men and horse stealing. Then there was raised in our settlement independents, companies of lawless bands who went about over the country stealing and robbing everybody without distinction and then after they got everything in our country they turned in and burnt our houses turned out widows and orphans out in the cold winters snow. They entirely robed me out, never left me narry a single horse or nothing that was worth anything. They never left narry a house in the beautiful little town of Kingston. They nearly burned up Huntsville too. It would have been destroyed if it had not been headquarters for the thieves that Madison County turned out. They never left but three or four houses from John Combs down to Halls, a distance of eight or nine miles. This is a faint description of the great War in our country. Too restore the constitution and put down rebellion, they have put down rebellion but have they restored the constitution. You say, I will not.

I will now try to tell you of all the deaths in our acquaintance. I will begin on Buffalo. They killed Branden Edgmon and three of his sons, Samuel, Abner and Squire. They killed John Grimes and old Mr. Meronells that lived near Huntsville. They killed Tony Logan one of old man Logans sons. They killed John A. Hawkins and a great many others that you do not know. All Busham, he was killed at home by the Yankees. Oh I cannot think of them all to save my life. The war has entirely ruined our country. But I think it will build up again in the course of time. The people seems to be in good spirits and are trying to rebuild. If you want to come back to this country to live, you can buy land very cheap here now. It is very low in consequence of the scarcity of money everything is very scarce here and times is hard, hard very hard. For the want of room I must quit. You must write to me as soon as you get this letter. Write without fail. Give me all the news of every kind in your country. So no more at this time but remains your affectionate mother until death.

To John Page and family Jane Page

Submitted by: Georgia Farwell & Jay McCandless

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