Blind Pig & The Acorn

Civil War Letters 5

It's been a while since we checked in with W.C. Penland. If you need to be refreshed on his previous letters-click on Civil War Letters.

Greasy Cove Tennessee Washington County

March the 2nd 1863

Dear Father

I seat myself to write you a few lines that I am still in the  land of the living   hoping that these lines will find you and all of the family in good health   I am not very well at this time but have been well all of the time until a few days ago   I have the bad cold very bad   I think that I will be well in a few days   we have been doing some very hard scouting   we started one morning last week at two o'clock and walked all day until night over the mountains and did not get anything to eat until between one and two o'clock   some of our boys went to the limestone cave and they got back   and they got two bush whackers   General Jackson is in this part of the country and a part of our men crossed Chucky to go with the general   they are a going to give the mountains about the line a general scouting   they killed one of the bush whackers yesterday   they found three of them at a camp and they started to run and they shouted and they would not and they killed one of them and the others got a way   there is camps nearly anywhere in this country   where there is there is a thicket    Arch Henson met with a bad accident the other day   I believe it was yesterday morning   he was going to get into a canoe   had his gun on a rock and hit the cock on a rock and it went off and hit him in the back   I do not know if it went to his hollow or not   the doctor says that he will get over it    I expect it very uncertain whether he will

March the 3rd

I feel some better this morning but not at all well   Big Jason Ledford and Hezakiah Smith runaway a few days ago   I recon if he went strait on he is at home today   he did not tarry with us long   I think that he just come after his money and not as he aimed to stay   he is a true lover of money   and at least he thinks more of money than he does for his character   we a getting a plenty to eat for ourselves and our horses   my horse is in a little better condition than he was when I wrote you last   our men are very much scattered    Lieut Barnard and about twenty four are here   and there is a detail of fifteen with Lieut Feancher   Lieut Anderson and all of the rest of the sick a way down below Johnson Depot and the last that heard of Lieut Cunningham he was in the Elizabethton area   I do not know here James Crawford is now   He was a getting better   I have not got a letter from home for some time now   the last one I got was from brother James H Penland   I got a letter from Mr E M Scroggs   he is well   he says he thinks that the folks of Macon and Clay have forgot him   I expect that would be glad to hear from you all at home   I do not  know when I can write again for we are all nearly out of paper and we can not get any paper in this part of the country    we can get some by sending to Jonesborough or Greensville   I want you to write me as soon as this comes to hand   I must bring my few lines to a close   give my love and respect to all the children and Mother and grandma and also Mr Sherman   still address to Hanesville Washington County Tenn   tell Uncle Charles and family howdy for me   so no more at present but remain your affectionate son as ever

to H M Penland

                            William C Penland

Reading this letter-makes me sorry he's sick-and sorry he hasn't gotten a letter from home. I'm sure the reason he had not received a letter was the mail system itself.  I imagine in those days, the mail would have been slow and not very dependable. Much different from the 'instant contact' we have with loved ones today.

What jumped out at you from the letter?

Tipper

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Civil War Letters 4

Last weekend we spent the day at the old house that sits beside the TVA Lake. Chatter and Chitter found tons of old plate and bottle shards while searching the shoreline.

Each piece of history they carried back to show me, made me think of W.C. Penland-even though I'm sure most of the pieces aren't from the 1800's and I'm not even sure W.C. ever lived near the big house- but my mind still thought of him.

When we last left W.C. he had witnessed the first fierce fighting of his service. Let's see what he has to say in his next letter home.

Washington County Tenn

Feb 16th 1863

Dear Father and mother

I avail myself of the fineses opportunity to let you know that I am well hoping that these few lines may find you and all of the family & friends enjoying the same blessing (there was a hole in the paper) kind providence    it is raining here today and is warm and pleasent    James Crawford is still very very low but is a little better than he was the last time that I wrote but is not out of danger yet    George Loyd is sick yet and I do not know what is the matter with him    A M Cook has got into camp again and is a gitting right smart better    Capt moore has gone to Knoxville and has been for several days    I think that he will be in tonight    he will come home in a day or two after he comes to camp    cousin Robert Alexander is well and uncle Wyly is also   the health of our Batt is tolerable good at this time    Samuel Justice is sick but is a gitting better    When I heard that you had come to Macon to see me I was very sorrow that I had not have stayed there a few days longer I could have stayed until monday if I had of tried to have done it    We are a gitting a plenty to eat at this time and tolerable plenty for our horses    there will be four or five men that will come with Capt Moore when he comes home but I do not know who they will be   I do handly expect I will get to (hole in paper)    I think I will come about fifth of this month I have been to (hole) today   we have a chaplain now    I hope that he will stay with and not do like the other one that we had    He stayed until he drawed a hundred or two dollars and only preached one sermon but I do not think that the one we have got is a very clever man    his name is Harris    We have had preaching every Sabbath for three or four weeks    as it is a gitting late I will bring my few lines to a close    write soon and give me the news    Address  Jonesborough  Tennessee  65th NC Reg   our battalion has been turned to a Regm

give my respects to all of the friends and relatives

so no more at present    but remains your affection son as ever

   to H. M. Penland

W.C. Penland

2 things jump out at me from this letter-the amount of sickness he talks about-and that his family made a long trip to see him-but didn't get there in time. Can you imagine how they must have felt when they realized they only missed him by a day or so? And how he must have felt to know he almost got to see them?

What jumps out at you?

Tipper

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Civil War Letter 3

 

In this third letter of the packet-Penland writes of the actual fighting for the first time. As he writes-you can catch a glimpse of the difference between the North and South's weaponry. He is impressed by the Yankees' firearm power.

Mount Taylor, Carter County Tennessee Jan the 3rd 1863

Dear Father and Mother

I now take the present opportunity to write you a few lines  I am well at this time   hoping that these few lines will find you and all the family and friends enjoying the same blessing   I am as hearty as you ever saw me   I would have wrote you before this time but I wrote you one and had to go out to meet the Yankees and did not have to mail it     the Yankees were within one mile of us and said to be in force and there was but few of us   Col Folk could not muster more than one hundred and fifty men in all at this place   there was a dispatch come to us last tuesday that the enemy were advancing on the bridge at Zollicofffer and for us to go as soon as possible as we saddled and loaded our bagage and started late in the evening and got four of five miles from camp and heard that the forces at Zollicoffer were whipped and all killed and taken prisoners and were advancing and we turned back and went to a better position to fight and formed line of battle and stayed there until midnight and then we went about six miles and camped until midnight and then we went about six miles and camped and throughed out pickets until morning and then we heard that there was a crowd of what we call tories in the crabb orchard that was a going to cutt us off if the Yankees whipped us and we had to retreat and we went up into that country and found none off until we started back to our former camp and as we came on down we were fired on in two different places out of the laurel   two of our men were wounded but none killed    we took six or eight prisoners and wounded men of them that had a gun and was in the woods near the south   it was such a rough country that we could not get after them for the rocks and brush   I expect that there was near fifty or sixty guns fixed at us that day and but two touched    there was two men of Browns company that were left sick on the road and they started to come to the battalian and they were fired on by five guns but were not touched a  single time   we got back to camp last friday and I started to write saturday and sunday and was detailed before I had got half of a letter wrote to go about on scout   the Yankees have burnt two bridges and taken four companies of Loves regiment prisoners these force were sixteen hundred men   they have left this part of the country the Major Mcdowell surrendered without the firing of a gun but Colonel Love give them a fight at Carter Depot   there was five or six of his men wounded and one killed there were two of the Yankees killed and two wounded    they were the best armed that I ever heard of in my life   had Colts rifles that shot five or six times and two naval pistols a piece that shot six times   also there were several of our men runaway a few days ago and they will face tolerable tolerable rough if the get them    you wrote to me to try to get A E Pendergrass off if I could he runaway when had been in camp only one week   I think that it was a very little trick of them   their officers were all kind to them and they were getting plenty to eat   I fear that deserters will be the ruin of our country if they keep a deserting and going to that country there will be an army sent to that country   it will be eat up and will be starved out   I think that is the only danger of our country being ate up or coming to want   a deserter ought not to be countence   in any shape nor form whatever    James Crawford is on the mend and is a great deal better than he was when I wrote to you before   he as been very bad   M A Martin had not mended much the last account that I had of him    I have not heard from him since last thursday he was a little on the mend then   R V Alexander is well at this time   tell Mr. Sherman that John is well and is gone to Knoxville at this time with some prisoners   I am well this morning and have plenty to do lately   I have wrote every day for eight days and part of the night in fact, nearly every night more or less in that time   I would be glad to be at home but I do not know when I can get a furlough I do not think there will be any furloughing soon in this battalion   when we left camp we left all our our sick at camp and they left and we think that they went home   we do not know what has become of   write soon and give me the news write to Johnson Depot Carter County Tennessee

so no more at present but remains your son as ever W C Penland

I wonder if the writing he spoke of-was letters home or if he kept a journal too?

Hope you'll leave me a comment with your thoughts on the letter.

Tipper

Civil War Letters 2

Today's post brings you the second letter from the packet of Civil War Letters found in the old house by the TVA Lake-written by WC Penland who was 18 years old.

Camp Near Taylorsville Johnson County Tennessee

Nov 23rd 1862

Dear Father and Mother

I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to inform you that I am well and doing tolerable well    hoping that these few lines will find you all enjoying the same blessing    I was out on scout day before yesterday and got in last night    It snowed a right smart snow while I was out    It is very muddy here at this time    there has been right smart of rain here lately    there is a good many sick men in camps    now I think there is between sixty and one hundred men down with the measles in the battalion    there is a not very many in our company    Dan Ledford and Arch Henson both have had them but are a getting better    We are a going to move to morrow about 8 miles and station for a while    but I do not know how long    I have not drawn any money as yet but I think that I will draw soon    we are a getting a plenty of corn and hay for our horses and a plenty of beef and cornbread to eat ourselves    I can do better on the fare than I thought I could    I am as healthy at this time as I ever was in my life    there has been the most snow in this country that I ever saw at this time of the year    but it looks at this time like we might have some right nice weather    but it clouds up and snows the quickest it seems to me that I ever saw it    I have never heard a word from home since I left there    it seems to me that you haven't been a long time a writing or the letters have been misplaced    I begin to want to hear from home    I do not know when I will come home but I expect I will be there sometime this winter but I do not know    Franklin Brown has been to Knoxville and there is no letters there for us    he has gone back and I do hope that he will bring us some news if he does not I will think that I will not get any soon    I have wrote about five or six letters to you and one to Uncle Charles Penland and have never got any answer    tell Mr. Sherman that John Sherman is well at the present time    Cousin Robert Alexander is well also and has been ever since he left home    I would like to be at home to get some good apples as I have not got any good ones since I left home    everything is the highest that I ever saw it    leather is worth $7.00 per pound and every thing else in proportion    We are about twenty five miles from the salt works and salt is worth 20.00 per bushel at the works    as it is getting late I will bring my letter to a close sure and write soon and give me the news of the day

Address Taylorsville Johnson Co Tenn 7th Battalion NC Calvery Co B in care of Capt Moore

so no more at present but remain your affectionate son to his father and mother

so fare you well

W C Penland

My favorite line of the letter is 'I begin to want to hear from home'. As WC writes of missing home-and wondering why he hasn't received any letters from his family-you can peek into his innermost feelings and sum it up by saying he was surely homesick.

What was your favorite part?

Tipper

Civil War Letters 1

In the early 80's the old homeplace beside the TVA Lake was purchased by the Stines Family. Historical details of the house:

• Built in 1882 by the Patton family
• Holt Patton was 6 mos. old when the house was built by his parents
• Holt was raised in the house
• Holt married Annie Jones-and they raised their family in the house
• Holt died in 1983 at the age of 101

When the Stines purchased the old homeplace the house was in severe disrepair. As they began the arduous task of making the house inhabitable-Mrs. Stines discovered an old pillowcase full of letters in the attic. The letters were written by W.C. Penland. He was the son of Patience Mahalia Moore Penland-and the brother of Luola Penland Patton, who was Holt Patton's Mother.

I'd like to share the letters with you-let you hear his first person account of a horrible war-let you learn W.C. Penland's story-a story that was hidden for close to a 100 years in the attic of the old house.

Knoxville Tennessee October the 12 1862

Dear Father and Mother    I take the present oppornituity to inform that I am as well at the present time as I ever was hoping that these few lines will find you all enjoying the same like blessing    all of the boys from Clay County are tolerable well    James Crawford has come up and is well Joab Crawford has had the mumps but is well    William Waldrupe is agoing to take my saddles home    Zoro will please take them home and pay him one dollar for hauling them    it has been raining here for two or three days and is a getting tolerable muddy    it was the dustyest time when we first got here that I ever saw    they have been running soldiers here for several days    that is ever since we have been here they are breckinridgees men going to Kentucky    there is a great many soldiers about this place    everything is the highest here that I ever saw    sweet potatoes are worth five dollars per bushel    everything else in proportion onions are bringing ten dollars per bushel    we are getting tolerable plenty for ourselves and horses to eat but some of them are a ganting up tolerable bad    my horse doing about as well as any of them    Uncle Wiley Moore has come he got here late Tuesday    I heard from Aunt Margaret Mantooth yesterday    she is well    we do not know when we will leave here but I expect before very long    there was a battle at Corinth last week    we whipped them on Friday and Saturday but they whipped us on Sunday but we retreated in good order the report that we lost about four thousand in the engagement there was a great many of the wounded passed up    the yesterday evenings train tell Mr. Sherman that John is well    tell Mary to write me    I helpt to take some deserters to jail yesterday they had went home without leave but come and the colonel sent them to jail to give others warning    be sure and write for I would be glad to hear from home every day    be sure to have those boots made for me for shoes are worth $10 dollars per pair and boots $9 dollars    I have not wrote much of interest as I did not have any thing to write    give my compliments to all inquiring friends    so no more but remains your affectionate son until death

W C Penland

P O Address Ft Knoxville Tenn 7 Battalion N C Calvery Co A in care of Capt W P Moore

I find W.C.'s writing ability fascinating. He left for war in 1862-he was 18 years old. To say he lived in a rural area-would be an understatement. Clay County was made a county at about the same time he went to war. Makes me wonder-where he went to school or if he was taught at home?

There are about 14 letters in all-they tell a story-more than a story a first hand historical account of a young soldier boy. I'll share the rest of the letters with you as time goes by-it really is a peek into the past. And the whole scenario of finding them in the old house is a perfect example of how walls can talk.

Tipper