Civil War Letter
Civil War Letter – Written by a Soldier in Company “G” of the 33rd North Carolina (Confederate) Infantry.
This remarkable Confederate Civil War letter was written by 33 year-old Private George Hiram Beckel (1829-1862) of Forsyth County, North Carolina, who was conscripted into
Co. G, 33rd North Carolina Infantry
, on 15 July 1862 and served with the regiment five months before his death from pneumonia in Richmond, Virginia, on Christmas Eve.
George was the son of John Boeckel and Sarah Weaver who raised two sons and six daughters. Conscripted with George at the same time and also assigned to Co. G, 33rd North Carolina was his younger brother—John W. Beckel (1838-1863). Unbelievably, John also died of disease—his death recorded on 1 January 1863, only a week later than his brother.
George wrote to his wife, Antonette Sophia (Miller) Beckek (1828-1891) and their 8 year-old daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Beckel (1854-1932). There are frequent references to various member of the Miller family in the service with him; these were relatives of his wife Sophia.
Transcription
Winchester, Va.
August
[September] 19, 1862
Dear wife and daughter,
I take this opportunity to let you know where we are. We have left the camp and have been marching five days and we are now at Winchester and I am almost broke down. I have now walked 5 days on very scant fare—on about 1 and a half pounds of bacon and 15 crackers, and I would much rather had them many biscuits—but I got along better than I expected. I am not well yet and don’t think that I will be shortly for we have laid out ever since we have been on the march and I don’t know whether we will ever get tents again. One good thing on our side, it hasn’t rained much since we left home.
We have got a long ways from home now. You have heard from Winchester. I do not know the distance but it must be about 500 miles from home. We got here this evening and we think that we will have to leave tomorrow. We don’t know anything until we have it today but we think that we will have to go to the army right off. I think that is where we are started now.
We hear that they are fighting in Maryland and have been for about a week and they have been fighting and our men have taken Harper’s Ferry and a great many prisoners. And the fighting that we hear of, our side whips like usual. We know not how soon we will have to go into it too. I reckon soon as they can get us there but they have been fighting some time. I hope they will soon quit. Some say this has been the hardest fight that has been since the war commenced. The main army is in Maryland and we think that we will go there soon. Since I have commenced to write, I heard that we are to cook 4 days rations and I recon that will take us there.
Benton, Tom, and Gideon [Miller] and [brother] John and all the rest of the boys are with us yet but we are low in spirit and I am afraid that we will get lower yet for we have not been fed too high none of the time and I think the chance on the [march] is much worse and I don’t know when we will get done marching for the old army is always going.
Dear wife, I am here and that is all. I am weak and have the rheumatism in my legs and marching goes very hard with me. But I feel that I have put my trust in my God. I read in my testament whenever I have the chance and there I find the promise to the faithful.
Dear Sophia, I want you to pray to God every day while you live and I will do the same. It sometimes looks to me that the chance is bad fo us ever to meet on earth but let us pray to God constantly and He will no doubt hear us. I have only got 2 letters from you—one in Benton’s and one dated September 2. I must quit. It is dark. Only pray to God as long as you live and I will do so too. — G. H. Beckel
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