“Gen. Grant has been hard at work for three months trying to get to Richmond, but has failed in every effort. He has made a sacrifice of more than one hundred thousand men to accomplish the capture of Richmond and is further from the object of his campaign than he was two months gone by. He will be doomed to see all his contemplated glory blasted in the mere form of imagination. We (the soldiers) all feel confident in our final success, and all are will to die rather than submit [to] Lincoln tyranny.”

Item No. 0001276

Two letters written by Private James B. Robertson of the 3rd Arkansas (Confederate) in which he discusses the Battle of Sharpsburg and the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg. The first letter, which is unfortunately in fragments, was written from Winchester, Virginia, on October 9, 1862. The 3rd Arkansas had been heavily engaged three weeks earlier at the Battle of Antietam / Sharpsburg, having made a late-morning counterattack near the Dunker Church. The regiment suffered greater than 60% casualties in the battle. Robertson writes:

You have, I suppose, heard of the hardships of the present campaign, which have been exceedingly hard. I have marched day night right when we were all fed […] nothing, only rotten ears. I was in the battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland. We were marched up in front of the enemy at 9 o’clock [in] the morning and stayed on the ground until 3 1/2 P.M. when we were relieved and moved to the rear.

Paper loss along the bottom edge leads to some missed phrases, but we can see that only “about 125” men were unhurt at the end of the day.

On the reverse side of the letter sheet, Robertson expresses hope that the regiment would be transferred closer to home. “If we succeed in being transferred to Ark,” he writes, “I shall try to get transfer to the 10th Ala regt.” He believes “the prospect for a removal of this regt to the west is very gloomy.” At the letter’s close he apologizes to Mary for “this badly written letter,” but notes that “when you know that I am writing on my cartridge box you [will] readily excuse me” and it is as “good as I can do under present.”

Instead of being transferred to Arkansas, the regiment would become part of the Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, and would serve with that organization through the remainder of the war.

Robertson’s second letter was written nearly two years later from Petersburg on August 7, 1864, during the last summer of the war. A week earlier, Federal forces had detonated a mine under the Confederate works and followed up with a poorly coordinated attack that would be known as the Battle of the Crater. Of this affair Robertson writes:

I have no fresh news to write as there has been no military movement since 30th last. On that day Gen. Grant succeeded in blowing up one of our batteries. He then ordered a charge on our lines. We repulsed the charge with great slaughter, capturing about twelve hundred prisoners, a part that […] number was negro troops. A negro Regt led the charge. Our greatest satisfaction is to know the greater part of them bit the dust. Only a very small fragment got back to the yankees’ lines.

Days later, the rebels would attempt to detonate a mine of their own. “Gen. Beauregard blew up the yankees on 5th inst.,” Robertson writes, but he had “not learned the particulars of the affair.” In truth, the rebel mine had been placed well short of the federal defensive works, so that when it exploded it did so relatively harmlessly. Still confident of victory, Robertson continues:

Gen. Grant has been hard at work for three months trying to get to Richmond, but has failed in every effort. He has made a sacrifice of more than one hundred thousand men to accomplish the capture of Richmond and is further from the object of his campaign than he was two months gone by. He will be doomed to see all his contemplated glory blasted in the mere form of imagination. We (the soldiers) all feel confident in our final success, and all are will to die rather than submit [to] Lincoln tyranny.

In the remainder of the letter, Robertson expresses his feelings for Mary. Clearly he is frustrated at the disruption in communication, no doubt caused by the Mississippi River and most of Arkansas being within Union control in 1864. He writes:

You perhaps may think that I am very imposing in my manners by writing to you so often and not receiving any answers. You may be sure that there is nothing that prompts me to such actions but the pure and deep love centered in my heart for you. The only object that I hold to my heart. It is you for whom I live and without you all is void…. If this letter reaches you, I hope you will write to me directly on the reception of it…. I am still unable to march. I am very anxious to hear from you…please write to me and relieve me of my burden of anxiety.

What became of Robertson is unknown. A letter from Captain Joshua Hightower (link here) indicates that Robertson was wounded at Chickamauga. When his company surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865, only thirteen men were on hand.

Both letters are very delicate and are offered as shown. Note that letter no. 1 is separated into four fragments, one being very small. Letter no. 2 is complete, but weeks at the folds, with some very minor paper loss. No previous attempts at preservation have been made on these pieces. The full transcripts can be read below:

Letter No. 1

Bivouac near Winchester Va, Oct. 9th 1862

Dear Miss Mary E. Jones
I seat myself at the base of an oak tree this pleasant sunny morning to answer your letter, which [I] rec’d a few days since. It was a source of great pleasure to me to see that you was well at time you wrote & to know that you were going [to] school. I hope that you will strive to excel in all your studies and strive to excel all others. I am well at this time. You have, I suppose, heard of the hardships of the present campaign, which have been exceedingly hard. I have marched day night right when we were all fed […] nothing, only rotten ears. I was in the battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland. We were marched up in front of the enemy at 9 o’clock [in] the morning and stayed on the ground until 3 1/2 P.M. when we were relieved and moved to the rear. Our regt went in battle 3[……] come [out] with about 125 […………….] had 215 [……………..]

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If we succeed in being transferred to Ark, I shall try to get transfer to the 10th Ala regt. In either case I will write to you immediately. I think the prospect for a removal of this regt to the west is very gloomy. I will come to [a] close by asking excuse [for] this badly written letter. When you know that I am writing on my cartridge box you [will] readily excuse me. Write to me soon and tell me all the news you can think of. Goodbye, Mary.
Yours affectionately
James B. Robertson

Address
James B. Robertson
Company C, 3d Ark regt
[…] Petersburg Va

N. B. I will try to write you a better letter next time [……] good as I can do under present [……..]
J. B. R.

Letter No. 2

August 7th A.D. 1864. On the field
Near Petersburg Virginia

Miss Mary E. Jones

Dear Friend
I again take my pen to write you a letter which I hope may meet your approbation. I have no fresh news to write as there has been no military movement since 30th last. On that day Gen. Grant succeeded in blowing up one of our batteries. He then ordered a charge on our lines. We repulsed the charge with great slaughter, capturing about twelve hundred prisoners, a part that […] number was negro troops. A negro Regt led the charge. Our greatest satisfaction is to know the greater part of them bit the dust. Only a very small fragment got back to the yankees’ lines.

Gen. Beauregard blew up the yankees on 5th inst. I have not learned the particulars of the affair. Gen. Grant has been hard at work for three months trying to get to Richmond, but has failed in every effort. He has made a sacrifice of more than one hundred thousand men to accomplish the capture of Richmond and is further from the object of his campaign than he was two months gone by. He will be doomed to see all his contemplated glory blasted in the mere form of imagination. We (the soldiers) all feel confident in our final success, and all are will to die rather than submit Lincoln tyranny.

You perhaps may think that I am very imposing in my manners by writing to you so often and not receiving any answers. You may be sure that there is nothing that prompts me to such actions but the pure and deep love centered in my heart for you. The only object that I hold to my heart. It is you for whom I live and without you all is void. There is nothing that is half so lovely as my lovely and much treasured Mary. I am not using any other word than those which my heart knows to be true. If this letter reaches you, I hope you will write to me directly on the reception of it.

I will come to a close for this time after, telling you that my general health is very good. I am still unable to march. I am very anxious to hear from you. I will. My gentle airy and love angel, please write to me and relieve me of my burden of anxiety. I wish you a happy and pleasant time until I have the pleasure of seeing you again. Goodbye.
Your friend & lover
James B. Robertson

Address
J. B. Robertson
Co. C, 3rd Ark. Regt.
Petersburg Virginia