The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003 Page: 590
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Felder tried to maintain optimism, adding, "The news is incouraging.
Rebels in two miles of Baltimore. Grant defeated & the Dixie Blues in fine
spirits." In reality, it was only a matter of time before Petersburg and Rich-
mond fell."
The Texans were homesick. Felder wrote on August 13, 1864:
The carrier came in a few minutes ago with a large Texas mail. Everyone was anx-
ious to get a letter & read the news from home & none more so than your worthy
brother. You can imagine the surprise & merriment it created when we all opened
our letters & read the news . .. one nearly fourteen months on the way. I suppose
the mail was sent to us while we were lost in the wilderness of East Tenn. & being
cut of from all communication it was stopped in Georgia. It matters not how old
your letters are ... though a year old gave me the greatest deal of pleasure. It car-
ried my mind back to my dear home (which I almost forgot I had) & the memo-
ry of its dear loved ones always produce within me feelings of the most pleasant
nature . .38
Rufus King's sister Emma was still grieving over the loss her husband,
Thomas Elliott. Rufus addressed the fate of Tom's brother George.
I suppose you have heard of the death of George Elliott. He was killed in one of
the battles before Petersburg. I understand that Dr. Elliott takes his death very
hard. The old man's recent bereavements must be almost insupportable in his de-
clining years. Oh! When will this dreadful contest end & put a stop to our troubles
& suffering ...3"
Confederate forces were spread thin to defend Richmond and extend
down to Petersburg as the more numerous Union forces enveloped the
Confederate capital. Felder wrote on September i8:
We are still on the north side of the James. . . . We have only three skeleton
brigades on this side of the river. The consequence is our picket duty is very hard.
We are on duty every other night & some times every day. Rutters Negro division
is on our front. There is scarcely a day but some of them come over & ask to be
sent back to their masters. The slaughter pen they were forced into at Petersburg
quite demoralized them. They say they don't think they have anything to do with
this fuss. This white folks fight. The white soldiers are also deserting in large num-
bers & claiming protection. ... It is very humiliating to know that we have to fight
& expose our lives to this mixed horde of black & white demons. Autumn is upon
us, but still the campaign goes on, nor do I see any probability of its ever coming
to an end until the friendly snows of winter shall come & drop its shroud on the
thousands of departed heroes, whose bones & bodys yet scarced decayed are still
exposed to the gaze of man & at the sight of which the very angels weep ...40
" Felder letter, July 14, 1864.
38 Felder letter, Aug. 13, 1864.
" Ibid.
40 Felder letter, Sept. 18, 1864.April
590
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003, periodical, 2003; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101223/m1/668/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.