Getting Used to Being Shot AtThis collection of letters bears witness to the Civil War of the common soldiers and junior officers of the Army of Tennessee. Brothers Alex and Tom Spence described to their family in detail not only the many battles in which they served, but the hardship of campaigning (they marched literally thousands of miles), the pride of serving in battle-proven units, and the pain of losing comrades to bullets and disease. The Spences were a wealthy family who owned land, slaves, and the main hotel in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. With their successful careers and extensive property, they were among Clark County's most prominent families when the shadow of secession fell across Arkansas. Four years later, Arkansas would be ravaged by war, and Tom and Alex Spence would lie in soldiers' graves, far from home. Mark Christ has assembled their powerful letters from a collection in the Old State House Museum, weaving in other letters from their extended family and friends, brief but thorough introductions to each chapter, and evocative photographs. The story moves chronologically from the outset of war to the final letter from Alex's grieving fiancée. |
Contents
1 | |
We had a very hard Fight The Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles in the TransMississippi | 22 |
Until endurance ceased to be a virtue Shiloh and Corinth | 32 |
Two faces we shall never meet up with again Kentucky and Murfreesboro | 45 |
We gained a great Victory at Chickamauga Tullahoma to Ringgold Gap | 57 |
There has been some hard fighting The Atlanta Campaign | 79 |
Now I shall have something to live for Franklin | 106 |
Many painful reminiscences are connected | 119 |
The Poison Spring Letter | 123 |
Thomas Spences Eulogy | 129 |
Solomon Spences Obituary | 137 |
The Places They Fought | 139 |
Notes | 141 |
209 | |
219 | |
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Common terms and phrases
1st Ark Alabama Alex Spence April Arkadelphia Arkansas Historical Arkansas Infantry Regiment Arkansas Mounted Rifles Arkansians Army of Tennessee artillery Atlanta Atlanta Campaign attack Battle of Franklin battle of Murfreesboro battle of Shiloh Bragg Brig brigade brother Camp Campaign Capt captain captured casualties Cavalry Chattanooga Chickamauga Civil Clark County Clark County Historical Cleburne Cleburne's division command Company H Corinth County Historical Journal December enlisted Ewing Fagan February Federal fight furlough Genl Georgia Govan Hammock hear Hearn Hearn Family Honor Untarnished Hood hope House Museum James John John Bell Hood Johnston July July 27 Kentucky killed letter Little Rock March McLane miles Mississippi Murfreesboro Old State House Pea Ridge Polk Press private in Company Rebels recd Regt River Roll Sallie Second Arkansas Mounted sergeant Service Records Sherman Shiloh soldiers Southern Spence Family Spence's Sutherland Tell Tenn Texas Thomas Virginia William wounded write wrote Yankees