Description

From May 1861 to May 1862 Crenshaw Hall served in the 6th Alabama Infantry. In the letter he discusses the journey to their current location ("one continued train of accidents and delays "); conditions in camp; the health of the men in his company; speeches heard while traveling through Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky; officers of the regiment ("Col Seibels is absolutely severe - the men complained greatly at first but are becoming gradually reconciled to his rule - this the more easily as he speaks in a...severe tone to officers as well as privates"); and the landscape in the Southeast ("it seems there is no end to this wild scenery...The poets among our soldiers here had subject for meditation & composition"). He also mentions the morale of the soldiers and their attitude toward the war: "We seldom talk about the war here strange it seems as we are soldiers and...are to engage in it soon...we still feel that we are at a distance from the enemy and somehow we will continue to feel that it is no very serious matter - our camp is one scene of mirth and pleasure from morning till night - this is a great life for one who loves company." The letter is written on stationery picturing the Confederate national flag. A transcription is included.

From Collection

Alabama Textual Materials Collection

Record Contributed By

Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130