Several years ago we had a number of William McNeill’s letters.  McNeill was acting Chaplain of the 26^th N.C.  He was in Company H.  We had kept the current letter we are offering in our collection because it was McNeill’s “last letter home.”  Prior to writing this letter, which is dated September 18, 1863, he was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg.   Several weeks after writing this letter, he was killed in action at Bristoe Station, Virginia. 

In McNeill’s last sentence of the letter, he says, “We have a new brigade general his name is W.W. Kirkland (Kirkland would be seriously wounded at Bristoe Station) YOURS TILL DEATH.” 

The letter has good content, is written in nice dark pencil on brown Confederate paper.  There is numerous staining, but all is easily read and as a letter has nice display-ability.  Last letter’s home are especially desirable… and even more so this one from the most famous and greatest percent K.I.A. regiment: the 26^th North Carolina! 

#CG52 - Price $795

Transcription:

                                                                                                                                         September 18/63
                                                                                                                                        Orange C. H., Va.

                                        Dear brother having received your letter last night I will seat myself 
                                        this morning to answer yours.  I was truly glad to hear from you and 
                                        my friends at home.  I am well at this time and I hope this may reach 
                                        you and all the rest enjoying the same blessing.  Angus I thought 
                                        before this time I would be in a fight.  On last Sunday evening while I 
                                        was at preaching I could hear cannonading towards Culpeper C. H.  
                                        About eleven o’clock that night we were ordered up to cook one day’s 
                                        rashings and to be ready by daylight at daylight we had orders to 
                                        move we started for Orange C. H. about two miles we then changed 
                                        our course for Culpeper.  We got in one mile and a half when we heard 
                                        them fighting down about Cedar Run we could see the smoke from the 
                                        cannon we went to within one mile of the river at the rail road bridge 
                                        we could see them fighting that is the skirmishers our men planted 
                                        their cannon and give them a few rounds but they made no reply with 
                                        their artillery the pickets is still fighting.  Ewell’s corps. whipped them 
                                        out down below here on Monday.  I hear cannonading going on above 
                                        here this evening.  General Sheridan is above.  I think there will be a 
                                        general engagement here some of these days.  Its principle cavalry 
                                        scouts that is coming on we have a permanent camp in sight of the 
                                        Yankee camp we do not feel alarmed, though we can see them and hear 
                                        them.  Angus you said that I did not state about the dissatisfaction that 
                                        was in our army.  What they are dissatisfied about is that they did not 
                                        have a sharing in their big meeting that you scene that our men held at 
                                        Orange Court House sometime a go about going back in the union.  The 
                                        most of them think that we will be bound to go back on any sort of terms 
                                        but they seem very quiet at this time.  There is one man to be shot in the 
                                        Forty Fourth Regiment next Saturday that is a scene that I will have to 
                                        witness.  He will be shot before the brigade his crime is for advising men 
                                        to runaway.  I am opposed to shooting our own men.   Angus you said 
                                        that you did not get but one letter from me since I left home I am sure 
                                        that I sent several letters to you as I had promised I was very anxious to 
                                        hear how Martha was getting for I felt from what I heard that she would 
                                        hardly get over it for if I live to get home again I want to see all my 
                                        kindest friends once more.  Angus I am truly glad that you have excused 
                                        from coming out in this miserable war though some of your friends is not 
                                        so.  Angus I must this to a close we have a new brigade general his name 
                                        is W. W. Kirkland.

                                                Yours till death,

                                                            Wm. J. McNeill.

                                                                        Write soon.