Letters from a Civil War Relative #6: February 1862, from Camp Carter

One of the pleasant surprises of this collection of letters was the letterhead on this letter. I really like it and wonder where Richard or Edward got it from. Was it harder to get or more expensive than plain paper?

This is another one in the handwriting of Edward Turner.

Camp Carter February 1862

Dear Father and family, I one time more take the pleasure of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am well at present, hoping that (when) these few lines comes to hand, they may find you injoying the same blessings.

I have nothing strange to write to you but I would be very glad to see you all one time more, but I am deprived of the privilege at this time and don’t know when I can get to come to see you. 

I would be glad you would come and see me.

I can inform you that we have left London and we are now stationed nine miles from London on the old state road that leads to Cumberland gap and the name of our camp is Carter. I can inform you there was a great battle fought at Somerset in which our men gained a complete victory. They killed 500 of the Rebels amongst which was found General Zollicofer and our men took 150 prisoners and 1500 small arms, 12 cannons.

I have been noculated from the small pox on the 30th of January but it has not operated yet but the small pox is not here but they say the are at Somerset.

I can inform you that we are looking for reinforcements every day. The Tennesseans and Ohioans. 

I can inform you that the health is better in this regiment than it has ever been since we come to Wild Cat. I want you to read this to all my brothers and sisters for I want to see them the worst I ever did in my life. Tell them that I have not forgotten them if they have me.

Lewis Reynolds and Edward Stapleton has come in the informed me that you had not got home before they left home and that you was sick at doctor name illegible - Lacy's?) in Clay County which made me a little (illegible.) 

Mother if he has not got home yet, I want you to write to me as soon as this   comes to hand and let me have all the news going on in the country.

So no more at present but remains your affection son until death.  From Richard Stamper to Joel Stamper and family.      

      

The battle he mentioned was the Union triumph on January 19 at Mill Springs, which cracked the eastern end of the Confederate defensive line through Kentucky. Confederate General Felix Zollicofer died in the contest. The Union commander was the same George H. Thomas who had trained men, including the 7th Kentucky Infantry,  at Camp Dick Robinson the previous September.

I find it interesting that soldiers got and so willingly shared such news. Even a previous entry showed Richard sharing information he had heard about the Battle of Wildcat Mountain. I’ve read such reports before, of course, but I guess the family connection in this series magnifies everything to me. They were, after all, just ordinary men like most soldiers were, wanting to let friends and families know of their well-being and experiences.

London was a city in Laurel County, not far from the Wildcat Mountain battlefield. This area suffered a devastating tornado in May of 2025 

Edward Stapleton was a corporal in the same company D of the 7th Kentucky as were Richard and Edward. Stapleton was born in Owsley County, so he may have been a neighbor or friend of at least Lewis Reynolds, if not the others.

Lewis Reynolds' name will appear more in future entries. Richard trusted him enough to let him write the letters that Richard wished to send home once Edward, who had penned Richard’s previous letters, passed away. That may be a sign of a close friendship between the two.

Letters from a Civil War (Near) Relative #5: February 19, 1862, from Edward Turner

One of the more frustrating letters of this project is the focus of this post. It’s a cliffhanger with no conclusion. Uggh.

At least I can be confident that Edward Turner authored this one since it was addressed “Dear Wife.” He was married and Richard Stamper was not. Edward passed away in April of 1862, so it is conceivable that this was the last letter he sent home, though that is far from certain. These were at least among the last words his family heard from him. 

                             Camp Cumberland Knox Co February the 19 1862

Dear wife I am again permitted by the kind mercies of God to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well at present and hopes that these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing. I sent you a letter by Joh Johnson a few days ago but since that time we have made another move towards the gap. I received your letter on the 11th of February which was dated the 3d and I sent you one by Johnson on the 13th of the same month.

I wrote to you in that all the things I had sent but one pair of socks and them I want you to save for me till I come home if I live to get the chance.

I will tell you of all the moves we have made and when I left home on the 3rd of September 1861 and got to Camp Dick Robinson on the7th and was mustered into service of the United States on the 23rd of the same month and on the 25th we left there and got to Camp Wild Cat on the 29th of September 1861 and on the 21st of October the battle of Wild Cat was fought and on the 28th we left there and came to London and the name of our camp at first was Jackson and then the name  was changed to Camp Calvert and left there on the 7th of December 1861 and and (sic) went within 3 miles of Barbourville and then turned... 

The top edge of the letter includes the words "Take care," "all the," "that I," and "till" but the other words were cut off the page when it was scanned. This was likely meant as a closing, asking to his wife to care for the family and/or their children.

Unfortunately, that is all that remains of this letter. It would have been truly interesting to see how he recounted the other movements the regiment made and any other thoughts that crossed his mind. 

This is incredibly frustrating, but that is an unfortunate part of studying history at times.

Letters from a Civil War Relative #4: December 16, 1861, from Camp Calvert

Today’s letter is the fourth I’ve published here.I believe there will be 14 or 15 total depending on how I decide to handle a couple of undated and unsigned  pages. 

This one appears to be in Edward Turner’s handwriting. 

Camp Calvert December 16, 1861 

Dear Father mother brothers and sisters.

I again take the pleasure of writing you a few lines to let you know that I am well at present. Hoping that these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing.

I received your letter dated Dec. 13th, come to hand last night, which gave me great satisfaction to hear that you was all well. I would be glad to see you but I don’t know when I shall get to come home for a young man has a bad chance to get a furlough but I would be glad you would come and see us.

I want you to try to bring John here again the first of January for that is pay day and Colonel Garrard says he wants all of the soldiers to be here on that day.

Tell Hampton Turner and his wife and all the rest of my connection that I would be powerful glad to see them all.

So no more at present but remains yours truly.

From Richard Stamper to Joel Stamper and family

The "John" mentioned in the text is probably a cousin of Richard and a member of the same unit. He was home on sick furlough at this time. Since it reports that Colonel Theophilus Garrard wants all the soldiers there for pay day, this was probably the man to whom Richard referred. John was eventually discharged from the service on April 26, 1862, due to “feeble muscular development & health.”

Hampton Turner was probably another of Richard's brothers-in-law, having married Richard's sister Marta (Patsy) Stamper, though it is curious that Richard referred to “Hampton and his wife" instead of something like "my sister and her family." Was he just conditioned to refer to the male head of the household even when talking about his own family? “The rest of my connection” surely refers to his sister and her children, his nieces and nephews.  

Hampton Turner was also one of my 3-great grand uncles, as this project continues to tie in my soldier cousin Richard Stamper with other members of my family tree.  

I also have not found any other information on “Camp Calvert," other than it was "in the Cumberland Gap area, location undetermined,” per this list. I did find an archived New York Times article that included a report frim this camp, but it did not provide other details on the camp’s location.

An AI generated report says it was in London, Laurel County, which would be close to Wildcat Mountain.  It would make sense for it and these men to be in the same region still, but I hesitate to rely on such a source. 

Letters from a Civil War (Near) Relative #3: Oct. 27, 1861, Ed. Turner from Camp Wildcat

 Here is a short letter from Richard Stamper's brother-in-law, Edward Turner. I have left a couple of misspellings in as he wrote them. I like the authenticity of the actual spelling since their meaning is fairly obvious.

Camp Wild Cat October the 27^th 1861

Dear Wife, mother, child, brothers and sisters and all inquiring friends

I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well at this time, hoping that these few lines will find you injoying the same blessing. 

I have nothing strang to write to you more than is wrote on the first page, only I would be very glad to see you all. I intend as soon as we station to try to get a furlough and come home and see you.

So, no more at present but remaining your affectionate friend until death. Farewell from Edward S. Turner. To Talitha Turner and all of my friends

Talitha was Edward's wife and Richard's sister.

“More than is wrote on the first page” may mean that he wrote this on the back of the letter to the Stampers that appeared in the previous entry. It was written on the same day from the same place, so that ,makes sense. It also would have been an efficient use of paper, which may have been hard to obtain. 

Photo of the Camp Wildcat area from https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g39598-d3400286-Reviews-Camp_Wildcat_Battlefield-London_Kentucky.html

Previous entries are available on this page.

Letters from a Civil War Relative #2: October 27, 1861 from Camp Wildcat

Here is part two in this series of letters from the pension file of my 5 times great-granduncle Joel Stamper, whose son Richard and son-in-law Edward Turner both sent letters that ended up in that file. Both of them also died in the war. 

This letter is the closest to a battle report or military overview as exists in these letters, though other mentions of the enemy occur later. Edward penned this one for Richard.

Camp Wild Cat October the 27^th 1861

Dear Father, I take the opportunity of writing to you to let you know that I am well at this time, hoping that these few lines will find you all injoying these same blessings.

I have something vary interesting to write to you.

I can inform you that on Monday last the 21 of October we had a battle at Camp Wild Cat and we lost 3 killed and 8 wounded and the loss of the Rebels was about 200 on upwards.

On the day before the battle 1,000 men came from Indiana and 1,000 from Ohio and on the day of the battle 1,000 more came from Ohio and brought 6 cannons and on the next day come 1000 more from Ohio and 1600 from East Tennessee. Our strength the day before the battle was about 700 of Garrard’s regiment and about 700 cavalry.

The strength of the enemy was about 7200.

We are a going to start after them on the morning.

John Stamper is gone back to Mt. Vernon but he is on the mend.

I would be glad to see you but am deprived of the privalege at this time but I intend to come home as soon as I can get a furlough.

It is not worth while for you to write to me until I send you another letter when we stop.

So no more at present but remains your affectionate son until death from Richard Stamper to Joel Stamper and family.

The American Battlefield Trust provides more information about this Union victory, and here is some archaeological information about the remains of Camp Wildcat.

Here is one soldier’s view of this contest. 

Photo from Laurel County Historical Society, stored at https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62812b2c3b43106df0e623a5/b1e5caf1-78d1-499b-a722-a4f434f677ca/1-157.jpg, 

"Garrard" referred to Kentucky politician and Colonel Theophilus T. Garrard, a future Brigadier General.

                                                           Theophilus Garrard, photo from Wikipedia

The John Stamper that Richard mentioned was likely his cousin who was in the same company. Perhaps they both had Richard Stamper Sr. as a grandfather, but I have not yet been able to confirm John's parentage, so that is uncertain. If they were cousins via Richard Sr., that of course means that John is another distant relative for me, so I will have to add him to my list if I verify that tie. John was discharged from the army in April of 1862 for being too weak physically for military duty, so his time "on the mend" apparently did not go too well.

Mt. Vernon, where John had gone, is a city in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, near Garrard County where these men had mustered in at Camp Dick Robinson and not far from Breathitt County, where Richard had been born and lived.

The next entry in this series will be a brief letter from Edward Turner to his family, written on the same day and at the same place as this one.

Letters from a Civil War Relative #1: "All Keen to Start"

This is the first piece of the new project I recently mentioned regarding letters from Richard Stamper, a distant relative of mine who fought in the Civil War.  

This letter, as I’m calling it, is just a single page, or at least an unsigned fragment of a page. I have checked and double checked the file but cannot find any other page that might match up with it, so these few lines are probably all that remain of this message. 

Some of Richard’s letters were written by a soldier named Lewis Reynolds, who had enlisted and mustered in to the same company on the same days and places as Richard. I suspect he wrote this one on Richard’s behalf.

The story of Lewis Reynolds, unrelated to me, is intriguing itself and may require further investigation. At one point, Lewis was in a hospital at Young's Point, Louisiana, the same place where my great-great-great grandfather Nimrod McIntosh, a member of the same company, also visited before his discharge from the army. 

One document in Lewis’ file states that he was discharged from the army due to his suffering from disease including smallpox in September of 1863, but another form claims he died due to chronic diarrhea a few weeks later in October while still in Louisiana. If this is true, that means that all three of the main soldiers whose names appear in this project perished during a period of about 18 months. I guess that’s not impossible given the huge number of casualties during the war, but it still strikes me as strange, or at least unfortunate.

The report of Lewis’ demise, however, is not accurate. A pension index card indicates that Lewis applied for a pension in 1864. Obviously, this would not happen if he were dead. The card made no mention of a date for his widow’s pension.

Additionally, public family trees on ancestry.com show that Lewis lived until 1875. Perhaps in the future I’ll get Lewis’ pension records and try to clarify what happened with him. The military records are simply mistaken in regard to his death, but further study of his life is now another topic to research. He may not have been my family, but his saga still intrigues me as he was clearly a trusted friend of my relative. 

Here is my transcription followed by the actual letter fragment. I don’t believe Richard could write. He had comrades write these letters for him. I believe his brother-in-law Edward Turner wrote this one based on the handwriting and how it looks compared to letters signed by Edward.

The measles every day.

I had to go to the hospital one time 2 days. I was not able to drill. I expect we will start to Barbourville tomorrow or next day. The boys is all keen to start but if we don't go I expect to come home about the 15th of Oct if I am well.

We was mustered in to the service of the United States today.

                        

Both Richard and Edward enlisted in company D of the 7th Kentucky on September 3, 1861, in Booneville, Ky., not far from their homes. This unit was originally called the 3rd Kentucky Infantry but officially switched its designation to the 7th in February of 1862. Some references still include a reference to the "Old 3rd" Infantry due to this change.) 

Richard and Edward mustered in the service on September 22 at Camp Dick Robinson in Garrard County, Kentucky, so it seems that the letter was written that day from that camp. (The same dates apply to Lewis Reynolds as well.)  This is the earliest note of those that still exist, written just days after Kentucky’s legislature had officially ended the state’s attempted neutrality on September 18. The men in the 7th (old 3rd) Kentucky, including these three, were among the earliest Kentucky recruits mustering in for the war. (The 1st and 2nd Kentucky Infantry both formed in Ohio due to Kentucky’s neutrality.)

At this camp, these men likely received training from then Brigadier General George H. Thomas, the future “Rock of Chickamauga.” 

Neither of their files, however, contains any mention of measles or an early trip to the hospital.

Garrard County, KY, location of Camp Dick Robinson

                                         

These movements were a continuation of the contest for control of the Cumberland Gap as the American Battlefield Trust describes. It included a skirmish at Barbourville that had occurred September 19.

Location of Barbourville, Ky

These men would soon see and write more about this period in their home state. Upcoming letters generally focus on the soldier's welfare and inquisitions about their family and friends, but the next one actually discusses the numbers of troops in a battle this regiment fought. 

An Exciting New Personal Project: Letters from a Civil War Ancestor

As I continue my exploration of local Civil War soldiers and their stories, I’m adding another project, one that combines the Civil War with another interest I’ve had for quite a while - genealogy.

I have made a few posts over the years about family members in the war and even have a separate page with some of these names and information on it, but this new undertaking involves a perspective I never expected to find. 

A few months ago, I wrote about Richard Stamper, a distant relative of mine from so long ago. He was a private in company D of the 7th Kentucky Infantry and died on January 8, 1863, from wounds received at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou late in December of 1862. He was the first member of my family that I knew had served and perished in the war, so this was a sad but fascinating discovery.  

The same cousin who informed me of his story later obtained the pension records of Richard's father Joel. These records include letters home from Richard to Joel as well as a couple from Edward P. Turner, Richard's brother-in-law and a member of the same company. My guess is that the letters were in the same file since they were sent to Joel Stamper back in Owsley County in eastern Kentucky. Joel was also Edward's father-in-law, as Edward had married his daughter (Richard's sister) Delitha, aka Lida.

Location of Owsley County

Like Richard, Edward also died during the war, passing away due to typhoid fever on April 9,1862, at Cumberland Ford, Ky.

As I did not know of any ancestors who had died during the Civil War, so did I also not have any letters or other similar writings from any of my many family members of the past, Civil War veterans or not - no letter collections, diaries, or anything like that. That this one case involves both makes it a treasure of sorts, at least to me.

Some of the letters have standard dates, headings, and greetings, as well as signatures or notations from the sender. Others, however, do not, and this causes some confusion as some letters were longer than one page. I am working on these, trying to figure out which pages belong with which others, at least as accurately as I can. It seems that some pages are simply gone, not part of this file, including the one I thought may have been the most interesting. I'm still hoping to match up some of these pages to others, but that seems unlikely.  I may need to publish some pages as "unknown date and place” or “incomplete,” as it appears that much of this collection is a mishmash of pages from various letters. Oh well. This is still fascinating.

Most that have headings are from southeast Kentucky or northeast Tennessee in late 1861 through mid-1862. I believe all were from that region and time. It’s not exactly the midst of the most famous campaigns of the war, but the Union did gain some success in this area during and just after the timeframe of these letters.

These letters generally ask how family at home is doing and state how the soldiers wish to see friendly faces again. Actual military talk is uncommon, but there are a few brief discussions on such topics.

That’s kind of where I am starting on this, along with trying to read the writing and understand the wording. The authors used phonetic spelling at times, but it is not always clear what the writer meant. Sometimes, though, the meaning is perfectly clear, and I think I can hear relatives I’ve known talking with the accent some of these unique spellings represent. Much of my maternal family - both sides - come from Breathitt County and the surrounding area, such as Owsley County, where farming was the most common way to make a living, one which I believe most of my ancestors there likely held, so I suspect Richard and Edward are fair, or at least reasonable, representatives of my direct ancestors of the time in terms of how they spoke and the language they used. It may be a door into my past, the kind that does not show up on enlistment forms, census records, obituaries or any such common genealogical documents. This is different. It's special.

I must say it’s hard for me to read these “few lines” - a common phrase in these letters - without trying to vocalize them in my head, especially the word “hant.” 

I find it really cool that a couple of these letters are on patriotic letterhead. They do not change the message in the letters but certainly are a nice detail. I wonder if Richard got stationery from sutlers near camp or if he received it from home. 

One example of the stationery.

There is truly a level of personal interest in this work that goes beyond my other research and writing. I am anxious to dig more into it and to share these writings and the stories they tell. I’m undecided if I will correct the spellings or just post them as written. I think making the corrections will make them easier to understand, so I’m leaning that direction, but the authenticity of how they spelled out their thoughts is something I appreciate as well. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually, perhaps not consistently from post-to-post, or even sentence-to-sentence, so this might be a challenge. I also don’t know how soon I’ll finish it. I want to enjoy this and not rush through it. I'm not really sure how quickly or slowly this will go. 

The Reveal of the George H. Thomas Statue in Fort Thomas, Kentucky

                                                               

I recently posted some photos from the July 2 ceremony to reveal this statue directly to this site's Facebook page, but I wanted to add just a few words about it and figured it would make a good post.

I enjoyed the ceremony. It started at 2:00 on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. The sky was mostly blue, with a few clouds sprinkled about, and it was a warm day, with the temperature reaching the mid 80s. As the sun beat down on those in attendance, standing on a small concrete plot where the statue is located, it did become a bit uncomfortable, but the ceremony - even with the usual remarks from the city and others involved in the project - moved quickly enough to avoid any serious issues with the heat. The iced-down water that the organizers had available certainly helped as well.

The city's mayor started the event right on time, which I admit impressed me. So many such ceremonies, meetings, etc., seem to start several minutes late. It was a good omen.

He mentioned that a local man had suggested a statue of General Thomas way back in 2006, but that serious fundraising efforts finally started in 2017 with many people and local groups, including schools, helping to raise money to pay for it. (I have not heard any figures for what the final cost was.) COVID interrupted the process, but the committee persisted and the fruits of their labor finally are on public display. 

He turned the microphone over to local artist Matt Langford, who discussed some of his thinking when coming up with the final design. He noted the cavalry sword was symbolic of Thomas' experience in that branch of the army, and that while he preferred a well-known "US" belt buckle, a comrade convinced him that Thomas’ dress should reflect that he was a general.

He also emphasized the affection that troops under Thomas felt for him. 

One thing that caught me off guard was his use of the word "meek" to describe Thomas. He insisted that "meek" did not necessarily mean "weak," but claimed it referred to a more reserved personality. I did not necessarily agree with this take, but when I got home I checked online definitions of the word and dictionary.com gives one meaning of that word as “humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others.” That’s not the first meaning of “meek” that jumps to my mind, but it is from a reasonable source and helps me better understand his comments more than I did at first. I can see how that definition might apply, but I am still not convinced that "meek" is the best word. That is just me picking a nit, I suppose.

That quibble aside, it was nice to hear the artist explain his work. 

His words were followed by a short biography of the general delivered by Deanna Beineke, the director of the Fort Thomas Museum and author of a book on the military post in the city. Her comments were brief, which was nice, as the intensity of the heat in the sea of concrete increased, and she did a good job of giving a high-level overview of Thomas' life, focusing mainly on his family and the success he had at Nashville. She also mentioned his relative lack of fame for the  victories he achieved, though she mentioned his “Rock of Chickamauga” sobriquet. I would have liked to hear Mill Springs or Missionary Ridge at least mentioned, but I thought she did well given the 5-minute time limit on her talk. Nobody could do more in such a brief period.

I really  like the location of the monument. It is on a small concrete area at the corner of two streets (one of which is very busy), just across one street from the city’s landmark water tower. It is near the entrance to a city park, so it may attract people looking for a day of relaxation. It should be easy for those who pass by to spot and is near enough parking for anyone who wants a closer look. The city certainly did not try to hide this monument.

Personally, having a statue of a Civil War general revealed in my home county was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It combines my twin loves of the Civil War and local history in a way few things can do, much like I’m trying to do with my current research on local soldiers. This is the kind of positive public history that adds to Campbell County’s (or any area’s) landscape. I was thrilled to be there, and I gladly offer a hearty thank you and congratulations to the city of Fort Thomas and all the people and organizations that made this happen.

Here are some photos of the crowd. People kind of spread out, but these show a few of the visitors.