S.C., 1864
Ammunition
is everywhere. My friends are all either dead or crippled. Anger is the only
emotion I can feel. I hate rebs with all my heart. Watie’s raiders killed Mum,
Pop, and Jennie. The union wasn’t as good as I thought .300 of our men were
already down. But I marched on. A reb minie ball missed my leg by inches. I
thought I would die a horrible death when a battery took out the men to the
right of me. After what felt like ages, Captain finally ordered us to fire. The
moment I pulled the trigger I felt like I had an apple dipped in honey. When we
began to move in on the rebs I got more nervous. Those to all sides of were
killed or screaming in pain. While I was marching I saw Kyle, the only person I
could ever trust, lying there in the mud, a look of agony in his face. So much
anger was coursing through my body I disobeyed orders and charged. I killed
three soldiers with my bayonet and a minie ball scorched through my pants,
wrecking the picture of Mum, Pop, Jennie and I. That picture was my last memory
of them. Tears welled in my eyes. I had no one to turn to. All my family and
friends were killed in vain. I was feeling every emotion at once. But suddenly
a rebel minie ball smashed in to my leg. It wasn’t very pleasant. I can’t
describe the agony I was in. Then I saw the Union retreat. We had lost. I was
sitting in the mud for six hours before an ambulance came. I was taken to a
hospital with 12 others. After what felt like ages we finally got to the
hospital, a union woman’s house. Since I was the last to go, I could hear them
screaming in pain. I was finally up. The amputation was even worse. They threw
everyone’s legs and arms out like nobody’s business. I was in so much pain I
can’t describe it. I begged that they just end my life then and there. They
refused. When I got to go back to my Kansas farm I baked corn bread with apple
butter. It tasted good. I hired somebody to build me a crutch. Now I use it to
walk. I also hired a man named Samuel Mudd to help with get rid of the pain. He
was a nice man. When I was up and about with my crutch, I started to teach
myself how to harvest corn and stuff with one hand. I will never forget those
moments in life.
By: R.J.
Dear Grandma,
Today was a
really scary day. A bunch of bushwackers from the Confederate Army came to our
farm. They set fire to our hay roof. Our house got on fire and I was really
scared because I thought that I would dead. But I got out of the house before
the house got burned down. But I don’t know where mommy and daddy are. I think
they died. If they did dead I am really very sad. I will miss them a lot.
Love,
Eliza
By: M. J.
Bullets flying
everywhere, our house has been turned into a hospital. Body’s lying on the
floor some dead some injured. Arms and legs scattered on the floor carelessly.
It was horrible. The screams of the dying and injured echoed all through the
house, it’s horrible. Cannons and guns are firing off outside. It’s like a
nightmare.
By: N.E.
By: N.E.
Civil War Diary
I was asleep when suddenly in the morning there was a
huge bang and cannon ball went through my room and killed my cat Nibbles. My mom ran to my door yelling are you okay,
of course I yelled no, a cannon ball went through my room and killed my cat! I jumped to the door and ran down stairs to
see a better look but there were tons of Union soldiers. I got breakfast and
when I was done with that I watched the battle for about three hours. Then I
saw my brother out there, and he shot a soldier I jumped up saying yes! My brother was in the union army even though we
have five slaves and we lived in South Carolina. I came to my mom saying
brother killed a guy he killed a guy! My
mom didn’t care because she was a huge rebel. I ran to the window and I saw
smoke coming from the rebel’s side--they shot my brother I screamed no! I
grabbed a drummers coat and grabbed a musket I ran outside and aimed at the
person who shot my brother and bang I shot him. Robert E Lee road his horse up
to me and tried to shoot me he missed so I ran up to the horse and stabbed the
horse in the leg. The horse went wild, it road like a half a mile than bonked
Robert in the air about six feet high. The Union general yelled charge I had
nothing to do except to charge so I charged I stabbed no one but someone
stabbed me in the thigh and then he shot me in the leg I screamed in pain. Some
of the Union soldiers carried me into my room and they left. My mom came inside my room and said in a sad
voice the Union won. I said to my mom this is the last thing I will say to you
goodbye.
10 years old when he died, 1863 Billy Jackson.
