1863 Confederate Civil War Letter — 36th Georgia — Defeat at Missionary Ridge

Description

Private John B. Cochran of the 36th Georgia Infantry wrote this December 1863 letter to his cousin, Eliza Jane Hardman of Stone Mountain, to let her know that he had “come out clear” from the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25. As part of Cummings’ Brigade, Stevenson’s Division, the 36th had defended the northern “Tunnel Hill” portion of the battlefield. Following the battle, the Confederate Army of Tennessee retreated to Dalton, Georgia (coincidentally the same place where the regiment had been organized the previous year), and it was from this location that Cochran writes on December 1:
Cousin, I have no news much to write—only I was in the fight and come out clear. We have had a very hard time in the fight and on the retreat. We had a heap of men killed and wounded on our side, but we never had nary [a] man killed in our Regt, but several wounded in it. And we have made another stand at Dalton, and I am in hopes that we will not have to fall back any farther.
Two weeks earlier Confederate morale had still been riding high from the thrilling victory at Chickamauga in September, but all that evaporated along the weary roads south from Chattanooga to Dalton. Cochran, who indicates he had just recently reached the regiment, writes:
Cousin Jane, I have got to the 36th Ga. Regt. Co. F and I have not had time to write since I got here and you must excuse me for not writing any sooner to you. Jane, I don’t think that this war will last much longer, for this army is the worst demoralized than any one that I ever seen, and I don’t think that we can have provisions to carry it on much longer. Jane, I would like very much to be at home this Christmas, for the time is very lonesome here, and if I were there I think that I could stir up some fun sure. Jane, you must write to me soon, for I can’t hear from no person it seems like.
Cochran had originally enlisted in August 1861 in Company E of the 7th Georgia Infantry, and served with that regiment through much of 1863. What led him to leave the 7th is not known, but he had joined Company F, 36th Georgia Infantry, in time to participate in the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25. Whatever the reason, if Cochran had any say in the matter the 36th Georgia was his logical choice because during the reorganization that took place in the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862, Captain Edward L. Morton—Cochran’s original company commander in the 7th—was discharged and formed Company F of the 36th, taking several enlisted men along with him. Cochran may also have wished to serve in the 7th since it was then operating so close to his home in DeKalb County. Little else was found of his record. Cochran survived the war and died in Atlanta in 1910.
The letter was written upon three pages of a four-page bifolium letter sheet measuring about 5 1/4” x 8 1/4”. It is in excellent condition with light foxing and toning. Creased at the original folds. Included is the original transmittal cover addressed to Eliza Hardman. It bears a Jeff Davis 10-cent stamp and a Chattanooga postmark (the city’s postmaster had fled with the Confederate army, and brought the postmark stamp with him). The full transcript follows:
December the 1, 1863
Camp at Dalton, Georgia
Miss E.J. Hardman
Dear Cousin
I take the pleasure this morning to inform you that I am well at the present time, hoping these few lines may reach you soon and find you all enjoying the same health. Cousin, I have no news much to write—only I was in the fight and come out clear. We have had a very hard time in the fight and on the retreat. We had a heap of men killed and wounded on our side, but we never had nary [a] man killed in our Regt, but several wounded in it. And we have made another stand at Dalton, and I am in hopes that we will not have to fall back any farther.
Cousin Jane, I have got to the 36th Ga. Regt. Co. F and I have not had time to write since I got here and you must excuse me for not writing any sooner to you. Jane, I don’t think that this war will last much longer, for this army is the worst demoralized than anyone that I ever seen, and I don’t think that we can have provisions to carry it on much longer. Jane, I would like very much to be at home this Christmas, for the time is very lonesome here, and if I were there I think that I could stir up some fun sure. Jane, you must write to me soon, for I can’t hear from no person it seems like. Jane, you must write soon and write all the news that is goin. I am very well satisfied in this company so far. You must give Uncle & Aunt my best respects and you and family the same. Jane, write soon. Sure give all the girls a kiss for me.
Nothing more at present, but remain your cousin as ever
John B. Cochran
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