~AUDIO~---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
audio---~IMAGES~---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Scroll up for the audio reading.Scroll down for the transcript.
audio---images---~COMMENT~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
This letter is about somebody whom the Five Stokey Siblings never knew: Mama Margaret's older brother, Leander Provines. He died on January 18, 1863, a couple of months after this letter was written, at age 22. I guess this letter would have been among his effects.
Probably Mama Margaret said very little, or perhaps nothing at all, to her five children about their Uncle Leander, because she didn't like to talk about unpleasant things. But perhaps Leander's and Mama Margaret's mother, Jane Gracey Provines, occasionally mentioned him.
In any case, I can't resist including this letter because it is a real, honest-to-goodness Civil War document.
Probably Mama Margaret said very little, or perhaps nothing at all, to her five children about their Uncle Leander, because she didn't like to talk about unpleasant things. But perhaps Leander's and Mama Margaret's mother, Jane Gracey Provines, occasionally mentioned him.
In any case, I can't resist including this letter because it is a real, honest-to-goodness Civil War document.
audio---images---comment---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
Camp 25th Ohio, Sigels Corps near
Gainesville Va, Nov. 7th 1862
Guards and Pickets
Will pass Sergt Leander Provines of Co “F” 25th O.U. Inf; and he is hereby ordered to repair to Washington D.C. and in that vicinity to make diligent search for and arrest Walter Booth, Isaiah W. Meredith, Augustine Horner, Aaron Shireman and Frederick C. Bingel deserters from Co. “F” 25th O. U. Inf and to bring said deserters back to their Co and Regiment.
Given this day and year aforesaid
John F. Oliver
Capt. Co. “F” 25th O. U. Inf
Approved by order Col. N.C. McLean Comdg 2nd Bgd
Oscar [illegible]
A.A.H.G. [???]
[Different handwriting, more legible]
N.C. McLean
Col. Comdg 2nd Brg
1st [???illegible]
[Handwriting more like the first]
Approved Brig. Gen. Jul. Stahel
Commanding I Division
Gainesville Va, Nov. 7th 1862
Guards and Pickets
Will pass Sergt Leander Provines of Co “F” 25th O.U. Inf; and he is hereby ordered to repair to Washington D.C. and in that vicinity to make diligent search for and arrest Walter Booth, Isaiah W. Meredith, Augustine Horner, Aaron Shireman and Frederick C. Bingel deserters from Co. “F” 25th O. U. Inf and to bring said deserters back to their Co and Regiment.
Given this day and year aforesaid
John F. Oliver
Capt. Co. “F” 25th O. U. Inf
Approved by order Col. N.C. McLean Comdg 2nd Bgd
Oscar [illegible]
A.A.H.G. [???]
[Different handwriting, more legible]
N.C. McLean
Col. Comdg 2nd Brg
1st [???illegible]
[Handwriting more like the first]
Approved Brig. Gen. Jul. Stahel
Commanding I Division
audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Gainesville Va, Nov. 7th 1862
Gainesville VA is about 30 miles from Washington DC, so this wouldn’t have been an arduous trip geographically for Leander. I haven’t bothered to try to find out more about what happened to the deserters.
2.
Walter Booth, Isaiah W. Meredith, Augustine Horner, Aaron Shireman and Frederick C. Bingel deserters
It seems unlikely that Walter Booth was any relation to John Wilkes Booth. Or, if they were related, then surely John Wilkes didn't recognize Walter as a member of the family, since Walter joined the Union Army. I imagine John Wilkes giving Walter the cut direct, and Walter calling after him, "Oh, come on, Jack! I deserted! Now can't you let bygones be bygones and loan me a fiver?"
3.
There's a Civil War song called "Coming to us dead" that you can find on YouTube, about a man coming to meet his son at the train, and it turns out that the son is in a coffin.
He broke his dear old Mother's heart,
Her sayings have all come true.
She said it's the way that he'd come home,
If he joined the Boys in Blue.
Grandma Provines had several other children, and she lived on for nearly thirty-eight years after Leander's death. But this letter was kept.
Gainesville Va, Nov. 7th 1862
Gainesville VA is about 30 miles from Washington DC, so this wouldn’t have been an arduous trip geographically for Leander. I haven’t bothered to try to find out more about what happened to the deserters.
2.
Walter Booth, Isaiah W. Meredith, Augustine Horner, Aaron Shireman and Frederick C. Bingel deserters
It seems unlikely that Walter Booth was any relation to John Wilkes Booth. Or, if they were related, then surely John Wilkes didn't recognize Walter as a member of the family, since Walter joined the Union Army. I imagine John Wilkes giving Walter the cut direct, and Walter calling after him, "Oh, come on, Jack! I deserted! Now can't you let bygones be bygones and loan me a fiver?"
3.
There's a Civil War song called "Coming to us dead" that you can find on YouTube, about a man coming to meet his son at the train, and it turns out that the son is in a coffin.
He broke his dear old Mother's heart,
Her sayings have all come true.
She said it's the way that he'd come home,
If he joined the Boys in Blue.
Grandma Provines had several other children, and she lived on for nearly thirty-eight years after Leander's death. But this letter was kept.
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---~LINKS~---site navigation
LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- PROVINESES & GRACEYS: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
(none at the moment)
(none at the moment)
audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
WHERE AM I?
- THIS PAGE IS: 1862-11-07 CIVIL WAR LETTER ABOUT LEANDER PROVINES
- THE PREVIOUS PAGE IS: BEFORE 1880: THE DOCUMENTS
- THE NEXT PAGE IS: 1872-06-26 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT PAPA CHARLES'S COLLEGE GRADUATION
- DOCUMENTS FOR THIS ERA: BEFORE 1880
- COMPLETE DOCUMENT LIST BY DATE
- THIS CHAPTER IS: CHAPTER 23: DOCUMENTS LIBRARY
- THIS MODULE IS: MODULE IV: DOCUMENTS
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- HOME PAGE
WHAT OTHER LISTS OF DOCUMENTS ARE THERE?
- DOCUMENTS SORTED BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Miscellaneous
- DOCUMENTS SORTED BY SOURCE ----- Barbara
- AUDIO READINGS OF THE DOCUMENTS