{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=James+and+John+Booker+Collection+%0A+1861-1864\u0026view=list","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=James+and+John+Booker+Collection+%0A+1861-1864\u0026page=2\u0026view=list","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=James+and+John+Booker+Collection+%0A+1861-1864\u0026page=3\u0026view=list"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":3,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":24,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"c01: Manuscripts","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838"],"title_filing_ssi":"Manuscripts","title_ssm":["c01: Manuscripts"],"title_tesim":["c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_title_ssm":["c01: Manuscripts"],"text":["c01: Manuscripts","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"component_level_isim":[1],"sort_isi":1,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"child_component_count_isi":22,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items, 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of John Booker (1840-1864)and James Booker (1840-1923)of Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their cousin, Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875); electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "],"collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c09","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James and John Booker, [n.p.], letter to Chloe Unity Blair, 1862","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c09#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eJames begins by apologizing for the tardiness of his letter: he explains that he has been ill. He then discusses the practice of substitution (arranging for a replacement in the army), concluding that it is having a bad effect on the Confederate Army. He also discusses his work assignment and his health. In a separate letter on the same paper, John tells his cousin about his cold and sore throat. He also states that there is currently no fighting, but he can hear the Yankees firing cannonade \"down on the river.\"\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c09#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c09","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c09"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c09","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James and John Booker, [n.p.],\n letter to Chloe Unity Blair","title_ssm":["James and John Booker, [n.p.], letter to Chloe Unity Blair"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker, [n.p.], letter to Chloe Unity Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker, [n.p.], letter to Chloe Unity Blair, 1862"],"text":["James and John Booker, [n.p.], letter to Chloe Unity Blair, 1862","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","James begins by apologizing for the tardiness of\n his letter: he explains that he has been ill. He then\n discusses the practice of substitution (arranging for\n a replacement in the army), concluding that it is\n having a bad effect on the Confederate Army. He also\n discusses his work assignment and his health. In a\n separate letter on the same paper, John tells his\n cousin about his cold and sore throat. He also states\n that there is currently no fighting, but he can hear\n the Yankees firing cannonade \"down on the river.\""],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1862"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1862 August 3"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":10,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo2h03.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1862],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames begins by apologizing for the tardiness of\n his letter: he explains that he has been ill. He then\n discusses the practice of substitution (arranging for\n a replacement in the army), concluding that it is\n having a bad effect on the Confederate Army. He also\n discusses his work assignment and his health. In a\n separate letter on the same paper, John tells his\n cousin about his cold and sore throat. He also states\n that there is currently no fighting, but he can hear\n the Yankees firing cannonade \"down on the river.\"\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["James begins by apologizing for the tardiness of\n his letter: he explains that he has been ill. He then\n discusses the practice of substitution (arranging for\n a replacement in the army), concluding that it is\n having a bad effect on the Confederate Army. He also\n discusses his work assignment and his health. In a\n separate letter on the same paper, John tells his\n cousin about his cold and sore throat. He also states\n that there is currently no fighting, but he can hear\n the Yankees firing cannonade \"down on the river.\""],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#8","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c09"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c22","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c22#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eJames Booker replies to Unity's letters of the 17th and 24th. He mentions that his company has been fishing about 20 miles away and that the Yankees are getting closer and are expected to drive the men out of the fishery. He states that the Yankees are believed to be heading for Richmond. James hopes that \"this cruel war\" may end soon and \"in our favor.\" He closes with a quotation from \u003cem\u003e1 John\u003c/em\u003e. The postscript, written on April 30th, states that the rumor that the Yankees are coming may be false.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c22#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c22","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c22"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c22","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864"],"text":["James Booker, 38th Virginia\n Infantry Camp, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","James Booker replies to Unity's letters of the\n 17th and 24th. He mentions that his company has been\n fishing about 20 miles away and that the Yankees are\n getting closer and are expected to drive the men out\n of the fishery. He states that the Yankees are\n believed to be heading for Richmond. James hopes that\n \"this cruel war\" may end soon and \"in our favor.\" He\n closes with a quotation from \n 1 John. The postscript,\n written on April 30th, states that the rumor that the\n Yankees are coming may be false."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1864"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1864 April 29"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":23,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo4d29.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1864],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames Booker replies to Unity's letters of the\n 17th and 24th. He mentions that his company has been\n fishing about 20 miles away and that the Yankees are\n getting closer and are expected to drive the men out\n of the fishery. He states that the Yankees are\n believed to be heading for Richmond. James hopes that\n \"this cruel war\" may end soon and \"in our favor.\" He\n closes with a quotation from \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e1 John\u003c/emph\u003e. The postscript,\n written on April 30th, states that the rumor that the\n Yankees are coming may be false.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["James Booker replies to Unity's letters of the\n 17th and 24th. He mentions that his company has been\n fishing about 20 miles away and that the Yankees are\n getting closer and are expected to drive the men out\n of the fishery. He states that the Yankees are\n believed to be heading for Richmond. James hopes that\n \"this cruel war\" may end soon and \"in our favor.\" He\n closes with a quotation from \n 1 John. The postscript,\n written on April 30th, states that the rumor that the\n Yankees are coming may be false."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#21","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c22"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c15","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1863","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c15#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eWriting a few days after Gettysburg, James Booker describes the heavy losses suffered by his division during Pickett's Charge; most of the regiment's officers and many of the enlisted men were killed, wounded, or captured during the assault. James and John Booker escaped harm, though they were nearly taken prisoner by the Union forces. His division has been assigned to escort 5000-6000 Union prisoners to the South. He reports hearing daily of small battles and expects another major battle imminently, although he does not expect his division to be involved because it is on guard in Williamsport, a city where most of the citizens appear to favor the North.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c15#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c15","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c15"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c15","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1863"],"text":["James Booker, a camp in\n Williamsport, Maryland, letter to cousin, Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1863","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","Writing a few days after Gettysburg, James Booker\n describes the heavy losses suffered by his division\n during Pickett's Charge; most of the regiment's\n officers and many of the enlisted men were killed,\n wounded, or captured during the assault. James and\n John Booker escaped harm, though they were nearly\n taken prisoner by the Union forces. His division has\n been assigned to escort 5000-6000 Union prisoners to\n the South. He reports hearing daily of small battles\n and expects another major battle imminently, although\n he does not expect his division to be involved\n because it is on guard in Williamsport, a city where\n most of the citizens appear to favor the North."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1863"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1863 July 11"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":16,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo3g11.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1863],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWriting a few days after Gettysburg, James Booker\n describes the heavy losses suffered by his division\n during Pickett's Charge; most of the regiment's\n officers and many of the enlisted men were killed,\n wounded, or captured during the assault. James and\n John Booker escaped harm, though they were nearly\n taken prisoner by the Union forces. His division has\n been assigned to escort 5000-6000 Union prisoners to\n the South. He reports hearing daily of small battles\n and expects another major battle imminently, although\n he does not expect his division to be involved\n because it is on guard in Williamsport, a city where\n most of the citizens appear to favor the North.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["Writing a few days after Gettysburg, James Booker\n describes the heavy losses suffered by his division\n during Pickett's Charge; most of the regiment's\n officers and many of the enlisted men were killed,\n wounded, or captured during the assault. James and\n John Booker escaped harm, though they were nearly\n taken prisoner by the Union forces. His division has\n been assigned to escort 5000-6000 Union prisoners to\n the South. He reports hearing daily of small battles\n and expects another major battle imminently, although\n he does not expect his division to be involved\n because it is on guard in Williamsport, a city where\n most of the citizens appear to favor the North."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#14","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c15"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c13","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1863","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c13#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eWriting on the Sabbath, James Booker tells his cousin that both he and his brother are well. The members of Company D marched for the past ten days, and they expect to march again the next day, since they are following the movements of the Union troops. A few days previously, the Union had surprised the Confederate cavalry, but the Confederates managed to drive their enemies across the river and take several hundred prisoners. Complaining that \"the Yankees is getting too mean to live,\" James Booker writes that they steal and destroy Southern property, such as meat, corn, and horses. He notes, \"I still live in hope of peace soon though I may not live to see it.\" He observes that at a \"very interesting\" camp meeting several men, including Captain Herndon, were converted.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c13#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c13","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c13"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c13","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1863"],"text":["James Booker, a camp near\n Culpeper Court House, Culpeper, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1863","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","Writing on the Sabbath, James Booker tells his\n cousin that both he and his brother are well. The\n members of Company D marched for the past ten days,\n and they expect to march again the next day, since\n they are following the movements of the Union troops.\n A few days previously, the Union had surprised the\n Confederate cavalry, but the Confederates managed to\n drive their enemies across the river and take several\n hundred prisoners. Complaining that \"the Yankees is\n getting too mean to live,\" James Booker writes that\n they steal and destroy Southern property, such as\n meat, corn, and horses. He notes, \"I still live in\n hope of peace soon though I may not live to see it.\"\n He observes that at a \"very interesting\" camp meeting\n several men, including Captain Herndon, were\n converted."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1863"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1863 June 14"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":14,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo3f14.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1863],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWriting on the Sabbath, James Booker tells his\n cousin that both he and his brother are well. The\n members of Company D marched for the past ten days,\n and they expect to march again the next day, since\n they are following the movements of the Union troops.\n A few days previously, the Union had surprised the\n Confederate cavalry, but the Confederates managed to\n drive their enemies across the river and take several\n hundred prisoners. Complaining that \"the Yankees is\n getting too mean to live,\" James Booker writes that\n they steal and destroy Southern property, such as\n meat, corn, and horses. He notes, \"I still live in\n hope of peace soon though I may not live to see it.\"\n He observes that at a \"very interesting\" camp meeting\n several men, including Captain Herndon, were\n converted.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["Writing on the Sabbath, James Booker tells his\n cousin that both he and his brother are well. The\n members of Company D marched for the past ten days,\n and they expect to march again the next day, since\n they are following the movements of the Union troops.\n A few days previously, the Union had surprised the\n Confederate cavalry, but the Confederates managed to\n drive their enemies across the river and take several\n hundred prisoners. Complaining that \"the Yankees is\n getting too mean to live,\" James Booker writes that\n they steal and destroy Southern property, such as\n meat, corn, and horses. He notes, \"I still live in\n hope of peace soon though I may not live to see it.\"\n He observes that at a \"very interesting\" camp meeting\n several men, including Captain Herndon, were\n converted."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#12","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c13"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c19","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c19#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eBooker reports that although his regiment had begun to march to meet the Yankees in battle, the Union had attacked --and been defeated by --another group of Confederate soldiers thirty-five miles away. He reports that the winter has been fairly pleasant and that food is cheap and plentiful. Despite such abundance, he notes, soldiers have been stealing food from local residents. He mentions a serious theft of $18,000 from the Quarter Master; soldiers are suspected of the deed. James expresses concern over General Barton's attitude towards the Regiment. (Barton has said his men come from \"rags and thieves.\") James complains that after three years of service he has still not received a furlough. He closes the letter with a stanza from \"Amazing Grace.\"\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c19#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c19","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c19"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c19","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864"],"text":["James Booker, a camp near\n Kinston, N.C., letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","Booker reports that although his regiment had\n begun to march to meet the Yankees in battle, the\n Union had attacked --and been defeated by --another\n group of Confederate soldiers thirty-five miles away.\n He reports that the winter has been fairly pleasant\n and that food is cheap and plentiful. Despite such\n abundance, he notes, soldiers have been stealing food\n from local residents. He mentions a serious theft of\n $18,000 from the Quarter Master; soldiers are\n suspected of the deed. James expresses concern over\n General Barton's attitude towards the Regiment.\n (Barton has said his men come from \"rags and\n thieves.\") James complains that after three years of\n service he has still not received a furlough. He\n closes the letter with a stanza from \"Amazing\n Grace.\""],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1864"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1864 January 1"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":20,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo4a01.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1864],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBooker reports that although his regiment had\n begun to march to meet the Yankees in battle, the\n Union had attacked --and been defeated by --another\n group of Confederate soldiers thirty-five miles away.\n He reports that the winter has been fairly pleasant\n and that food is cheap and plentiful. Despite such\n abundance, he notes, soldiers have been stealing food\n from local residents. He mentions a serious theft of\n $18,000 from the Quarter Master; soldiers are\n suspected of the deed. James expresses concern over\n General Barton's attitude towards the Regiment.\n (Barton has said his men come from \"rags and\n thieves.\") James complains that after three years of\n service he has still not received a furlough. He\n closes the letter with a stanza from \"Amazing\n Grace.\"\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["Booker reports that although his regiment had\n begun to march to meet the Yankees in battle, the\n Union had attacked --and been defeated by --another\n group of Confederate soldiers thirty-five miles away.\n He reports that the winter has been fairly pleasant\n and that food is cheap and plentiful. Despite such\n abundance, he notes, soldiers have been stealing food\n from local residents. He mentions a serious theft of\n $18,000 from the Quarter Master; soldiers are\n suspected of the deed. James expresses concern over\n General Barton's attitude towards the Regiment.\n (Barton has said his men come from \"rags and\n thieves.\") James complains that after three years of\n service he has still not received a furlough. He\n closes the letter with a stanza from \"Amazing\n Grace.\""],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#18","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c19"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c10","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1862","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c10#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eJames Booker writes that he and his brother John are in good health. They have been marching hard but usually have not gotten enough to eat. Booker reports that the general feeling in the camp is that peace will come soon. Four sick conscripts have arrived (and are named). James complains of having to march in wet clothing after crossing bridge-less streams. He also notes that the sick and wounded have been ordered from Winchester to Staunton and thinks that everyone else will be going to Richmond soon. James looks forward to going there since he has not heard from home since leaving Richmond. He greets other family members and mentions that John will write soon.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c10#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c10","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c10"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c10","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1862"],"text":["James Booker, camp near\n Hopewell Church, near Winchester, Virginia, letter to\n Chloe Unity Blair, 1862","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","James Booker writes that he and his brother John\n are in good health. They have been marching hard but\n usually have not gotten enough to eat. Booker reports\n that the general feeling in the camp is that peace\n will come soon. Four sick conscripts have arrived\n (and are named). James complains of having to march\n in wet clothing after crossing bridge-less streams.\n He also notes that the sick and wounded have been\n ordered from Winchester to Staunton and thinks that\n everyone else will be going to Richmond soon. James\n looks forward to going there since he has not heard\n from home since leaving Richmond. He greets other\n family members and mentions that John will write\n soon."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1862"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1862 September 30"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":11,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["2 p."],"extent_tesim":["2 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo2i30.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1862],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames Booker writes that he and his brother John\n are in good health. They have been marching hard but\n usually have not gotten enough to eat. Booker reports\n that the general feeling in the camp is that peace\n will come soon. Four sick conscripts have arrived\n (and are named). James complains of having to march\n in wet clothing after crossing bridge-less streams.\n He also notes that the sick and wounded have been\n ordered from Winchester to Staunton and thinks that\n everyone else will be going to Richmond soon. James\n looks forward to going there since he has not heard\n from home since leaving Richmond. He greets other\n family members and mentions that John will write\n soon.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["James Booker writes that he and his brother John\n are in good health. They have been marching hard but\n usually have not gotten enough to eat. Booker reports\n that the general feeling in the camp is that peace\n will come soon. Four sick conscripts have arrived\n (and are named). James complains of having to march\n in wet clothing after crossing bridge-less streams.\n He also notes that the sick and wounded have been\n ordered from Winchester to Staunton and thinks that\n everyone else will be going to Richmond soon. James\n looks forward to going there since he has not heard\n from home since leaving Richmond. He greets other\n family members and mentions that John will write\n soon."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#9","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c10"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c21","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c21#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eJames Booker informs his cousin of his and his brother's good health. He discusses the treatment of prisoners of war, the unavailability of certain types of foodstuffs and the deprivations of civilians due to the war. He further comments on the weather and his coming duty in the field. He laments the lack of correspondence from home and closes his correspondence with salutations and wishes for his family's good health He apologizes for his poor writing, attributing it to having to finish the letter by firelight.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c21#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c21","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c21"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c21","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864"],"text":["James Booker, Camp near\n Richmond, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1864","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","James Booker informs his cousin of his and his\n brother's good health. He discusses the treatment of\n prisoners of war, the unavailability of certain types\n of foodstuffs and the deprivations of civilians due\n to the war. He further comments on the weather and\n his coming duty in the field. He laments the lack of\n correspondence from home and closes his\n correspondence with salutations and wishes for his\n family's good health He apologizes for his poor\n writing, attributing it to having to finish the\n letter by firelight."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1864"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1864 March 16"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":22,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["4 p."],"extent_tesim":["4 p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo4c16.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1864],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames Booker informs his cousin of his and his\n brother's good health. He discusses the treatment of\n prisoners of war, the unavailability of certain types\n of foodstuffs and the deprivations of civilians due\n to the war. He further comments on the weather and\n his coming duty in the field. He laments the lack of\n correspondence from home and closes his\n correspondence with salutations and wishes for his\n family's good health He apologizes for his poor\n writing, attributing it to having to finish the\n letter by firelight.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["James Booker informs his cousin of his and his\n brother's good health. He discusses the treatment of\n prisoners of war, the unavailability of certain types\n of foodstuffs and the deprivations of civilians due\n to the war. He further comments on the weather and\n his coming duty in the field. He laments the lack of\n correspondence from home and closes his\n correspondence with salutations and wishes for his\n family's good health He apologizes for his poor\n writing, attributing it to having to finish the\n letter by firelight."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#20","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c21"}},{"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c07","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1862","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c07#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eJames Booker writes to inform his cousin of the location of his regiment. He indicates that they have been shot at but infrequently hit. He mentions that a man named Tucker, who was wounded in the chin, was the only man from his regiment (he was attached to Captain Carter's Company F) to have been shot. He also notes that many men, mainly Yankees, were killed at last Wednesday's battle and that this evening the Yankees flew a truce flag in order to safely bury their dead. He feels that, because the best of both armies are here, the war will be settled here. He closes by asking that Unity write soon, and direct her letters to him at Yorktown. He also asks her to notify \"sister Mary\" that Pickney has not yet arrived.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c07#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01_c07","ref_ssm":["viu_viu01838_c01_c07"],"id":"viu_viu01838_c01_c07","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssi":"viu_viu01838_c01","parent_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viu_viu01838","viu_viu01838_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair","title_ssm":["James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"title_tesim":["James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1862"],"text":["James Booker, Camp near\n Yorktown, Virginia, letter to Chloe Unity\n Blair, 1862","James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts","ALS","James Booker writes to inform his cousin of the\n location of his regiment. He indicates that they have\n been shot at but infrequently hit. He mentions that a\n man named Tucker, who was wounded in the chin, was\n the only man from his regiment (he was attached to\n Captain Carter's Company F) to have been shot. He\n also notes that many men, mainly Yankees, were killed\n at last Wednesday's battle and that this evening the\n Yankees flew a truce flag in order to safely bury\n their dead. He feels that, because the best of both\n armies are here, the war will be settled here. He\n closes by asking that Unity write soon, and direct\n her letters to him at Yorktown. He also asks her to\n notify \"sister Mary\" that Pickney has not yet\n arrived."],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","c01: Manuscripts"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1862"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1862 April 19"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":8,"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"physdesc_tesim":["ALS"],"extent_ssm":["2p."],"extent_tesim":["2p."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"digital_objects_ssm":["{\"label\": \"Text transcription\", \"href\": \"http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy_mss/uvaBook/tei/booker_letters/Boo2d19.xml\"}"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["There are no restrictions."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"date_range_isim":[1862],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames Booker writes to inform his cousin of the\n location of his regiment. He indicates that they have\n been shot at but infrequently hit. He mentions that a\n man named Tucker, who was wounded in the chin, was\n the only man from his regiment (he was attached to\n Captain Carter's Company F) to have been shot. He\n also notes that many men, mainly Yankees, were killed\n at last Wednesday's battle and that this evening the\n Yankees flew a truce flag in order to safely bury\n their dead. He feels that, because the best of both\n armies are here, the war will be settled here. He\n closes by asking that Unity write soon, and direct\n her letters to him at Yorktown. He also asks her to\n notify \"sister Mary\" that Pickney has not yet\n arrived.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"scopecontent_tesim":["James Booker writes to inform his cousin of the\n location of his regiment. He indicates that they have\n been shot at but infrequently hit. He mentions that a\n man named Tucker, who was wounded in the chin, was\n the only man from his regiment (he was attached to\n Captain Carter's Company F) to have been shot. He\n also notes that many men, mainly Yankees, were killed\n at last Wednesday's battle and that this evening the\n Yankees flew a truce flag in order to safely bury\n their dead. He feels that, because the best of both\n armies are here, the war will be settled here. He\n closes by asking that Unity write soon, and direct\n her letters to him at Yorktown. He also asks her to\n notify \"sister Mary\" that Pickney has not yet\n arrived."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#6","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viu_viu01838","ead_ssi":"viu_viu01838","_root_":"viu_viu01838","_nest_parent_":"viu_viu01838","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/uva-sc/viu01838.xml","title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"text":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864","11237","26 items","There are no restrictions.","Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/","James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.","Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities","This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.","See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"collection_ssim":["James and John Booker Collection \n 1861-1864"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["11237"],"unitid_tesim":["11237"],"repository_ssm":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"repository_ssim":["University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept."],"creator_persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"creators_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)","University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"access_terms_ssm":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was given to the University of Virginia\n Library on May 20, 1996, by Mrs. Mary H. Payne, Danville,\n Virginia, through P. L. Anderson, Jr., Danville,\n Virginia."],"has_online_content_ssim":["true"],"physdesc_tesim":["26 items"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"bibliography_html_tesm":["\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePrint Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eEncyclopedia of the\n Confederacy\u003c/emph\u003e. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026amp;\n Schuster, 1993.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eGregory, G. Howard. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eThe Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series\u003c/emph\u003e)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eHewett, Janet B., ed. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003eRoster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865\u003c/emph\u003e. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eSublett, Charles W. \n \u003cemph render=\"italic\"\u003e57th Virginia Infantry\u003c/emph\u003e.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eElectronic Sources\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eAustin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\"\u003e\n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September,\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003e\"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm\u003c/extref\u003e(9 September\n 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWebb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\"\u003e\n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html\u003c/extref\u003e(28\n August 1997).\u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n ","\u003cbibliography\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOther Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eIndex of Civil War Information on the Web \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\"\u003e\n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eCivil War Miscellany \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\"\u003e\n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003ePickett's Division \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\"\u003e\n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003cbibref\u003eWar Links \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\"\u003e\n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/bibref\u003e\n \u003c/bibliography\u003e\n "],"bibliography_heading_ssm":["Bibliography"],"bibliography_tesim":["Print Sources\n \n Encyclopedia of the\n Confederacy. Richard N. Current, Ed. NY: Simon \u0026\n Schuster, 1993.\n Gregory, G. Howard. \n 38th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1988. (part of \n The Virginia Regimental Histories\n Series)\n Hewett, Janet B., ed. \n Roster of Confederate Soldiers\n 1861-1865. Vol 8. Wilmington NC: Broadfoot\n Publishing Company, 1996.\n Sublett, Charles W. \n 57th Virginia Infantry.\n Lynchburg, VA: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1985. (part of The\n Virginia Regimental Histories Series)","Electronic Sources\n Austin, Gayle. \"Pittsylvania Co. VA Homepage.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapittsy/(9 September,\n 1997).\n \"Southside on the Net, Directory of Churches and\n Religious Organizations.\" 1997. \n \n http://www.petersburg.com/c/c1.htm(9 September\n 1997).\n Webb, Kerry. \"U.S. Civil War Generals.\" 1997. \n \n http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~hoemann/generals.html(28\n August 1997).","Other Civil War Sites on the World\n Wide Web\n Index of Civil War Information on the Web \n \n http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/civlink.htm\n \n Civil War Miscellany \n \n http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6806/\n \n Pickett's Division \n \n http://home.ptd.net/~jeff1863/pickett.html\n \n War Links \n \n http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html/"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eJames Booker and John Booker\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe twins, John and James, were born to \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1797-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eNancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)\u003c/persname\u003eon October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAt the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n \u003cgeogname\u003eWhitmell, Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, in \n \u003ccorpname\u003eCompany D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").\u003c/corpname\u003eFor more\n information about the regiment see \n \u003cbibref\u003e\n \u003ctitle\u003e38th Virginia Infantry\u003c/title\u003eby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988)\u003c/bibref\u003e. The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n \u003cgeogname\u003eBattle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia\u003c/geogname\u003e, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n \u003ccorpname\u003eChimborazo Hospital\u003c/corpname\u003e. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAfter the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n \u003cpersname\u003eMartha Ann Fulton (?-1923)\u003c/persname\u003e(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County\u003c/geogname\u003e, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eChloe Unity Blair\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n ","\u003cbioghist\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eThe 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOn May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\n \u003clist type=\"simple\"\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eEngagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eJuly 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eMay 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eSeptember 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eNovember 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003citem\u003eApril 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home.\u003c/item\u003e\n \u003c/list\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/bioghist\u003e\n "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["James Booker and John Booker\n The twins, John and James, were born to \n John Booker (1797-1859)and \n Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)on October 10, 1840. Nancy and John\n had been married since November 15, 1824 and had four other\n children besides the twins: Mary Ann Booker Sparks\n (1825-1872), Armistead M. Booker (1827-1838), Caroline\n Booker (1833-1859) and William Booker (1836-1859).\n Nancy also had another child --Margaret Benson Reynolds\n (1815-1867) --from a previous marriage to William Reynolds\n (March 29, 1814) (Austin).\n In the first three months of 1859, typhoid fever struck\n the Booker family, killing Nancy, John Sr., Caroline and\n William. James and John were 19 years old. For the next two\n years, the twins stayed with relatives, including Aunt\n Kitty and Uncle John Blair, who later moved to Texas in\n 1860 (James Booker, September 6, 1861).\n At the age of 21, James and John enlisted in the\n Confederate Army, the 38th Regiment of Virginia, on May 24,\n 1861 in \n Whitmell, Virginia, in \n Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").For more\n information about the regiment see \n \n 38th Virginia Infantryby G. Howard Gregory\n (E 581.5 38th .G73 1988). The Booker brothers\n remained in service throughout the war, and were both\n promoted to Sergeant sometime before April, 1864 (Gregory,\n 82).\n In March of 1862, James was hospitalized in Richmond\n with chronic diarrhea, but returned to his company soon\n after. Both brothers were severely wounded at the \n Battle of Drewry's Bluff near Petersburg,\n Virginia, on May 16, 1864 and transferred to \n Chimborazo Hospital. John received a\n chest wound and James was wounded in the right thigh. Only\n James, however, would survive. John died of his wound on\n August 26, 1864.\n After the war, James returned to Pittsylvania County and\n on October 31, 1867, he married \n Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)(nicknamed\n \"Pat\") of \n Pittsylvania County, on October 31,\n 1867. She was one of the \"sweethearts\" mentioned in his\n letters. James and Pat Booker had seven children. They died\n within two months of each other in 1923. A typed page\n listing their children and mentioning her relatives can be\n found with the copies of the typescripts of the brothers'\n letters.","Chloe Unity Blair\n Chloe Unity Blair (1833-1875) was born to Chloe Coleman\n Blair (1801-1854) and Drury Blair (1801-1864). Her father\n was Nancy Booker's younger brother, making James and John\n her first cousins. Chloe Unity had several brothers and\n sisters, some of whom James and John mention in their\n letters: Polly Ann, William, and Drury Addison \"Addie\"\n Blair, who briefly served in the 38th Regiment with the\n Bookers.\n Unfortunately, all of Chloe Unity's letters to her\n Booker cousins were either destroyed or are as yet\n undiscovered. From their responses, however, we can see\n that both John and James greatly appreciated her letters.\n They depended upon her for news of the family and they\n often asked her to \"remember\" them to different family\n members. The Bookers also periodically asked their cousin\n to have their sister Mary forward certain items such as\n clothing or James' \"soldier likeness\" (October 4, 1863).\n Chloe Unity would send them gifts and provisions as well,\n prompting James to write, \"I am under many obligations to\n you all for send ing us such a fine box it was a great\n treat to us,\" (October 4, 1863). James and John are always\n polite and solicitous in tone to their cousin, and yet the\n letters also convey warmth and friendship: having lost\n their parents and two siblings just before the war, John\n and James may have been especially close to \"cousin Unity,\"\n who along with their sister Mary may have served as a kind\n of surrogate mother.\n Indeed, when John married Martha Ann Fulton in October\n of 1867, he became Chloe's step-son-in-law, since Chloe had\n married Martha's father William Fulton (1821-18?) just a\n few months before. It is easy to imagine that the two\n cousins were pleased by this relationship, as their\n respective marriages unified and tightened the Booker and\n Blair families which had suffered so many losses during the\n war years.","The 38th Virginia Infantry: A Brief History of the\n Regiment\n On May 3, 1861, Governor John Letcher called for the men\n of Virginia to leave their families and occupations and\n join the Confederate Army. Soon after, the 38th Virginia\n Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed, lead by Colonel\n Edward Edmonds, Lieutenant Colonel Powhatan Whittle and\n Major Isaac Carrington. During the course of the war, the\n 38th was assigned to several different brigades, including\n Smith's, Early's and Armistead's Brigade. There was also\n considerable turnover of officers, as some were wounded,\n killed, or not re-elected.\n The 38th consisted of ten companies, most of which were\n organized in Pittsylvania County, VA. Company D, which the\n Bookers joined, was organized at Whitmell. Its initial\n leader was Captain Ralph Herndon.\n \n \n Engagements and Assignments of the 38th\n Virginia Infantry\n May 5, 1862: The Battle of Williamsburg:\n Whittle is wounded.\n May 31, 1862: The Battle of Seven Pines: The\n 38th suffers a casualty rate of 42%.\n July 1, 1862: The Battle of Malvern Hill: The\n 38th suffers severely with 11 killed, 72 wounded and\n 11 missing.\n September 15, 1862: The 38th takes part in\n capturing Harper's Ferry.\n September 16, 1862: The 38th joins the Battle\n of Sharpsburg.\n July 3, 1863: The 38th is part of Pickett's\n Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Colonel Edmonds\n is killed; of the 481 members of the 38th who\n participated in the battle, \"40 were killed on the\n battlefield (8%); 51 were wounded (10%); and 103 were\n captured (21%)\" (Gregory 43).\n May 10, 1864: The Battle of Chester Station;\n Colonel Cabell is killed; Lieutenant Colonel Griggs\n is promoted to Colonel of the 38th.\n May 16, 1864: The Battle of Drewry's Bluff;\n from the 38th, 23 killed and 77 wounded.\n September 3, 1864: Brigadier General George\n Steuart assumes command of Armistead's Brigade.\n Desertions are frequent.\n November 17, 1864: The 38th captures the Union\n line near Petersburg.\n April 1, 1865: The Battle of Five Forks.\n April 6, 1865: The Battle of Sayler's\n Creek--the 38th's final battle.\n April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders at Appomattox\n Court House; the 38th is nearby at \"Pleasant\n Retreat,\" two miles east of the court house.\n April 13, 1865: The 38th breaks camp and heads\n home."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"prefercite_tesim":["James and John Booker\n Collection, Accession 11237, Special Collections Department, University of\n Virginia Library"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities\u003c/p\u003e\n "],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Funding Note"],"processinfo_tesim":["Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment\n for the Humanities"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n John Booker (1840-1864)and \n James Booker (1840-1923)of \n Pittsylvania County, Virginia,to their\n cousin, \n Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875);\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.","Overview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\n The letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.","Preparing for Battle\n The members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\n Although the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\n Not only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).","Health\n More explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.","Food and Supplies\n Although in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026 butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.","Interactions with Civilians\n Throughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\n Although civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).","Morale\n Early in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\n Soon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \n \"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\n John Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \n \"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\n \n \n The Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \n \"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\n \n \n His brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \n \"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\n \n \n Further feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\n As a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).","Religion\n Whereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \n Tis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\n \n \n In March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSee the \n \u003cextref type=\"simple\" href=\"https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials\"\u003e\n University of Virginia Library’s use policy.\u003c/extref\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["See the \n \n University of Virginia Library’s use policy."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc\u003e\u003c/physloc\u003e\n "],"corpname_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital"],"persname_ssim":["John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"names_ssim":["University of Virginia. Library. Special\n Collections Dept.","Company D, 38th Virginia Regiment, Infantry (also\n known as \"the Whitmell Guards\").","Chimborazo Hospital","John Booker (1797-1859)","Nancy Blair Reynolds Booker\n (1796-1859)","Martha Ann Fulton (?-1923)","John Booker (1840-1864)","James Booker (1840-1923)","Chloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":23,"online_item_count_is":22,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:57:07.540Z","scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eScope and Content\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of ca. twenty-six items,\n 1861-1864, chiefly the letters of \n \u003cpersname\u003eJohn Booker (1840-1864)\u003c/persname\u003eand \n \u003cpersname\u003eJames Booker (1840-1923)\u003c/persname\u003eof \n \u003cgeogname\u003ePittsylvania County, Virginia,\u003c/geogname\u003eto their\n cousin, \n \u003cpersname\u003eChloe Unity Blair (1839-1875)\u003c/persname\u003e;\n electrostatic copies of Bible records for the Booker and\n Blair families; and electrostatic copies of typed\n transcripts of the letters. The original bound volume of\n the transcripts was returned to the donor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eOverview of Themes Discussed in the Letters\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe letters of James and John Booker give a sense of\n what life was like for an ordinary soldier serving in the\n Confederate army. Of course, the Bookers depict the drama\n of battle --describing gunfire and cannonades, listing the\n dead and wounded, and giving thanks for their own escapes\n from death or imprisonment--but the letters are more\n concerned with the rhythms of everyday life at camp. The\n Bookers worry over their health and their comrades'; enjoy\n the plenty or (more often) lament the lack of food and\n supplies; report on the interactions between civilians and\n soldiers; and describe religious revivals held at the camp.\n As the war goes on, the Bookers begin to articulate with\n more intensity not only what happens to them, but how they\n feel about it. Whereas John fumes against the elites\n (officers, politicians, and the wealthy) for evading their\n responsibilities and mistreating the common soldier, James\n grows more fatalistic and religious, trusting that his\n suffering is God's will.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003ePreparing for Battle\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe members of the 38th Virginia spent much of their\n time drilling, marching, serving picket duty, and\n speculating about when and where the next battle would be.\n Indeed, the Bookers seem to devote more energy to\n anticipating battles than to describing them (perhaps\n because they did not want to upset their cousin). They\n acquired much of the information that fueled their\n speculations from gossipping with citizens and other\n soldiers. In a letter from 1861, for instance, James Booker\n predicts that a \"hard battle\" will break out soon, basing\n his prediction on a conversation he had with a soldier\n whose company is located closer to the front (October 8).\n Sometimes more immediate experiences led the Bookers to\n forecast a battle, especially when they could see Union\n troops or hear cannonades and gunfire nearby. Writing from\n a rain-soaked outpost near Yorktown, Virginia in 1862, for\n instance, James reports that the Union forces have been\n \"shooting at our men constantly tho it is very cildom thay\n hit eny of them\" (April 19). He predicts that soon a battle\n will occur that will decide the war, since he has heard\n that Yankee prisoners \"say that thay have got to whip or\n die here\" (April 19, 1862). But in this prediction, as in\n others, James was disappointed. As the war dragged on, the\n Bookers stopped assuming that it would reach a speedy\n conclusion; indeed, by 1864 John came to the conclusion\n that the \"leaden men\" were not really interested in\n achieving peace (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the Bookers participated in several battles and\n skirmishes, the most devastating battle for their regiment\n was Gettysburg (see the section on Regimental History for a\n complete list of the engagements that the 38th took part\n in). While participating in Pickett's Charge, the 38th\n Virginia lost Colonel Edmonds, whom James Booker describes\n as \"one of the best men in service,\" and many other\n officers and soldiers (July 11, 1863). The Booker brothers\n themselves had to scramble to avoid being captured by Union\n troops; several of their companions, however, \"let the\n Yankees take them\" (John Booker, July 11, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot only were the Bookers shocked by their experiences\n in battle, but by chilling events that upset camp routines.\n In the first weeks of the war, James Booker reports, a\n young man accidentally shot another soldier from his\n hometown and now is \"about to grieve himself to death about\n it\" (July 14, 1861). But James passes on an even more\n shocking story in a later letter: two soldiers were caught\n conspiring to kill their commanding officer and were\n executed. In an attempt to \"save their souls,\" the\n condemned soldiers \"gave the Roman Catholic Priest 25\n dollars apiece\" (December 15, 1861).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eHealth\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMore explainable than violence in the camps, but\n ultimately more destructive, was disease. Illness and\n disease killed two-thirds of the Southern soldiers who died\n during the Civil War, so not surprisingly the Bookers often\n detail the health problems that they and their fellow\n soldiers were suffering (Robertson 88-89). These ailments\n include jaundice, typhoid, stomach disorders, fever, and\n mumps. The Bookers imply that much of the illness is due to\n the conditions the soldiers must face; sometimes the\n soldiers lacked adequate shelter, at times they would have\n to wade rivers and then march miles wearing wet clothing,\n and often they lacked adequate provisions (John Booker,\n April 29, 1862). Although sick soldiers were typically sent\n to the hospital, the men also took care of each other. In\n the fall of 1861, James and John Booker, apparently just\n recovering from sickness themselves, were responsible for\n nursing three members of their company (James Booker,\n September 6). Several months later, James Booker fell sick\n with chronic diarrhea and was sent to Greaner's Hospital in\n Richmond to recuperate. While in the hospital, Booker was\n stuck in a Catch-22: he wanted to get a furlough so that he\n could recover his health at home, but he did not know where\n his company was, so he could not get the permission of his\n commanding officer to return to Pittsylvania. Eventually\n James re-joined his company, but he did not receive the\n furlough that he wished for.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eFood and Supplies\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough in his first letter James Booker claims that\n the soldiers get \"plenty of good pervision,\" the Bookers\n later complained that they often didn't get enough to eat\n (July 14, 1861). As James writes in 1862, \"the rations has\n bin very scanty a large portion of the time sence we have\n bin marching\" (September 30). But sometimes the 38th\n Virginia did enjoy plentiful supplies, particularly when\n they camped in locations where food was abundant. When the\n 38th Virginia arrived near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for\n instance, James Booker reported that \"we can get plenty of\n milk \u0026amp; butter and apple butter that is verry good\"\n (June 30, 1863). Often civilians would supply soldiers with\n food, whether because they feared or supported the\n troops.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eInteractions with Civilians\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThroughout the letters, the Bookers demonstrate their\n consciousness of the effect the war is having on the\n civilians. At the beginning of the war, James Booker\n describes the friendly exchanges between Southern soldiers\n and civilians, reporting gleefully from a camp near\n Winchester that the men have \"a fine chance of beautiful\n young Ladies, and the kindest that I ever saw\" (July 14,\n 1861). Besides providing moral support, Southern civilians\n would exchange information about the war with the\n Confederate troops (James Booker, November 24, 1862). Both\n Southern and Northern civilians would sell or give supplies\n to Confederate troops. Writing from Winchester, Virginia in\n 1862, James Booker even claims that he prefers Yankees to\n Quakers, since \"the Yankees will sell us eny thing cheap\n for the specia\" while \"the quakers will sell any thing thay\n have got when the spirit moves them, tho we cant catch them\n rite half our time\" (James Booker, October 17, 1862).\n Likewise, in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, the Yankee\n citizens treated the Confederate soldiers \"verry kind,\"\n providing them food without charging them for it, though\n James suggests that \"it is don through fear\" (June 30,\n 1863). While in Fredericksburg, James enjoyed a mutually\n supportive relationship with a local civilian, guarding his\n home in exchange for lodging.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough civilians and soldiers often cooperated with\n each other, the Bookers realized that the war was damaging\n the lives of those not directly involved in the fighting.\n In particular, James argues, citizens who live near the\n \"line of the enemy\" \"have great deal to see trouble about\"\n (June 14, 1863). Even those areas not yet scarred by the\n war would soon be, James predicts. As he says of\n Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania,\"this is a verry flourishing\n looking Country the crops all look fine. it has never felt\n the affect of the war, though I guess if we stay here long\n it will feel the affect of it\" (June 30, 1863). James\n especially blames Northern soldiers for looting the homes\n of Southern citizens, claiming that \"the yankees is geting\n too mean to live\" (June 14, 1863). But he admits that some\n Confederate soldiers likewise have stolen from citizens,\n disobeying General Lee's orders. Indeed, one woman stormed\n into the Confederate camp near Kinston, North Carolina,\n hoping to recover a skillet of soup that had been stolen\n (June 30, 1863; January 1, 1864). Confederate soldiers also\n stole over 18,000 dollars from the Quarter Master (January\n 1, 1864). Despite these incidents, James Booker was\n offended when Confederate General Seth Maxwell Barton\n called the members of his brigade \"rags and thieves,\" since\n \"it is not healthy for him to gave honist people such a bad\n name because some men does wrong\" (January 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eMorale\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEarly in the war, James and John Booker seemed to\n believe that the South would defeat the North swiftly. They\n contended that the South had a stronger army, and they\n noted that Northerners \"dont unite like our people do,\"\n since the Democrats and the Republicans were at odds (James\n Booker, June 30, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoon their hope had begun to fade. Though James Booker\n longed to return home, by 1863 he no longer believed that\n the North and South would achieve a quick peace: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I am a fread it will be a long time first if ever, I\n think the prosspect for peece is very gloomy now it dont\n look like eather side is make in any prepperration for\n Piece, thare are greater preperation for fighten than\n ever\" (September 23, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003eJohn Booker was even more pessimistic, and\n certainly much more cynical, as he accused the Southern\n leadership of needlessly prolonging the war: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I beleave that we mout have hud piece be fore this\n time if our head leaden men would would have tride\"\n (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Bookers, particularly John, felt that while Southern\n elites were making decisions that extended the war, the\n poor were actually fighting most of the battles and\n suffering the consequences of those decisions. Because the\n First Conscription Act allowed a drafted man to hire a\n \"substitute\" to serve his term in the army, wealthy men\n could evade service (Current, 396-99). This provision\n enraged many of the Confederate soldiers, who contended\n that it placed the burden of the war on those who could not\n afford to pay for a substitute. Not only did substitution\n fan class tensions, but it also failed to bring competent\n soldiers into the army. James Booker mentions that that the\n substitute for John Millner deserted, and many other\n substitutes did likewise (August 3, 1862). Some men even\n made a business of agreeing to substitute for one person,\n deserting, and then collecting money to substitute for\n someone else. Although James Booker did not get angry about\n the practice of substitution, he understood that it\n weakened the Confederate Army: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I dont blame no man to put in a substitute if he\n can, tho I think if it is kept up much long er it will\n ruin our army\" (August 3, 1862).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHis brother John, however, was less tentative in\n condemning substitution: \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\"I say put every one on equal foottin for this is a\n rich mans war an a por mans fight, I be leave thare are\n some of the men that have but in substitute are dooen a\n great [d]eal of good but the most of them are doo en\n more harm than good they are just speculaten on the poor\n people, an soldiers\" (December 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFurther feeding John Booker's indignation was the\n distribution of furloughs. According to the First\n Conscription Act, a \"twelvemonth man\" was entitled to a\n sixty-day furlough each year, but neither Booker received a\n furlough during his time in the army (Current, 396-99).\n John Booker noted that while officers freely took furloughs\n themselves, the captain in charge of his company, John\n Herndon, was \"too lazy\" to give his exhausted men a break\n (Decemeber 22, 1863).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs a result of the inequalities and inefficiencies of\n miltary adminstration, John Booker believed that soldiers\n should refuse to re-enlist. In his March 1, 1864 letter, he\n derides the miltary pagaent staged by Virginia Governor\n William \"Extra Billy\" Smith and Colonel Cabell in an\n attempt to persuade the men to re-enlist. After commanding\n the soldiers to line up, the Colonel ordered that the\n Colors (the flags of the regiment) be borne to the front\n and asked \"all who wer determen to be freemen to step out\n on the line with the cullars and all who wer willen to be\n slaves for thare enemyes to stand fast\" (March 1, 1864).\n Angry that he hadn't yet received a furlough, and convinced\n that re-enlisting would only encourage the Southern\n leadership to continue the war, John Booker rejected the\n Colonel's challenge that he re-enlist; two-thirds of the\n soldiers stood back with him. As he explains, \"I dideant\n inten to reinlist nor I wes not willen to be a Slave for my\n enemyes and I dident go on line with the reinlisted, and I\n dideant wish to bee in eather line\" (March 1, 1864).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n ","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n \u003chead\u003eReligion\u003c/head\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhereas John Booker responded to terrible conditions by\n getting angry, his brother James turned to religion as a\n way of making sense of his suffering and connecting with\n home. As he writes of his homesickness, James Booker\n occasionally expresses his desire to join his relatives at\n the religious revivals held at Mount Hermon Baptist Church\n near Danville, Virginia (August 3, 1862). But he reassures\n his cousin that revivals often take place in the camp and\n that many soldiers have been converted. According to James,\n a sense of gratitude in war-time motivates many of the men\n to convert: \"I think it is time for them to turn after\n being blesed so plainley as they have bin in the past\n battles\" (October 17, 1862). Likewise, James' faith seems\n to have strengthened him and given him hope of returning\n home, whether to Pittsylvania County or to Heaven. In a\n letter written on New Years Day of 1864, James includes two\n quotations about coming home to and through God. Quoting\n from the third stanza of \"Amazing Grace,\" James writes, \n \u003cblockquote\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTis grace that brought me safe thus far And grace\n will lead me home.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/blockquote\u003e\n \u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn March of 1864, however, James believed that he might\n not arrive home safely, at least not home to Pittsylvania,\n since the spring campaign would soon open and \"then we poor\n soldiers will see a hard time\" (March 16, 1864). But James\n embraced a spirit of Christian fatalism, contending that\n his life was in God's hands: \"If it is the will of [my]\n maker for me to be cut down in this war I dont ask to be\n spared for I beleave that he will do what is the best for\n me, thare is but few things that I would ask to stay in\n this trouble some world for\" (March 16, 1864). After\n writing this letter, James Booker lived for almost sixty\n more years, but his twin John died five months later of\n wounds he received at Drewry's Bluff.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/scopecontent\u003e\n "]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viu_viu01838_c01_c07"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.","value":"University of Virginia, Special Collections 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