James Henry McClimons (Letter)
EYEWITNESS TO HISTORY:
A Confederate Soldier Writes Home From the Front
James H. McClimons lived in the Liberty Hill community, near Greer. He volunteered for service in the
Confederate army and served in Virginia. From an army
hospital in Richmond, he wrote this letter to his uncle, John
P. McClimons, who had just left the army.
General Hospital No. 21 March 9th 1863 Richmond Va.
Mr. John P. McClimons
Dear Uncle
It is with pleasure that I take my pen to drop you a few lines this
evening altho you will find that I have no news to interest you with[,] but
I have been intending to rite to you for a long time and I heard yesterday
that you had got a discharge by way of home[.] I was glad to hear of it [.]
This leaves me in tolerable good health [.] My leg is not so I can
walk on it yet but I hope to be so I can walk in a few days more ... I did
not get to my company until the 13th of Dec [.,] the day of the
Fredericksburg fight [.} it made me feel a little bad to go right into a battle after being at home so long[.]
And on the 30 Jan we had a very large snow and liking to play in it
I was skuffling and got one of the bones broke in my leg and now going
on Six weeks & I have not been able to walk any since ...
This Hospital is filled with wounded ... there is some that
was wounded in the Williamsburg fight and Seven Pines &
in all that has been since [.]... This is a very good Hospital
[,] good attention and plenty [.] There have been several
Deaths since I came here & there has been some cases of
small pox & I have some little fears of taking them too[.]
My Reg[imen]t is 3 miles from Petersburg. I hope they
will go to South Carolina [.] Uncle I want you to rite to me& give me all the news about there [.] you can take some
wet day and rite when you have nothing to do...excuse all
mistakes while I remain your ffectionate nephew.
yours truly
James H
PS Give my love to Aunt Mary and all the
childring & except the same yourself JH
“McClimon Notes and Confederate Letters from
McClimon,” compiled by Grace McClimon
Meser. South Caroliniana Library, University of
South Carolina, Columbia, S.C