“Home Seems Dearer to me Now”
“Home Seems Dearer to me Now”
Joe W. Rankin
January 30th, 1863
Camp near So. Washington
Co. B 27th North Carolina Inf. Regiment
Camp near So. Washington, Jan. 30th 1863
Dear Grandma,
As Mr. Thomas is going up, I thought I would write you a letter. We are camped near South Washington a depot on the (illegible) and held on kindly. We have plenty of time round to (busm?) I have been tolerable well since I came back. I stood up under the march from Gold’s Base here very well. We marched 5 days 60 miles and carried all I stashed from home (letter damaged) in the company but they say we are going to get some soon. My haversack does first rate but the pretty is wearing off. My cap is worn enough now. Our mess have a tent now we have made a chimney to it yesterday, so we have a fire in our tent now. Here are nine of us stay in it.
Charley Combell, William Taisley, Tichard Worrell, Alfred Kluttle, Wilbur Owens, Joel Thomas, William Hunter, Milton Boon, and myself we all have our nicknames though that we go by here. Taisley answers to turtle. Worrell is pig, Owens is Dr. Andy, Kluttz is Dutch, Boon is Sheriff, Joel Thomas is Saltworks, William Hunter is Squire, and they call me uncle Davy. So our tent contains a turtle, a pig, Dr. Andy, Dutch, Saltworks, Squire, and Uncle Davy. We have pine straw piled on the bottom of our tent 6 inches deep then spreading our blankets down we have a good bed. Just them and I sleep together. He has one blanket and I two. I spread down my blue blanket and cover with 2. I have slept warm every night yet but it is not cold down here like it is at home.
We’ve got plenty of (?) and fat bacon to eat. Gabe is our cook, our mess have an oven a pot and a frying pan. The is 6 inches the pot and pan about the same. As to news I don’t know any at all. Have not heard from home since I came back. Mr. Ham says the same, Uncle John and Pa just this side of Danville I infer from that. That Pa failed in getting corn. I tell you if we’re at home now I would eat more than I did when I was there. Home seems dearer to me now then it ever did before. This is a very poor county about here. They don’t make enough, taters and corn to do them, hardly. Children are more plentiful than anything. (?) ever little cabin you pass the winter and now is fill with tallow food.
Cotton haired children all about same size. Our Generals are granting furloughs now of 14 days in length, 2 go at a time and but my time won’t come in 12 months. Worrell and Alfred are going (Letter damaged) tomorrow. Worrell stays with a man by the name of Goulding in Greensboro if he goes home tomorrow he will come back about the 12th of February. I want you to tell Pa to send me some papers, white, and some stamps by the first chance. I want to hear from you all.
Good bye,
Your affectionate grandson
Joe W. Rankin
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Biography:
Joseph W. Rankin was born in 1842 in Guilford County, North Carolina to Samuel and Katherine Rankin. The county seat of Guilford County is Greensboro; founded in 1771, it has a long and prestigious history spanning the birth of the United States to present day. From what we can tell, Joseph’s mother died when he was very young, most likely in childbirth due to the date that she had passed, around May 24th, 1854. Sadly, 6 months later, that son, Alexander, she had given birth to passed away. Needless to say, 1854 was a very tough year for the Rankin family. During this time, I am sure that Joseph had to take on a lot of responsibility to help his father care for his younger siblings. He grew close with some of his uncles, grandparents, etc, and this is visible in a couple of his letters. Joseph’s occupation is listed as a farmer similar to many of the other men in the area.
1861 came around, and when the war broke out, a number of Southerners felt a strong call to fight for a number of reasons; they all had their own. June 20th, 1861, Joseph packs up, and with a number of other young men from the area, he leaves for the unknown: war. The departures were filled with sorrow as many would never see their families again. Sometimes, I wonder what it would have been like; the morale was sky high, and nobody knew exactly what to expect in this great Civil War, but they all went forward overwhelmed with a feeling of excitement.
Joseph joined up with the 27th North Carolina Infantry. The unit would see its first action at New Bern not too far from home and suffering minor casualties. They would then be involved in the Battle of Malvern Hill. The first major engagement that would see major casualties was the horrific Battle of Antietam; Joseph was wounded. The unit suffered substantial losses as well: 31 men killed and 168 men wounded. Joseph returned to action in time for the Battle of Bristol Station; however, it was his last battle.
Eight days after this letter was written, Joseph was shot through the lungs at Bristol Station, VA and succumbed to his wounds on October 24th, 1863 at 22 years old. The regiment brought 416 men to the field: 28 men were killed, 107 wounded, and 65 captured. Joseph was most likely laid to rest in one of the many unmarked graves at hospital number 1 in Virginia.
