Dearest Laura: The Civil War Letters Of Captain John Reed Beatty, 1861-1865

By Peter Steffens
$1.86 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: April 15, 2011
Words: 91701 (approximate)
Language: English

Short description

Sesquicentennial: 150th anniversary. America celebrates its Civil War of 1861-1865, and the fallen are still honored. John wrote nearly 150 vivid and picturesque letters to his dearest Laura. He was in some major battles; a horse was shot dead from under him. Added content includes handwriting samples. The new lower price of $1.86 represents the war's calendar years. Please purchase and enjoy!

Extended description

Sesquicentennial: a 150th anniversary. America is celebrating the Sesquicentennial of its Civil War of 1861-1865. Reenactment activities abound, and the fallen are still honored.

The authors of the letters in this collection were my great-grandparents, John Reed Beatty and Laura Elizabeth Maxfield. John wrote nearly 150 vivid and picturesque letters to his dearest Laura while soldiering during the Civil War. The few letters from Laura that survived are also included here. The originals were donated by my mother Nancy to the Minnesota Historical Society and will not suffer any further deterioration. The copies she received in return were my source materials.

This new updated version now includes many handwriting samples, and an attractive lower price of $1.86 which represents the war’s calendar years.... (Read more) Sesquicentennial: a 150th anniversary. America is celebrating the Sesquicentennial of its Civil War of 1861-1865. Reenactment activities abound, and the fallen are still honored.

The authors of the letters in this collection were my great-grandparents, John Reed Beatty and Laura Elizabeth Maxfield. John wrote nearly 150 vivid and picturesque letters to his dearest Laura while soldiering during the Civil War. The few letters from Laura that survived are also included here. The originals were donated by my mother Nancy to the Minnesota Historical Society and will not suffer any further deterioration. The copies she received in return were my source materials.

This new updated version now includes many handwriting samples, and an attractive lower price of $1.86 which represents the war’s calendar years.

The central theme of the letters is how did Captain Beatty cope with the strain of two conflicting forces, his love for Laura and his military duty? We read of his temptation to resign his commission and return home at Laura’s urging; we also read of his grim determination to see the fight through to the bitter end, to endure the great hardships of a long, long conflict. As he described it, he was “exiled from home on the march and in the bloody battle.” I think his love for her was the reason he wrote as many letters as he did, it was a way for him to cling to normalcy as the war swirled around him.

Beatty’s military title was Captain of the Second Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army. Previous to the war he was a civilian, a school teacher in Mankato Minnesota. Laura and many of John’s regimental comrades were former pupils of his. In the letters we see his growth from a green civilian into an experienced veteran over time.

There is biographical information on Captain Beatty (including a photo in uniform) in the book “The Story of a Regiment” by Judson W. Bishop, Newell L. Chester, editor. It explains in detail the activities of the Minnesota Second Regiment during the war.

Captain Beatty was fortunate to survive the war. He suffered from two life-threatening fevers. At the Battle of Chickamauga his horse was shot dead from under him, and his next horse was shot and wounded as he conveyed battle information between the front lines and his commanders to the rear. Laura would have none of his assurances that he would survive the war; she could read the casualty lists in the newspapers as well as anyone.

As I was transcribing the letters, nothing struck me more than how very long that four year period of time must have felt for the war’s participants. When we study war history we jump months at a time between major events, conveniently skipping over all the arduous living that must be done in between. After reading these letters you will certainly have a better sense of having lived through the war vicariously.

Finally, in the table of contents you might notice that each letter’s “name” is lifted from within that letter. I tried my own hand at naming, but it invariably sounded hollow, lacking the historical flavor and charm of the original author.

It is my great pleasure to present these letters in a convenient digital format. Because of a shortage of paper during the war, there were two letters that were written first one way, and then written over in a checkerboard fashion, causing a nightmarish warp and woof to transcribe. You might say cursive caused curses.

I hope you will enjoy these wonderful letters. I am not yet aware of a larger collection from the Civil War.

Prepared for the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War by Peter Steffens, digital transcriber, photographer, editor, publisher, and great-grandson of the authors.
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Tags

history, civil war, war between the states, lincoln, shiloh, mississippi, kentucky, pennsylvania, letters, love letters, union, atlanta, minnesota, alabama, grant, sherman, us civil war, confederate, us history, historical 1800s, battle of nashville, riverboat, president lincoln, war battles, correspondance, war diary, war and love, war letters, war adventure, war hero, typhoid, steamboat, chickamauga, st paul, steamship, war and boys, general grant, missionary ridge, general sherman, general rosecrans, civil war sesquicentennial, sesquicentennial, war correspondance, minnesota history, fort snelling, pittsburg landing, siege of atlanta, beatty, peter steffens, dakota war, fort donelson, sibley, battle of wilsons creek, battle of mill springs, melodian, columbiad, rosecrans, battle of perryville, pilot knob, battle of murfreesboro, copperheads, emancipation proclamation, clement laird vallandingham, enrollment act of conscription, hardtack, when this cruel war is over, battle of missionary ridge, haversack, battle of atlanta, vallandigham, siege of petersburg, minie ball, battle of jonesborough, stanton, ships gap

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