WHITE. WILLIAM C. 1820 - 1870
WHITE
Posted By: Janice Sowers (email)
Date: 8/6/2006 at 16:44:18
PIONEER DAYS-HESPER TOWNSHIP 1851-1941
William Chester White a native of New York, was born May 8, 1820. During the Civil War he enlisted in Co. E. 16th Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers. He was wounded in the Battle of Shilo, October 4, 1862 and taken prisoner, but exchanged in 2 weeks on account of his wounds. He was married to Betsy Ann White, no kin, a native of Cortham, Conn. After the Civil War he and his family came to Hesper and made their home until their deaths. Through the courtesy of his grandson, Mr. R. J. White of Mabel, I am permitted to use the following letter which was written to his father, the late B. M. White, during the Civil War:
My Dear Son Monroe,:
"I have just written a letter to Chester (an older brother) and I thought perhaps you would like to have me write a few lines. We are still near Corinth and am in hope of remaining here for a while yet, but still we don't know how long or how short we will stay here. I am officer of the guard today; maybe you don't know what that is: I have got charge of the guards today, in camp. I haven't time to write as long a letter to you as I did Chester, and I hardly know what to write, as we don't get much news here. Our camp is in the woods, but that is all the better, for we can be in the shade of the trees. We hardly stand it in this hot weather in the open field where the sun could pour down upon us. We are only a little ways from the railroad and we can hear the cars running very plain. I wish I could get on to them and ride home, but that I can't do. I shall have to stay here until the close of the war I expect. Ma tells me that you have worked hard to get along with the work as well as you have. I know you have always worked as hard as you could, since you were big enough to work and many times I haven't appreciated your work as I should have done, and many times I have been cross and scolded you when I ought not to have done so, and you have worked hard and done the best you could for me, but I am sorry now for what I have done that is wrong and will try to do better for the future. You must not work to hard and get sick, for it would be a hard matter to get along without you. I want you to help Chester all you can and do as he wants you to, as he is older than you and don't quarrel when he wants you to do something. I know you will do all you can to be good boys and work together and take good care of things. Oh, how I wish that I was there to help you through haying and harvest, for you will have to work hard to get through alone. I want you to hire somebody if you can to help through harvest. Does any of the men talk of enlisting? I would like some of the neighbors to join our regiment. I expect they will go to drafting soon, and then a great many will have to go and there are some there that I wish drafted and obliged to come down here straight ledged. My health is good now and I shall stand it now first rate, but I am not very stout yet, but am gaining strength all the time. I had a little exploration day before yesterday; I will tell you how it was: I heard from some men that had been out for water that there were some mules out about two miles in a field, I came in and told the officer of the guard if he would give me men I would go out and get some mules, and he said I might take them, and called for volunteers and I soon had men ready to go with me and we went and got four nice colts and brought them into camp. We caught the mules and one colt, four years old, but the colt got away and they offered me five dollars to catch the colt, but I have not been after him yet, and I don't know as I shall go, for they paid me nothing for getting the mules. I told them it would be after this when I went again to get mules for nothing and I think it will too, but I would like to get the colt and the five dollars they offered me. I want you to help Ma and be good to the rest of the children and I want Chester to be good and take care of the calves, sheep and the rest of the stock. How does the Harris steers look? And the others too? Did you sow buckwheat where the hay was by the road? I want that sowed with buckwheat and when it gets nicely in bloom, plow it and sow wheat. In the spring get Mr. Gibson to do the threshing if you can, and get done early as you can. Stack the straw as good as you can. Try and change works with somebody to stack the wheat; perhaps you can with Mr. Blount or Willington Leach, but you know what you can do better than I do, but sometimes when I get to writing it just seems as thought I was talking to you and hardly knew when to stop, but I must stop soon for I am very tired. I shall write to Ma next time. I want you to practice writing so that you can write a few lines to Florence. I have got a number on my hat that I will send to you it is silver, made of a ten cent piece. I have worn it for quite a while on my hat, but don't want it any more. I want you to keep it and when I can I will send something to Chester. I must close now, give my love to all."
From your father, C. M. White
P. S. Perry Baper is well, Daniel Harris sick and in the hospital. E. L. Babcock is rather unwell today.
Hesper Public cemetery gravestone
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