Frank Wicks, the creator of the Civil War play Soldier, Come Home, based on his ancestors’ letters to each other during the Civil War, has graciously allowed me to reproduce some of those letters here at the Siege of Petersburg Online. Frank’s great-grandparents were Philip W. and Mary Pringle, and their letters to each other while Philip was a soldier in the 102nd Pennsylvania form the basis of his play. Some of Philip’s letters written during 1864 and 1865 were penned while he was present at the Siege of Petersburg, though as a member of the Union 6th Corps he was away for a few months in the Shenandoah Valley. The letters which appear below mostly pertain to the Siege of Petersburg as observed by a 6th Corps Pennsylvania soldier. All of these letters are the property of Frank Wicks and may not be reproduced without his express written consent.
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March 28, 18651
Camp Patrick Station, Va.
Mary Pringle
Dear Wife,
I have taken my pensyl to drop you a few lines to informe you that I am well and hope these few lines will find you all well. We had another battle on Saterday. We drove the Rebs and capterd some 2 or 3 thousand and killed 2 or 3 thousand of them. We only lost or killed in our Regt & wounded about 20. It was a hard battle while it lasted and we are on another march. I must close and get ready to move. You can find out what we are doing by the news papers
I Remain yours
P.W. Pringle
Source:
- Soldier, Come Home – by Frank W. Wicks A play based on family civil war letters. 2010-2012. 2 August 2012 <http://civilwarplay.com/>. These letters are used with the permission of Frank Wicks, and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the owner. All rights reserved. ↩