Noah Van Reeve is a Confederate soldier serving in the 28th Alabama Infantry Regiment, Company E. Like many soldiers, he left his family to serve in the army. Today, Reeve sits down and writes a letter to his wife, Frances, telling her about his condition, instructing her in regards to his slaves, and asking God’s blessing upon his family.
Hambleton [Hamilton] Co. Tenn
Aug the 13th 1862
Dear companion I take my pen in hand to let you no that I am well at present. Hopeing that these few lines may arive safe at hand and find you and the children and all the friends enjoying the ____ gods blesings I received your kind and affectionate leter that you sent by Lieutenant McJenkins monday night last which gave me great joy to hear from you all and to hear that you all was well you rote that george and Wm Smith was at tupelo I want you to rite to me what Regment they are in if you no for I don’t know what rigment they are in I knowed I might find them sometim I would be glad to see the boys our rigment draud their comutation money twenty five dollars before we left Saltilow? And I sent ten dollars by Wm York he got a discharge our rigment draud another uniform a coat and pants and hat.
I sent my old uniform coat and hat to Jasper by wagons that was pasing from hear thare I had more clothes than I wanted to toat for we do not no what day we will be ordered to march I have no notion that we will stay hear long but whare we will go I dont no Thare is some talk of us going to Knoxville from hear but I pray god that we will not have to go many more places untill we will get to go home and that for good to stay for I long to come home one time more to see you and the blesed little children and put your trust in god who is able to save to the utmost all that come unto him rite to me how you are giting along and if you need any more money for if you need any money I will try and send you some when I draw any more I recon we will draw our wages before long georg F. Ballew has not drawn his comutation money for he was at the hospitle when
we drawn our money and I will have to divide with him untill he draws his we need more money than I had any notion that we would need in the army to buy one little thing and another and they cost so ____ ____ and then all cost money but I have made out with as litle as posible and will make out without buying as litle as posible I want you to have the negroes moved down home as soon as convenient if you can for I want them thare to help you for I no that you see a hard time of it for I dont no when I can git to come and attend to it so rite to me as soon as you can and let me hear all the news in that country so I will bring my leter to a close I pray god to bless you and the little children I remain yours truly,, N.V. Reeve to F.C. Reeve.
__ Direct your leter to Tyners Station
Hambleton, Co, Tenn
Noah does not survive the war. Wounded, captured, paroled and released, the latter apparently in February 1864, he returns to action and is killed August 23, 1864, in the Battle of Atlanta. His wife is pregnant at the time, and on December 23, 1864 gives birth to another son, Noah Smith Reeve. The details of her life after the war are unclear, but she is buried in the New Hope Baptist Church cemetery in Winston (aka Double Springs), Alabama.
Sources: Noah Van Reeve, Letter to Wife Frances, August 13, 1862 (link); Grave inventory of New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery, Winston, Alabama (link)
