Hearing History, part three – The Miller Brothers

Quentin, a soldier, describes being drafted with his brothers in A RESTING PLACE. Photography © H. Scott Heist 12

It was very common for brothers to sign up for the war together.  Many in the ranks were either related or at least friends and neighbors.  This does not always mean that brothers have the same experience in battle or share the same enthusiasm for the war.  Below are letters from two brothers who had very different experiences in battle.  Take a listen and see who you side with.

5/25/1882——Henry A. Miller, brother of Theodore Miller, was wounded at Gettysburg, July 2, and died in the 11th Corps Hospital on the 4th day. Above is a letter, which he wrote to his parents over a year before he died.

Listen Here

5/27/1863——-Brother of Henry Miller, Theodore recounts the Battle of Chancellorsville in a letter to his parents.  He defends his position and that of the 153rd regiment, they are labeled as cowards and Theodore explains why they are not.

Listen Here

7/1863——A letter from Comrade Rudolph Rossel who gives a more detailed account of Henry Miller and his death. It was written to Henry’s father.

Listen Here

Hearing History, part two – The Music

You can get a preview of the music in A Resting Place by checking out the podcasts in this post.

Dan Rice Theme Song – Listen here

Oh Freedom – Listen here

Rock Me to Sleep – Listen here

The band of A RESTING PLACE in dress rehearsal. Photography © H. Scott Heist 12

Stay tuned for the next installment of letters read aloud in the next post.

Hearing History, part one – Colonel Selfridge

The character of James Peifer quotes an impassioned speech by Selfridge, in dress rehearsals for A RESTING PLACE. Photography © H. Scott Heist 12

As we prepare to bring the Civil War to the stage in A Resting Place, opening this Friday, April 13, we turn back to the history that inspired us, and just as we have shared the descriptions and images of the process, we want to share the words and voices as well. Tune in over the next few days for letters read aloud and snippets recorded in rehearsal.

We start with recordings of letters from Col. Selfridge. For more on Selfridge, check out the earlier entries of transcripts from The Moravian, circa 1862 and 1863

1. From Selfridge to his Brother
Battle-field near Culpepper, Aug, 11, 1862.
Listen here.

2. A dedication and presentation of sword to Col. Selfridge from his soldiers
10/16/1882
Listen here.

3. Selfridge’s response to the dedication.
Listen here.

 

From a Former Slave to a Former Master

A scan of the original letter, as posted in the New York Daily Tribune

It’s Black History Month and the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and what better way to embrace both than by taking a look at Mister Jourdan Anderson, a former slave from Tennessee, and his rich, bone-dry, deadpan letter to his former master, Colonel P.H. Anderson?

The letter was dictated and published in the 1865 New York Daily Tribune. In recent years, it has become a quiet, sparkling internet gem, as engaging a read now as it was a hundred and fifty years ago.

In it, Anderson cordially greets his former master:

I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. […] Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living.

He continues:

I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. […] Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

The letter is well worth reading in its entirety as a triumph of civility and wit.