August 29, 1862

Dear Mother,                                                                 

I am very sorry for keeping you worried. I know you haven’t seen me since the war started. I joined the Civil War as a confederate soldier when my husband John was drafted. I couldn’t bear to be without him, so I went with him. I cut all of my hair off and got new clothing so I could disguise myself as a man. It had worked for 2 months until the lieutenant in charge of my regiment discovered that I was actually a woman. He sent me to Missouri where I stayed for only a week, before I rejoined the army. I was kicked out and rejoined 4 times until I was arrested last night.

Unfortunately, I’m writing to you from my prison stall. I presume that I’m near Richmond Virginia, because that is where I was arrested. My regiment, under the lead of the general, was on their 15th and final day of a march from our camp in St. Louis Missouri to Richmond Virginia. We were marching to fight in the battle of Richmond against the Union Army. I wish I was fighting for my country right now, however I am instead sharing an old barn stall with 3 other soldiers. 

After a long day of walking, all of the soldiers including myself decided to have a glass of pop skull while the drama club performed. It turned into a long night with a lot of drinking, dancing, games and food. I lost all control and accidentally admitted to my female identity which had been hidden from the general until then. He immediately forced me to pack my few belongings and forced me to this terrible prison.

I loved representing my country in this war, however being a soldier was physically and emotionally taxing. I saw my own husband get shot right in front of me after only 2 weeks in the army. We were constantly hungry, because we were not given the food we were promised. Most days we were only given a little bit of hardtack and some embalmed beef. We were also constantly dehydrated from our lack of water, and our living conditions were horrendous. Some nights we were forced to set up camp in forests or even ditches. It was a constant struggle being a soldier and being away from my family. 

Like many of my fellow soldiers, It became hard to get up and out of my tent in the morning. Being without John has taken all of my energy out of me. It has been a long time since I was in my home state of Tennessee. John is dead now so I will be living with you again once I am released. I hope home isn’t too different since the beginning of the war.

Sincerely your daughter,

Linda Marie Taylor