Dear Geneva Thompson, May 7th, 1864

It’s been a while since we’ve been in touch. How have you been? You may not remember me, but my name is Samuel Daniels, an old friend of your son, Mathew. As you may have heard, it has just been the end of the Wilderness battle here near Spotsylvania County, Virginia. People are now cleaning up the leftovers of the blood bath, picking up bodies here and there, and bringing the leftovers of the people who survived to me. I’m a doctor in the midst of all this chaos. We’ve been losing materials, equipment, soldiers… may they rest in peace. Now that the Union won this battle too, hopefully we are near the end of this hell fest. 

I’ve been healing soldiers all through the war, but nothing has affected me the same as one of today’s patients. A red-head, tall, skinny, 19 year old, very pale, ragged, boy appeared in the hospital today. You may know this patient. He was shot four times, two times in his left leg and two times in his right leg, and diagnosed with Typhoid Fever. Nurses came in holding rags full of oils in the four wounded holes and others were placed on his forehead, as his eyes kept rolling back and forward in his eye sockets. I had to amputate a little over his knee, and I’m afraid he’s now laying on his deathbed, hanging on for dear life. I’m sorry Ms. Geneva, but this patient is Mathew. The same Mathew I used to run through the corn fields back home with. The same Mathew that played kicked the can with me. I never saw this coming… I’ve seen this happen multiple times at the hospital with other patients and doctors, but why Mathew? I know many people and families are being affected by this war, and you might be too. May god take his soul, like many other soldiers, and put them to rest. My sincere condolences Ms. Geneva. 

I’m using the last of my arm strength to write you this letter. I’ll be headed back to curing patients in just a moment, but Mathew asked me to write this last part too. The war has become nothing but just a place of violence with no reason behind all the fighting. It’s just a way for both sides to get their anger out on each other by saying there is a “reason” for all this. He is right. Someday, hopefully soon, all this will end and we’ll be in a better place now, everyone. But for now, please protect yourself and your other children. Don’t worry about Mathew, the lord is protecting him. He’ll always be in our hearts and minds. 

Hope this letter gets to you safely, 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Samuel Daniels