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THBLast Letter Home from Lieutenant Theodore W. Hodges, 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, KIA Battle of Shiloh
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Cincinnati , OH 45232
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About Auction
LiveJun 22, 2018
Cowan’s American History: Premier Auction, scheduled for June 22, 2018 is comprised of early photographs, documents, manuscripts, broadsides, flags, and more dating from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Late Indian Wars, World War I and II and beyond. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
Hodges, Theodore W. (d. 1862). Lieutenant of Company C, 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. ALS, 8pp (6 with writing), 7.75 x 10 in., "Near Pittsburgh Tenn." March 27, 1862. Capitol building and "Congress" text embossed at upper left corner of each page. Letter is dated ten days before Lieutenant Hodges’ death at the Battle of Shiloh.
In this letter, Hodges describes the capture of Columbus, Kentucky, writing:
We arrived within sight of the fort the next morning at day break, there was three steamers with troops and seven gun boats and two tug boats, the gun boats dropped down within a mile of the fort and formed a line of battle, they moved very carefull [sic], General Sherman was in command of the forces, was on our boat, one of the tugs came along side our boat and the Genl ordered me with thirty men to go with him to reconoitre [sic], we got close enough to see the fort plain, and found that there was no guns mounted, we then crossed and landed at the water batterie [sic], (there is three) and climbed the hill into the fort, (the hill is about one hundred and fifty feet high from the water,) and planted the stars and stripes, the fort is a very large one and very strong, we found they had taken away and destroyed everything with the exception of ten or twelve guns and some shot...
Hodges writes of continuous marching and camping, until his tone brightens to explain a humorous nickname some of his men call the Confederate soldiers. He writes, "...did not see a Butternut as the boys call the secesh, as they all wear Butternut collored [sic] clothes, the boys all soon began to feel well and sing I wish I was in dixie..."
As Hodges' men march toward Monterey, they are met by enemy fire. He describes, "...within one mile of the place our advance guard was fired into by Rebel cavalry, but they soon had to retreat. We marched up to the town and sent the guard ahead. They soon found them again and fired on them, there was about twenty shots fired and no one hurt. I saw the smoke from the guns but did not see the Butternuts as we were reconoitering and only had three Regt's with us. The General thought it best not to go any farther as he learned that there was about sixty thousand of them about ten miles from that place..."
Drawing ever closer to Shiloh, Hodges mentions some of the foliage the city is most famous for, writing, "The Peach trees have been in bloom ever since we first landed here." He draws his letter to a close, turning to more sentimental matters such as his hopes to see his family again. He writes, "I think this war will end soon, and if spared I will pay you a visit." Unfortunately, Hodges would not be spared, as the battle in which he lost his life was about to get underway.
Theodore W. Hodges enlisted in the United States Army as a sergeant, in September of 1861, mustering into Company C of the 55th Illinois Infantry the next month. Though he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in March of 1862, it is unknown whether or not he ever received the commission before his death on April 6, 1862. In The Story of the Fifty-Fifth Regiment Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War, 1861-1865, Hodges' good friend, Robert Oliver, remembers the fatal blow: "Hodges came to me and knelt down on one knee with the point of his sword on the ground, and said, 'Oliver, as soon as you get your gun loaded take Ainsbury to the rear; he is' then he was hit by a canister shot in the head. He hunt to the hilt of his sword until his hand came to the ground, bending the sword double, and when he let go it bounded six feet into the air. I was therefore left to accomplish the unfinished command of a good officer. That was the last command he ever gave."
Letter with a few separations/holes at creases, with some discoloration on third page. Text dark and clearly visible. Lot also includes consignor's transcription of letter along with photo copies of Company C roster, showing Hodges' name.Condition
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