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Thomas Hannah, Jr.
...Civil War
letters from Memphis |
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Thomas Hannah, Jr., Illinois 95th Infantry, Company G, was
stationed at Adams General Hospital, Number 3, in Memphis,
during the Civil War. From
26 January 1863 to 30 July 1864, he served as Ward
Master at the hospital. During this period he wrote over 100 letters to
his wife Elizabeth Marshall Hannah in Belvidere, Illinois.
In these letters he discusses life in Memphis, speaks about
nurses with whom he worked, and of his love for his wife.
These letters have been transcribed by his great, great
grandson, Michael Bryan Fiske, the family
historian/genealogist who has shared some of these unique
letters with this website.
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All
family photos and letters below are courtesy of the
Family of Robert Huntoon Hannah, grandson of Thomas Hannah,
Jr. We thank them for allowing us to publish the letters
and photos on
this page. |
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Thomas Hannah, Jr.
was born 11 February 1835 in or near Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
He was the first child of Thomas and Jane Hannah. There were 3
brothers and 1 sister. Thomas emigrated from Canada to Massillion, Ohio when he was quite young. He married
Elizabeth Marshall in 1855 and shortly after their marriage moved to
Belvidere, Illinois to join the Hannah family, who now resided
there. The Hannah's were farmers.
In 1862, Thomas became a naturalized U. S. citizen. Thomas and
Elizabeth's first child died in infancy. Their second son
Jesse was born in 1860, followed in 1862 by Thomas. This same
year, Thomas joined the army for three years and was mustered out in
1865. He was wounded at Spanish Fort in 1865 and died October
22, 1865. Elizabeth received a
widow's pension and a
pension for her minor children. |
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Belvidere, Illinois
is located in Boone Country, Illinois, approximately 75 miles from
Chicago. It was first settled in
1835 by Simon P. Doty who named the location "Elysian Fields".
The site was originally built on the north side of the Kiswaukee
River, In 1851 a railroad was build south of the river
and the business section followed to the south side, where
Belvidere's downtown is still located. The community is
surrounded by prosperous farms. This was the environment
Thomas left when he joined the army in 1862 and he would
remember in his letters from Memphis. |
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Belvidere Farmland |
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Memphis
in 1863 was a rough and growing "river town". It had more than
its share of saloons and bordellos. There was a Main Street
and a Beale Street. Along Main Street one would find all types
of shops and businesses, as well as numerous hotels, restaurants,
and theatres. But due to a lack of any sanitation system, it was one of the dirtiest
cities on earth - with a fowl smell because of the rotting creosote-soaked wood, used in it's paving.
Riverboats loaded with cotton lined the river banks below the bluff
and nearly 400,000 bales of cotton a year were being sold in
Memphis. This made it a key city for the Confederacy as well
as for the Union. And Memphis had been taken by
the Union Navy in June of 1962, in a 90 minute battle on the Mississippi.
It remained an occupied city for the remainder of the war.
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At the beginning of the occupation U. S. Grant was in charge and he planned his upcoming
Battle of Vicksburg in the library of the Hunt Phelan home.
When Grant moved on to conquer Vicksburg, he left William Sherman in
charge, and he planned his "March to the Sea" while staying at the Gayoso Hotel.
Memphis became a major "hospital and supply City"
for the Union Army. There were over 8 hospitals in the
downtown area - mostly set up in the larger hotels.
For most Memphians, Union occupation was a devastating
experience. Those who stayed in the city faced the agonizing
decision of whether or how to resist the enemy and the great
majority did resist to some degree. But there were also
advantages to occupation. Army authorities provided police and
fire protection, health services, and courts of law. Most
citizens could live a relatively normal life during this
period, but the city became a focus for illicit trade in raw
cotton, which was in great demand by the northern cotton mills.
The illicit trade in raw cotton also corrupted the Union Army
officers. |
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This was
the environment that Thomas Hannah found when he arrived in
Memphis January 1863. The Adams Hospital where he was
assigned, had been converted from the old Worsham House
Hotel on the corner of Adams and Main. It was here that he
wrote over 100 letters to his wife Elizabeth.
And
she saved all the letters ...
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Adams Hospital |
Typical
Hospital Ward |
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Thomas
Hannah's letter
selections are presented below in their original hand-written form and in their
transcribed form. The visitor may click on the small icon for their choice of either version. The files are in the
PDF format and some are quite large and may take some time to load -
especially the original hand-written letters.
Please
be patient while they load. |
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Please use your
BACK BUTTON when opening and closing these letters... |
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The Thomas
Hannah Jr. letters were transcribed by
Michael Bryan Fiske,
recently retired professor of Mathematics at Shawnee State
University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Michael, the great, great
grandson of Thomas Hannah, Jr., is the family historian/genealogist
and inherited the family files from his grandfather Robert Huntoon
Hannah. He plans to publish all of the letters at a later
date.
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Michael Fiske
frequented the internet and posted information during his quest for
information about the nurses Thomas mentioned in his letters.
Below is one of his postings:
"I inquired about the names of nurses who are mentioned in letters
written from Adams Hospital, by my second great grandfather, Thomas
Hannah, Illinois 95th Infantry, Company G, to his wife,
Elizabeth Marshall Hannah, in Belvidere, Illinois. Thomas was a
ward master at Adams Hospital. I have found a photo album:
In Honor of the
National Association of Civil War Army Nurses.
1910*.
The album contains photographs and brief summaries of the lives of
women who belonged to The National Association of Army Nurses of the
Civil War. This book was published shortly after the 43rd
Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in Salt Lake City,
Utah, 12–13 August 1909."
"I have been able to identify in the album three women with whom
Thomas Hannah served and mentioned in his letters:
Miss Lettie E. Covell (Mrs. Lettie E. Buckley), Mrs. Margaret
Meseroll (Mrs. Maggie Hayes), and Mrs. Mary L Mannon."
"I have included in this post all of the women nurses mentioned in
the album who were stationed either at Adams Hospital or in Memphis.
As I continue my transcriptions, I hope to add additional
information on these women, who played such a vital role in Thomas
Hannah’s life and in the lives of so many other men." |
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*In Honor of the National Association
of Civil War Army Nurses. 1910. |
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Lettie E. Buckley
(Lettie Lovell)
Mrs.
Buckley served as a nurse being enlisted by Sanitary
Commission under her maiden name, Miss Lettie E. Covell from
October 1863 to June 1865 at the Washington and Adams
Hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee. Mrs. Buckley is 73
years of age and receives a pension. She has held
several offices in the Association. Her address is 1955
North Erie Street, Chicago, IL |
| Lettie E.
Lovell |
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Mary L. Mannon
Mrs.
Mary L. Mannon responded with three other ladies to a call for
nurses from Governor Morton of Indiana, leaving Goshen, Indiana
in February 1863 and served in the hospital at Memphis,
Tennessee until June 4, 1865. She was a volunteer but
receives a pension. Mrs. Mannon was born in 1843 and
resides at Los Angeles California. |
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Mary L.
Mannon |
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Margaret Hayes
(Maggie Meserolle)
Under
the name of Maggie Meserolle she served for two years and six
months at Adams General Hospital No. 2 and Gayoso Hospital,
Memphis, Tennessee as a regular nurse. She is nearly blind
but continues to take an active part in the Relief Corps of
which she is now a member, thereby still working for the
soldiers. Her address is 1200 E. 43rd Street, Los Angeles,
California. |
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Maggie
Meseroll |
Margaret Meseroll Hayes
was the oldest living Civil War nurse according to this
notice in the Ingham County News, Mason, Michigan, dated
21 June 1934.
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Mrs.
Elizabeth Baldridge
Mrs. Baldridge
served as a volunteer nurse for nine months at Memphis,
Tennessee. She served under her maiden name, Miss
Elizabeth Lee. Mrs. Baldridge is 77 years of age and
receives a pension. Her address is Pomona, California. |
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Mrs.
Helen M. Burnell
Mrs. Burnell served
under her maiden name, Helen M. Beckett, was a regular nurse in
Adams Hospital Memphis, Tennessee for two years and six months.
She is now 80 years of age and resided at 1110 Windsor Place,
Pasadena, Ca. |
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Eliz. Baldridge |
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Helen M. Burnell |
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Mary B. Maxfield
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Mrs.
Mary B. Maxfield
Mrs. Maxfield left
Peoria, IL November 11, 1863, with the 6th Illinois Cavalry,
which went to Springfield, Illinois, and from there to
Paducah, Kentucky and then to Memphis, where she transferred
to the Adams Block Hospital. She served under her maiden
name, Miss Mary Kenny for twenty two months and was
commissioned by Miss Mary A. Livermore. Mrs. Maxfield is
70 years old and receives a pension. She resides at
Kansas City, KS, and is the Department President of the
National Association of Nurses of the Civil War of Kansas.
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Susan L. Brown
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Mrs.
Susan L. Brown
Mrs. Brown served
under her maiden name, Sue L. McLaughlin. She answered a
call for volunteers from Governor Morton of Indiana, serving
for 9 months on hospital boats on the Mississippi and in
hospitals at Memphis. She is now the wife of S. C.
Brown, Commander of the G.A.R.Department of Georgia and South
Georgia. She is 74 old and resides at Fitzgerald,
Georgia. She receives a pension. She with her
soldier husband do active work in looking after the veterans
in the South, and in caring for the graves of the prisoners in
Andersonville Cemetery. |
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Leonora
Wright
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Mrs.
Leonora Wright
Mrs. Wright served
under her maiden name, Leonora Smith. Her field of labor
was Terre Haute, Indiana, Nashville and Memphis, TN. She
was commissioned by Governor O.P. Morton. Mrs. Wright is
79 years of age. She receives a pension. Her
address is 467 W. 3rd St. Terre Haute, Indiana.
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Comelia Tompkins
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Mrs.
Comelia M. Stanley
Mrs. Stanley
served under her maiden name, Miss Comelia M. Tompkins.
Her home at teh time being Niagara Falls, NY. She was
enlisted by James E. Yeatman, agent for Miss Dix and received
a commission from the later. She served two years and
one month at Memphis, Benton and Jefferson Barracks, St.
Louis. Mrs Stanley's present residence is Gardena, CA,
Box 10 RD. She is 72 years of age. |
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Mary E. Willson
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Mary
Eleanor Willson
Mrs. Willson
volunteered as a nurse in 1862 and served 3 months. She
was the regularly commissioned by Mrs. Mary A. Livermore, acting
for Miss Dix at Chicago, February 1863. Her services
covered almost a period of two years with the Army of the
Cumberland on the field in Post Hospitals, Adam's Block
Hospital, Memphis, and on hospital boats on the Mississippi. Age
not given. Mrs. Willson resides at Westgate, California,
or 622 N. 10th St. Sawtelle, CA. |
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The Civil War Nurse
Women took it upon themselves to prove their use to their
nation by serving as nurses during he Civil War. But they also
wanted to avoid social stigma that could accompany such a
task. Often single women working among many single men
who they didn't know could cause scandalous gossip. To avoid
such a stigma, women took pains to portray themselves as
matronly, and shunned any notions of romance or feelings
beyond matronly, nurturing care. They also often signed
on using their maiden names.
Generally all women seemed to agree that this was the way they
wished to be seen, but there were considerable differences on
how to go about achieving this. Some hospitals even insisted
that women should be "plain", both in their physical
appearance and their clothing, and refused to hire any nurse
under the age of thirty five. With these varied methods
and approaches, almost any woman could become a nurse,
provided she did her best to appear as a respectable, matronly
woman. |
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Credits |
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The
Historic-Memphis website does not intentionally post copyrighted
photos and material without permission or credit.
On
occasion a "non-credited" photo might possibly be posted because we
were unable to find a name to give credit. Because of the nature of
our non-commercial, non-profit, educational website, we strongly
believe that these photos would be considered "Fair Use. We have
certainly made no monetary gain, although those using this website
for historic or Genealogy research have certainly profited. If by
chance,
we have posted your copyrighted photo, please contact us, and we'll
remove it immediately, or we'll add your credit if that's your
choice. In the past, we have found that many photographers
volunteer to have their works included on these pages and we'll
also do that if you contact us with a photo that fits a particular
page. |
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The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the
following for their contributions which helped make this website
possible:
Memphis
Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library,
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County
Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's
Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission,
Memphis Film Commission, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical
Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District,
Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance
Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of
Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew,
George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is
acknowledged on the pages of their contributions. Special
thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche
access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.
We do not have high definition copies of the photos on these
pages. If anyone wishes to secure high definition photos,
you'll have to contact the photographer or the collector.
(To avoid any possibility of contributing to SPAM, we do not
maintain a file of email addresses for anyone who contacts us). |
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