Civil War Archive of Quaker Soldier Charles P. Judkins, 60th Indiana Infantry. . ... (Total: 2 )

Description

Civil War Archive of Quaker Soldier Charles P. Judkins, 60th Indiana Infantry.

A collection of approximately 117 letters dated from January 31, 1862, to May 28, 1865, one accompanied by its original transmittal cover, and three prewar letters dated from February 15, 1854, to May 26, 1857; one set of plans for the allotment of a tract of land, not dated; two bills of land sales dated May 19 and May 26, 1857, respectively, with two attached checks dated May 26, 1857 totaling $5,000; one check for $2537 dated February 18, 1859; one record noting the tracts of land owned by W.A. Riggs, not dated; one leather wallet; one envelope front address to "W.m. M. Trevor," not dated; one 50 cent banknote from the Bank of Tennessee dated December 1, 1861; one newspaper clipping, not dated; one commission of Charles P. Judkins to Sergeant Major of the 60th Regiment of Indiana Foot Volunteers dated November 25, 1862; one appointment of Judkin as Quarter Master Sergeant of the 60th Regiment Indiana Foot Volunteers dated September 1, 1862; one handwritten quote, not dated; one photo matted and dated 1901; one telegram dated May 5, 1864; and one oil portrait of Judkins on canvas mounted on stretchers, signed by C.T. Webber and dated 1902. Documents are written in pencil and ink with some letters copied over in ink and range in size from 2.75" x 2.5" to 15.25" x 17.25". The photo measures 3.25" x 5.25" and is matted to an overall size of 10.37" x 12.37". The oil portrait measures 24.25" x 29.25".

In February 1862, Judkins mustered into Company E of the 60th Indiana Infantry and mustered out on March 11, 1865.

Writing to his mother and several other immediate family members, the majority of the letters in this archive focus on family affairs, at one point reminding his brother, "I wish to draw thy mind to the great object of thy life, or rather to what I wish thee to make the great aim of all thy efforts; an object which it has the wish of thy honored father that both thee and I should keep in view during all the trials and temptations of all our days; and that is the maintenance and support of thy beloved mother, her to whom thee owes all that the [sic] is or all that ever will be."

Judkins' letters offer several unique perspectives on the war. In particular, he describes his time guarding Confederate prisoners at Camp Morton in detail. For example, on February 18, 1862, he wrote his mother about his tent roommate leaving, saying, in part, "...there is another object that I have in taking down the vacant bed, which is that there are several of the prisoners who work in the department that wish to come and sleep in the tent with me. Now although I try to treat them like gentlemen I have not so great an affection for thine as all that..."

Again, on June 7, 1862, Judkins described his role in trying to contain a prison escape. He wrote, in part, "I am very sorry that I missed the train fourthday [sic] morning, but I was so sleepy that I oversleep myself, I had been out all of the night before and all of that day in search of prisoners who had escaped from camp, and it had been raining hard nearly all day and was pretty wet and what was the worst of it I did not get one man."

Only a month later, Judkins wrote of Confederate celebrations after their success at Richmond, stating, "The prisoners had a grand illumination in camp the night I came in honor of the victory to their armies at Richmond, I don't think they would have allowed our men when taken down south how has that battle turned out." Judkins studied the prisoners extensively during his time at Camp Morton and more detailed descriptions of his experiences as well as a printed broadside of the camp's rules is featured in lot 47126.

A year later, Judkins relayed his own close call with capture. On June 3, 1863, he wrote to his mother from outside Vicksburg, Mississippi. He recounted, "Our regiment moved up from Perkins plantation last seventh day; we came very near being taken prisoners there too, the night before we left our scouts were attacked by a force of rebels from Texas under McCoulough [sic], fortunately a gun boat came down in the night and kept them off until we got aboard the steamer 'Forest Queen' which had come down to take us to Warrenton. We were obliged to burn a great many things though and left two of our wagons behind." It is likely that Judkins misidentified the leader of the Confederate forces that night. Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch did command troops from Texas during the early years of the Civil War. However, he died in the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, from a gunshot wound to the chest.

In addition to Judkins' letters, this archive includes several other notable items regarding his service in the war. Most notably, it includes certificates of Judkins' promotions within the 60th Indiana infantry. In quick succession, Judkins was appointed Quarter Master Sergeant on September 1, 1862, and later Sergeant Major of the regiment on November 25, 1862. A telegram message dated May 5, 1864 to his mother reads, "All right escaped chill, Palmer" with notes written by his mother, Mary, along the bottom detailing the movements of her "dear child."

Alongside the wartime ephemera, this collection includes two postwar, and post-humous, images of Judkins. The first is a photo dated 1901, a year after his death. It depicts Judkins looking straight ahead in the traditional black of a physician. The second is an oil portrait produced by C.T. Webber in 1902. A prominent presence in the Cincinnati art scene, Webber achieved a certain level of fame for his piece, Underground Railroad.

Condition: Letters creased along mail folds. Occasional staining at margins, affecting text. Occasional minor foxing and staining. Letter dated July 17, 1862 has significant staining at all four margins and center, affecting text. Staining and foxing to tract drawing. Two checks have paper loss at bottom right corner, affecting signature. Check dated February 18, 1857 has cut cancellation at center, affecting text. Leather wallet exhibits scuffing throughout. Bank note significantly toned with staining along fine crease lines, affecting text. Paper loss at bottom left corner and top and bottom margins. Commissions have minor closed tears at left and right margins.

More Information: Judkins' participation in the Civil War is notable because of his affiliation with the Society of Friends. Although pacifism and nonviolence were critical tenets of the religion, Quakers in both the North and the South found themselves having to decide between their devotion to their faith and their personal convictions about the war. Those who joined the war effort often faced criticism and ostracization from their communities. However, some, like Judkins, remained close to their families and actively practiced their religion as best they could on the front lines.

In the fall of 1862, the 60th Indiana was stationed near Lebanon, Kentucky to guard the railroad bridge over the Rolling Fork River. Only two months earlier, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan made his first raid into Kentucky, wreaking havoc and sowing confusion to push back Union General Don C. Buell's push toward Chattanooga. On July 4, 1862, Hunt's brigade moved north out of Knoxville, Tennessee to cross into Kentucky. From there, the Confederates moved rapidly towards Lebanon, Kentucky, engaging with and taunting Union forces as they went. Finally, on July 28, Hunt retreated, and his famed raid only added to his growing reputation as the Thunderbolt of the Confederacy.