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Lyndsay E. Hall (1832-1863)

Lyndsay E. Hall was born in Elbert Co., GA in 1832, one of the eleven children of Thomas Hall and Nancy Laremore. Lyndsay's siblings were Jack, Simeon, Frances Elizabeth, Dorothea A., Alexander, James Nicholas, Francis Marion, Sarah, Mary J. and William Hall. Lyndsay married Mary Elizabeth Burden (1836-1917) on Jan. 9th, 1853 in Elbert Co. Mary was the daughter of Micajah Burden and Sarah Pulliam.

Lindsey was enrolled as a conscript in the Company H, 38th Georgia Regiment, on Sept. 10th, 1862. He first reported to at Camp Randolph, GA, an instruction camp. From there he traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia to join his company.

On 2 Sep 1862 he wrote a letter to his wife from Camp Randolph which reads as follows:

"Camp Randolph Geo. September 2, 1862.

My dear companion it is with pleasure this evening that I take my pen in hand to communicate to you a few lines to which leaves me as well as common and some what better than it was when i wrote to you before and when those few lines comes affloat i hope they may find you enjoying the same grate blessing that God has blessed me with. Dear Wife i havent anything worth your attention to write only i would be the gladest in the world to see you and the dear children this evening which feels so near and dear to me by the ties of nature in this wide world of trouble. I hope God will bles you and stand by you while i am absent from you and if we are never permitted to meet here on earth again let us try to meet in heaven where there will be no more wars and troubles to pester us. Our fair is some better than we heard it was but it is bad at that wife it isnt nothing like home sweet home i tell you.

"we have very stricked auders here and very tite rules and auders to obey. Just like negroes dose there masters only more so. so I can tell you times is hard hard and very distrefshul shure. We arrived at Calhoun Thursday night about 12 o'clock and was examined by sergean Mugett Friday eavening and he said that i had the dispesia and he pronounced me able and cent me on to camp and he dident only send me there but he sends all let their disease be what it may for theirs men here now that have to go and shoks(?) and you no by that its a bad chance for any person to get off. Dear wife we donte no how long we will stay here but we donte think we will stay more than a week longer for the general opinion of the people but its one thing that encurages us we will be reexamined when we get to Richmond, Va. and probably some of us will get off there and when we get there we will have permission to go to any company we chuse and if i have to i expect to go to pats company where brother Simeon and Marion is.

Dear wife as for furlough we cant get any of them here at all for theres no to be granted here but i will come home if theres any chance when i get to Richmond provided i can get a ferlough when i get there. Dear Wife I have never heard from non of my brothers sense i have been here. i thought i would write to brother James but i no not where to write to for they have been fighting some up there and i not where to direct my letters to. Dear wife i want you to find out where they are if you can and let me no if you please so i can write to them and when you write give me all the nuse in general about things for i caint here no here Dear wife i want you to tell willis to get some boddy to stay with you and if i ever live to get back i will sadisfy him for it
matters not what the cost is and that he must do the bes he can and i will do the same and i hope it wonte be long tell i will see you again and be with you here on earth. i must close and i am in a hurry and drill time is nigh and i will write more the next time. So far well Dear wife you must pray for me and will for you that we may meet again Adieu your dear husband tell Death.
Lynza E. Hall

On the back of the above letter was a note to his brother:
"Dear brother i wante you to take care of my foder and try and save it all if you can and also i want you to take care of my stock and i will sadisfy you for it for i donte no when I will return again home. i want you to care for all my things there and take good care of yourself and i will do the ame--so farewelldear brother tell death. Lynza E. Hall"

In another letter to his wife on 19 Sep 1862 he writes:

Camp Lee near Richmond Virginia Sept. the 19th 1862.

My dear companion its with pleasure that i take my pen in hand to drop you a few lines which leaves me well as common at the present and when those few lines embraces your attention i hope they may find you enjoyhing the same. i am well at this time except cold.Dear wife i havent anything worth your attention to write only i would be glad to see you at this time but caint we left Camp Randolph the 10th and arrived here the 15th and of all the tiresome rides that i ever had in my life i had it coming up to this place we had to ride on the old boxcars and they were just as black and greasey as they could be and we had to ride with 34 in a box.

Dear wife I expect we will pass through another examination here for they have been examine all that come here from Georgia except a few companies that came with us up here i recon we will be examined again in a few days they are turning off several here and probably i may be exempted and i may not i cant tell anything about it tell the day comes.

Dear wife i found brother Marion here but he was not well he taken the Measels the next day after he left Camp Randolph and has been sick ever sensebut he is better now the doctor looked at him a good while before he would receive him for he waid that his longs was affected and was constant spiting up blood and i donte think he will stay in the army long before he will be Discharged and sent hom if he should have the luck to get there. he sends his love to you all and wished to be remembered by you all tell death.

There is some people here that donte think the war will last long an i hope it wonte so we poore soldiers can come home again and enjoy ourselves together with each other. Though we can here most anything here but the truth. Tell Father and Mother howdy for me and give them my love and that they must take care of their self and i will try and do the same and that they need not be oneasy about Marion for i will try and take care of him for i hope him wash yesterday and will do anything to help him along and take all the care of him that i can. Dear wife i havent received but one letter from you yet and was truly sorry that Willie hadnt got no one to stay with you but i hope he has by this time tell him if he hasnt got no one yet to get someone let it cost what it will for if i ever get back home again and can live i will be truly sadisfied tell him i will thank him kindly to accommodate me in getting some one. So i must close you must take care of yourself and the dear loving children and do the best you can for yourself and i will try and do the same give my love to all inquiring friends and receive a potion for yourself so write soon and donte delay and when you write direct your letters to Richmond Virginia Camp Lee in care of Col Shields so farewell Dear wife and dear loving children take care of yourself for i hope the time my not be far distant tell i will be with you all again yours truly husband tell Death.

Adieu
Lynza Hall

In another letter to his brother-in-law Willis King, he wrote:

"Dear brother Willis King i now write you a few lines which leaves me as well as common except cold i would be glad to see you now and talk upon former events of they day brother i have seen more sense i left home than i ever expected to see before. Brother my notions now is like they allwais was about matters in general. Dear brother you can reade this letter through and find out all the nuse that i have to relate at this time but if i was at home i could then tell you all about things in general and how the times was in camp. Dear brother i want you to be shure and keep somebody there with Polly that you can relie upon to take care of the crop and the stock and such like and that all things my work together well and go on well and smotheley. Dear brother i have never received no letter from nary brother that i've got sense here i have been and i would be the gladest in the world to here from you all no at this time for we no not when we will get to our regiment but we hope it wont be long if we have to go.

Dear brother tell Par and Mother that Brother Marion sais that he wants him a good par of number 9 war shoes made and his close made ready for him so he can get them whenever he calls for them. Brother i want you to write to me where Brother James is and how he is for i cannot here nor lerne where he is myself so i want you to write to me where he is and when you heard from him and let me know where to Direct my letters to so i mus close write soon and donte delay yours truly tell Death...Lynza Hall...When this you see remember me."

In a letter to his sister Mary from Lynza's brother Marion, dated in September 1862 at a Camp near Shenandoah River, Marion indicated that his brother Lynza was in the hospital at Winchester with the measles but was getting along very well.

Lindsey died in camp on April 15th, 1863 at Fredericksburg, VA while a member of Co. H., 38th GA Infantry, and is buried in the Confederate cemetery at Spotsylvania.

Notes: Thomas Hall, father of Lyndsay, was a son of William Hall and Sarah Blake. Lyndsay's mother Nancy Laremore (Lourimore) was the daughter of Samuel Lourimore. Lyndsay's children were Sara Jane, Joseph Thomas Alexander, Lindsey T. and James Hall.]

Bio and letters courtesy of Mr. Chandler Eavenson, photo of tombstone by Dale Nichols