Newspaper Investigation

[Johnny_Reb_1865]

So this newspaper clipping has been making the rounds for several years. I'd like to know if this "letter" is authentic but there is nothing in this article identifying the soldier in question other than he was part of Pettigrew's brigade which was made up of the 11th, 26th, 47th, and 52nd North Carolina Regiments.

The writer of this opinion piece to a newspaper (The Daily Press?? It says Charlottsvile) says his ancestor was his grandfather so they probably shared the same surname.

So I did a little research and found that there were over 409 men by the name of "Smith" from North Carolina who didn't make it through the war.
I have already taken a look at the 11th North Carolina Regiment and couldn't find a man named "Smith" who died at Gettysburg so I think we can scratch the 11th off.

These two men might be of interest.

Wiley R. Smith
Residence Chatham County NC; 24 years old.
Enlisted on 5/15/1862 at "Cartersville" as a Private.
On 5/15/1862 he mustered into "E" Co. NC 26th Infantry
He died of wounds (date not stated) at Winchester, VA
He was listed as:
* Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA (In the leg (amputated), Estimated day)

William H. Smith
Residence Anson County NC; 24 years old.
Enlisted on 7/1/1861 at Anson County, NC as a Private.
On 7/1/1861 he mustered into "K" Co. NC 26th Infantry
He died wounds POW on 7/18/1863 at Hosp, Gettysburg, PA
He was listed as:
* Wounded 7/3/1863 Gettysburg, PA (Head wound)
* POW 7/4/1863 Gettysburg, PA
* Hospitalized 7/5/1863 Gettysburg, PA

Would anyone else like to take a try at this?

 

[mofederal]

Thank you. It was a very good and interesting letter.

 

[A. Roy]

It's too bad that this clip doesn't include a full reference. However, it does appear to have been a letter-to-the-editor at the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Va., from 6 Dec. 2010. That website is paywalled, so I can't see the original article.

It's also too bad that the writer of the letter hasn't given his grandfather's name, rank, regiment, or other details. The surname wouldn't necessarily have been Smith, if this was his maternal grandfather. The lack of important specifics does kind of call into question the authenticity of the source. Still, it could be genuine. If Jefferson Smith had a grandfather in the Civil War, Jefferson would have had to have been pretty old in 2010, so I wonder whether he would still even be alive today.

It's kind of a cool letter, if authentic.

Roy B.

 

[Johnny_Reb_1865]

It's too bad that this clip doesn't include a full reference. However, it does appear to have been a letter-to-the-editor at the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Va., from 6 Dec. 2010. That website is paywalled, so I can't see the original article.

It's also too bad that the writer of the letter hasn't given his grandfather's name, rank, regiment, or other details. The surname wouldn't necessarily have been Smith, if this was his maternal grandfather. The lack of important specifics does kind of call into question the authenticity of the source. Still, it could be genuine. If Jefferson Smith had a grandfather in the Civil War, Jefferson would have had to have been pretty old in 2010, so I wonder whether he would still even be alive today.

It's kind of a cool letter, if authentic.

Roy B.

My thoughts exactly. I was hoping that with this thread we'd find something out.

 

[lupaglupa]

That letter seems a bit too perfect for me. I've read a lot of letters from the time and few come off as polished as this one does. Obviously it's possible that the writer cleaned up the spelling and grammar but even setting that aside, the sentiments are not only deeply philosophical they are remarkably prescient as to what issues concern some Americans today. It is hard for me to believe someone writing in 1863 would be predicting future governmental intrusion in private religious expression.

Meanwhile, I find only two men named Jefferson Smith or some variant in the state of Virginia whose birthdates are reasonably close (though not exact - if the letter writer was 82 in 2010) and were living at the time of publication. Neither is the exact age nor, as far as I can tell, lived in Charlottesville (though those records would, for instance, pick up someone temporarily living with a relative).

We could, however, build trees for those men if we wished and look at their grandfathers. I don't think doing that in public here though would be fair to them as we don't know if they are the letter writer.

 

[lupaglupa]

Okay - I can take one of these men back to an ancestor from North Carolina who served, though he was not at Gettysburg and did not die until well after the War.

Just looking at the math required for an 82-year-old-man to have a grandfather who died at Gettysburg makes one wonder - assuming, however unlikely, the man (and it has to be a man) was conceived on the eve of the battle, the latest this man's father could have been born was April of 1864. Which means he would have to have been about 64 when the man was born (which is why I eliminate the mother as the child of the grandfather who died). It's not impossible but very unusual and easy to disprove in Census records.

I call fake - or at least highly altered.

 

[Johnny_Reb_1865]

Okay - I can take one of these men back to an ancestor from North Carolina who served, though he was not at Gettysburg and did not die until well after the War.

Just looking at the math required for an 82-year-old-man to have a grandfather who died at Gettysburg makes one wonder - assuming, however unlikely, the man (and it has to be a man) was conceived on the eve of the battle, the latest this man's father could have been born was April of 1864. Which means he would have to have been about 64 when the man was born (which is why I eliminate the mother as the child of the grandfather who died). It's not impossible but very unusual and easy to disprove in Census records.

I call fake - or at least highly altered.

I was leaning more towards fake.. I find it suspicious he doesn't mention his grandfather's name. It seems really odd.

 

[A. Roy]

I was leaning more towards fake.. I find it suspicious he doesn't mention his grandfather's name. It seems really odd.

Sounds as if most of us are leaning in that direction, too. It's possible it's authentic -- but if so, it's too bad the writer of the letter-to-the-editor didn't provide enough details to confirm it. Given the politically-oriented content, it could be an attempt at disinformation.

R

 

[19thGeorgia]

According to this item (scroll about 1/2 way down) the writer was Major John Quincy Adams Richardson. He was a member of the 52nd North Carolina Infantry. Jefferson Smith wrote the article to the Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA) back in 2010.

Many people claimed the letter to be a hoax.

 

[lupaglupa]

According to this item (scroll about 1/2 way down) the writer was Major John Quincy Adams Richardson. He was a member of the 52nd North Carolina Infantry. Jefferson Smith wrote the article to the Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA) back in 2010.

Many people claimed the letter to be a hoax.

View attachment 526202

Where did you find this additional information?

 

[19thGeorgia]

Where did you find this additional information?

Where did you find this additional information?

click on 'item'

 

[lupaglupa]

Duh. Thank you.

Interestingly, I cannot find any information on Ancestry about Richardson, other than his Find a Grave entry and military records. I would expect him to show up in family trees but he does not.