Russell M. Cassidy Of Georgia

Stiles/Akin

Sergeant Major
Joined
Apr 1, 2016
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
RUSSELL M. CASSIDY of GEORGIA - "I send you my minature [sic] with my uniform and weapons of war."
by Craig Heberton IV

Cassidy was born in Knox County, Tennessee in 1844 and enlisted on June 12, 1861 in Company G of the 9th Georgia Regiment Vol. Infantry. That regiment fought at Gettysburg, the Wilderness Campaign, Knoxville, Chickamauga, Second Manassas, and Cold Harbor, among others. Ultimately, the regiment surrendered at Appomattox Court House, VA.

After having this "miniature" ambrotype taken, Sergeant Russell M. Cassidy then at Lafayette, Walker Co., Georgia, placed it inside a letter dated May 20, 1861 to his cousin Nancy Sawyers, explaining that:
"This is perhaps the last news you will hear from me for some time to come. I may see you all on earth again but if I should not I hope we may reunite in heaven. I send you my minature [sic] with my uniform and weapons of war. We are hoping for a call every day. I hope now soon it may come we are all one way here now ... tell all the girls howdy for me ..."
I remain your Cosin [sic] till Death
R. M. Cassaday
P.S. You will se [sic] my Grade of office and you will also see that I am well sunburned. I haven't shaved for three weeks and don't intend to until the wars are won."
His War letters to his cousin, Nancy Sawyers (who later married Ganum Cox McBee), give various battlefield accounts, including this excerpt from a July 20, 1862 letter sent from near Richmond:
"we have run all the yankeys away from Richmond killing thousands and traking the same prisoners. We lost a great many good an Brave men too but we must not think of whiping all the time an not loosing no men though as long as we do as well as we have done we will be verry well satisfied and will whip the fight an gaine our independance and then we will live like white folks once more… Dead men are as common here as hogs at killing time in your ****ry and the most of men killed on our side are young men but thank God they was killed in a good cause…for 3 hours or more the balls falling thick around me."
A letter dated January 4, 1863 from Burton's Hospital, Lynchburg, Va. recited that: "I am here wounded and cant get away I thought I would have started home this weeke but the smallpox broke out in the hospital." Eleven days later he wrote from the same place "there is a great deal of Robing and murdering going on….Hospital servants was almost killed last night by one of them he was struck with a hatchet. The Patience are dying verry fast here with different diseases …"
He was wounded again at Petersburg, Va. in September 1864, requiring another visit to the hospital.
Cassady died on December 19, 1874 in Walker County, Georgia according to Georgia pension records for Amanda Cassady. His military records claim he died from wounds in Lynchburg in 1865.
http://9thgeorgiainfantry.org/Cassaday.html
The other ambrotype may depict Cassady's cousin, Nancy E. Sawyers of Knox County, TN.
All images courtesy of Case Antiques, Knoxville, TN. The information above is from the auction description for these items.
66799674_10162088632160333_6899792869997936640_n.jpg
66651643_10162088635935333_321390946765766656_n.jpg
66772571_10162088632335333_752794324017610752_o.jpg
 
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