James and Rhoda George
James George was born in 1819 in New York. After serving in the military during the Mexican War, he and his wife moved to Minnesota in 1854 and settled in Olmsted County. He later served as a Colonel in the Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and raised many of the recruits for Company C of that unit. He traveled south with his regiment during the Civil War.
"I hope I am mistaken as to the duration of the war. It looks to me to be quite indefinite. I hope to be able to do my duty while it lasts."
His wife Rhoda George traveled with him as far as Kentucky, where she wrote about life at camp. Her letters show that she was torn between staying with her husband and going home to her children in Minnesota. In one letter, she wrote:
"Girls at home... you tell us how much you want to see us. You can't want to see me more than I do you but I do not give away to feeling sad or unhappy about you for I think that you are far better off than if you were here. And as long as Pa is obliged to be here I think that he needs me more than you do and I think it my duty to stay with him as long as I can."
Below is a portrait of James George and a selection of letters James and Rhoda wrote together before she returned to Minnesota later in 1862. Click or tap on the letters to view the documents and access a typed transcript.
- Portrait of James George, Oronoco, Minnesota
- Letter from James and Rhoda George to their children from Lebanon Junction, Kentucky
- Letter from Rhoda George to her children and Anta from Camp Anderson, Lebanon Junction, Kent...
- Letter from James George and Rhoda George to their children from Lebanon, Kentucky
After Rhoda left, James continued writing many letters to his family back home. He wrote about his health and finances, but he also described the movements of his regiment and the fights they experienced.
"The enemy attacked us Sunday morning before breakfast with a force largely outnumbering ours; we whipped them badly, killed General Z. + chased them into their entrenchments when night stopped us."
Click or tap on the letters to view the documents and access a typed transcript.
- Letter from James George to his children, location unknown
- Letter from James George to his children from Columbia, Tennessee
- Letter from James George to his wife and children from Cornith, Mississippi
- Letter from James George to his wife and children from near Tuscumbia, Alabama
- Letter from James George to his wife and children, location unknown
- Letter from James George to his wife and children from Ringgold, Georgia
In September 1863, James George commanded a position during the Battle of Chickamauga on the border between Tennessee and Georgia. Many years later, his son Edward "Ned" George wrote about how his father and fellow gunners held the position during Confederate General Longstreet's advance. Ned claimed that Longstreet "telegraphed to confederate Headquarters that he had met with the bloodiest defeat of his career" after this battle. Read Ned's account of his father's command in the document below:
Continue exploring this exhibit using the page links below.