Private John Wesley Daniels
Information comes from Shared & Shared 23 Website
This letter was written by Confederate Soldier John Wesley Daniels (1832-1915) of Grants Lick, Campbell county, Kentucky. Daniels served as a private in Co. C, 1st Kentucky Cavalry (Butler’s). He was married to Cynthia Bryant Colvin (1834-1909) in 1850 and divorced during or soon after the war. He married his second wife, Mary Ann Bravard in 1868.
Daniels wrote the letter while serving as a prisoner of war at Camp Morton near Indianapolis. The camp was located on a tract of land bordered by 22nd Street, Talbott Avenue, 19th Street and Central Avenue. The land had been established as state fairgrounds. In 1861 it was converted to a military training camp, and named after the governor. In 1862 the facilities were used to house Confederate prisoners of war. Approximately 4,000 prisoners arrived in February of that year. In the summer of 1864 the prisoner population reached nearly 5,000.
Weary of fighting many took the oath of allegiance to the United States Constitution and to the Union according to Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction of 8 December 1863. On 1 April 1865, 1,408 prisoners were at the camp. In June 1865 the last of the Confederate prisoners were released. In 1868 the State Fair returned to this location, where it continued to be held until 1892.
Daniels wrote the letter to Col. James Taylor (1802-1883) of Campbell county, Kentucky.
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Transcription: Camp Morton, Indiana, 19 July 1864
Col. James Taylor, Sir,
The fate of war has made me prisoner and process of time has so far exhausted my funds here that my absolute needs compel me to tax the goodness of friends to administer temporal relief unto me. Our acquaintance (though limited) prompts me to address you with full faith that my request will be granted. I am one of the company who acted as body guard to General [George Baird] Hodge. I lived in Campbell County near your lands, have carried the chain on several occasions surveying for you, [and] am intimately familiar with your agent, Esqr. Yelton.
Notwithstanding, hard fate has so fixed me that I ask temporal pecuniary aid. Can you send me say 5 or $10 until I meet with a chance to replace? If so, do it by express to “care of Col. [Ambrose A.] Stevens Command & Camp” and charge your friend, — J. W. Daniels; N. B. I belong to General Hodge’s Brigade and he chose our company as his body guard. — J. W. D of Co. C, 1st Ky.
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Kentucky Post, Wednesday, 18 May 1904, page 8
Privates Joseph White and John W Daniels of the hospital corps,
have been ordered by telegraph from Washington for duty at the St Louis
Exposition in place of Private Alex McDonald and A Horn, who remain here for
duty. "Doc" White will be greatly missed by the residents of this section of the
Highlands, by whom he is highly esteemed.
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John Wesley Daniels was born 29 July 1831 in Grants Lick to Beverly Daniels and Annie Stevenson. He died 2 Aug 1915 in Dover, Mason, Ky.