Getting Used to Being Shot At: The Spence Family Civil War Letters - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557287260 ISBN 13: 9781557287267

Publisher: University of Arkansas Press, 2002

Synopsis

This collection of letters bears witness to the Civil War of the common soldiers and junior officers of the Army of Tennessee. Brothers Alex and Tom Spence described to their family in detail not only the many battles in which they served, but the hardship of campaigning (they marched literally thousands of miles), the pride of serving in battle-proven units, and the pain of losing comrades to bullets and disease.
The Spences were a wealthy family who owned land, slaves, and the main hotel in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. With their successful careers and extensive property, they were among Clark County's most prominent families when the shadow of secession fell across Arkansas. Four years later, Arkansas would be ravaged by war, and Tom and Alex Spence would lie in soldiers' graves, far from home. Mark Christ has assembled their powerful letters from a collection in the Old State House Museum, weaving in other letters from their extended family and friends, brief but thorough introductions to each chapter, and evocative photographs. The story moves chronologically from the outset of war to the final letter from Alex's grieving fiancée.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The Spence's were a wealthy family who owned land, slaves, and the main hotel in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. With their successful careers and extensive property, they were among Clark County's most prominent families when the shadow of succession fell across Arkansas. Four years later, Arkadelphia would be ravaged by war, and brothers Tom and Alex Spence would lie in soldiers' graves, far from home.

Mark Christ has assembled the Spence brothers' powerful letters from a collection in Arkansas' Old State House Museum, weaving in other letters from their extended family and friends. He provides brief but thorough introductions to each chapter as well as evocative photographs.

The Spences' letters bear witness to the Civil War of the common soldiers and junior officers of the Army of Tennessee. Alex Spence saw action at Shiloh and most of the other major engagements of that army, while his brother Tom fought in Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They also marched literally thousands of miles, spent weeks in camp, and relied on infrequent travelers to carry precious letters to and from home. They detailed to their family not only the many battles in which they served, but the hardship of campaigning, the pride of serving in battle-proven units, and the pain of losing comrades to bullets and diseases. The story moves chronologically from the outset of war to the final letter from Alex's grieving fiancée.

About the Author:

Mark K. Christ is community outreach director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. He curated the exhibit, "Brothers in Arms: The Spence Family and the Civil War," at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. He is the editor of Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas (1994) and, with Cathryn H. Slater, Sentinels of History: Reflections of Arkansas Properties in the National Register of Historic Places (2000), both published by the University of Arkansas Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1557287260
• ISBN 13: 9781557287267
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Christ Mark K.