From the context of the letter below, Morgan O Taliaferro was a young, single man when he enlisted in New Orleans in the First Louisiana Volunteer Infantry in April 1861.
He was a prisoner in Maryland for the first time in September 1862 when he was left behind, ill, in Frederick. He survived that experience and returned to his regiment in early 1863.
He did not survive his second capture.
He was wounded at the battle at Monocacy in July 1864 and again in a Frederick hospital. He was sent to Baltimore in August then on to the prison at Point Lookout, MD in October.
He was soon after in the smallpox hospital there, where he received the following:
Young Morgan died in the hospital at Point Lookout on 15 March 1865.
Notes
Here’s the cover that contained that letter, for reference:
I have, as yet, found nothing about Taliaferro’s life before the war or his family, and I don’t know specifically how Ella was related to him.
I was prompted to look into him when I found him in a new (to me) database online from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine – a list of Confederate soldiers left behind in Frederick when their army departed on 12 September 1862. I’ll let you know as I learn more about that list.
The Confederate Army occupied the Union’s General Hospital #1 in Frederick, Maryland, just before the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862. When the Confederates departed a week later, they left behind 471 sick and wounded soldiers who could not move with the army. This list covers men, who were later sent to Fort McHenry and exchanged.
Meanwhile, as is my habit, I will look further into all of those soldiers as I get the chance. There’s a story in every one.
Here’s my transcription of Aunt Ella’s letter.
Baltimore. Dec. 6th 1864
Dear Nephew,
I received your letter of Nov 25th. was pleased to hear from you but very sorry to hear that you where sick. I will send you the money you need this week and the gougles [?] also. not hearing from you before I thought you where one of the luckey ones that where sent to be exchanged. Mother is very uneasy about you since she heard of your sickness. write soon and let me know how you are getting. I will write again when I send you the money. good by.
No more at present – Mother’s love to you
Aunt Ella
Leave a Reply