INTRODUCTION
These letters have been complied with no thought of the heroic, as my grandfather really had no important part of the Civil War; however, I believe that members of the family will find them interesting reading and will be glad to have the information to pass on to their children.
The letters are from a man who may be considered as typical of the younger officers of the Confederate Army, and reflect the war as it was felt in Georgia from the beginning, in 1861, through the time of the Battle of Atlanta, in 1864. Grandmother's letters reflect the background and experiences of the people at home, particularly those in the coastal section and in Marietta.
The writer of the letters, Nathan Atkinson Brown [1], was born at White Oak [2], Georgia, December 31, 1836, and was the son of David Brown and his wife Elizabeth Atkinson Brown. He apparently went through the war without a wound or serious illness, but after the war, on February 20, 1866, contracted smallpox from a former member of his company who was passing by White Oak and asked for shelter for the night. He died February 23, 1866, and is buried in the Atkinson family cemetery [3] in Camden County, Georgia.
Nathan Atkinson Brown formed a company at the outbreak of the war which was known as the 'Camden Rifles.' The company became a part of the Forth Georgia Calvary under Colonel Styles, which formed a part of Brigadier General Hugh W. Mercer's brigade.
At the beginning of the war it was the plan of the Federals to land small parties on the islands off the coast and to come up the rivers for a short distance in ships. Their purpose was to destroy property, incite the slaves against their owners, and attempt to enlist slaves in the Federal Army. The letters begin on Cumberland and St. Simons Islands, where my grandfather's company was engaged in the protection of these islands and the nearby coastal country.
Later it was found necessary to abandon the defense of the coast in order to employ all effective groups against the invading Federal Army, and my grandfather's regiment was gradually moved through Brunswick northwest until the last letter, dated October 1, 1864, finds them as part of the Army of Tennessee at Jonesboro, Georgia. The letters make no mention of actual battles, but it is evident that this regiment took an active part in opposing Sherman's advance and ended the war in Tennessee near Nashville.
The first dated letter of the war was from grandmother and was dated at Thorn Hall August 5, 1861, at Fort Atkinson, Cumberland Island, and the last letter from grandfather was dated at Macon, Georgia, October 1, 1864. No letters have been found between the dates of October 16, 1862 and July 13, 1864.
You will also find a few letters written before the war, some information about the families, and a deed covering the gift of some slaves to my grandmother at the time of her marriage.
The child Eula married Harry Dunwoody of Brunswick, Georgia, and died May 15, 1890 [4]. Lilly married Richard Gaillard Dunwoody [5] and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia [6]. She has four children: Harry Nicholes Dunwoody, of Atlanta; Richard Gaillard Dunwoody, Jr. of Atlanta; Eula Brown Dunwoody (Mrs. William McKinley) of Grosse Point, Michigan; and John Atkinson Dunwoody of Detroit. A son, Nathan Atkinson Brown, was born March 6, 1866, shortly after his father died. His children are: Nathan Atkinson Brown, Jr., of Atlanta, William Hopkins Brown, of Birmingham; Ralph Dunwoody Brown, of Atlanta; and Mildred Dunwody Brown (Mrs. Perry Hill) of Columbus, Georgia.
These letters were complied from originals left by my grandmother and now held by Mrs. R.G. Dunwody, Atlanta Georgia [7].
Nathan Atkinson Brown. Jr.
December 16, 1936
[1] Nathan Atkinson Brown, son of Capt. Brown, was Evelyn Brown Sherr's grandfather, his son Nathan Atkinson Brown, Jr., the author of this Introduction, was her uncle.
[2] White Oak - the location of the Brown family's plantation, according to Nate's son, it was 'somewhere near where White Oak Creek flows into the Satilla River.' On current maps, this area is between the present community of White Oak and town of Waverly on the east, and I-95 on the west. From Wkipedia: The Satilla is a 260 mile blackwater river bordered by swamps, bluffs, and marshes, which empties into St. Andrews Sound at the north end of Cumberland Island; '… a Spanish explorer, St. Illa, gave the river his own name, which was converted from St. Illa to Satilla by English usage.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Satilla_River
2001 map of Camden County, showing approximate location of the White Oak plantation.
Source: Georgia Geological Survey digitized image of 2001 U.S. Geological Survey Georgia Base Map (1:500,000) with Roads and Contours
http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/camden2001bmap.htm
[3] Atkinson family cemetery - now Homeward Cemetery, between Waynesville and Waverly, this is also the general location of Black Hammock, the Atkinson family plantation established by Nathan Atkinson around 1800. The plantation was called 'Homeward' during the time his son Edmund Atkinson (1804-1862) lived there from 1825 until his death in 1862. He is buried in Black Hammock Cemetery.
[4] My family notes say that Eula married on Jan. 2 1890 and died May 15, 1890. Find a Grave showed her grave is in Oak Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Ga.
[5] My father, Ralph Brown, spelled his middle name Dunwody, not Dunwoody, and the Dunwody family spelled it that way as well, so the other Dunwoody names here should be spelled with one 'o'.
[6] My family notes say that Lillie married John Neill Smythe in 189?, but he died in 1892 and she then married Richard Dunwody in 1895.
[7] The letters are archived in the Hargrette Manuscripts Special Collections at the University of Georgia Main Library.