Charlotte's Boys: Civil War Letters of the Branch Family of Savannah - Paperback

by Andrea Page (Author), Phillips Mauriel Joslyn (Author)

A moving collection of Civil War letters that reveals the sorrows and struggles endured by a mother in Savannah, Georgia and her three sons in battle.

One of the most complete collections of Civil War correspondence to appear in print, Charlotte's Boys recounts the fate of Charlotte Branch, her three sons, and their extended family and friends from 1861 through 1866. John, Sanford, and Hamilton Branch's enlistment in the Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Savannah's militia, left their mother in Georgia with only letters to keep her company. The story of the Branch boys shows the Civil War's impact on individual soldiers and their families. From John's burial on the battlefield at First Manassas to Sanford's wounding and capture at Gettysburg to Hamilton's involvement until the South's surrender, this historic compilation of letters follows the three Branch brothers through their most desperate and victorious moments of the war.

More than a portrait of a single family's experience, this anthology depicts the trauma endured by Savannah itself and the dedication of its citizens. Through the Branch boys, readers are offered a revealing look at military and civilian struggles during the war to an extent that has never before been seen.

The letters of the Branch boys, their mother, and their family and friends have been borrowed from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia in Athens. The included maps, artifacts, and Branch family photographs are held in the Atlanta History Center.

Back Jacket

"Their actions gave them substance, and their soft Savannah accents whispered from the pages. What I heard is as much a tribute to a mother's devotion and faith as it is to the courage and sacrifice of her soldier sons."
--Mauriel Phillips Joslyn, on the Branch family letters

Charlotte Branch, a widow of Savannah, Georgia, raised three sons to become servants of the Confederate cause. John, Sanford, and Hamilton Branch enlisted in Savannah's Oglethorpe Light Infantry, and their fate--along with the fate of many of their fellow soldiers--is revealed in this vast collection of letters from 1861 through 1866. Augmented by secondary correspondences from family and friends, the letters of Charlotte Branch and her sons depict the trauma endured by Savannah herself, offering a candid look at military and civilian struggles during the Civil War.
One of the most complete compilations of Civil War correspondence to appear in print, Charlotte's Boys reveals the profoundly varied impact of war on individual soldiers and their families. John Branch, the eldest of the three sons, was one of the South's most promising officers before he fell at First Manassas and died in the arms of his brothers. Sanford, the second son, was captured and suffered as one of the Immortal Six Hundred before his release in 1864. Hamilton, the youngest, was wounded three times, participated in the battle of Atlanta and the Tennessee campaign, and remained in service until the South's surrender.

Author Biography

Mauriel Phillips Joslyn was born in Manchester, Georgia, and is currently living in Sparta, restoring an 1822 house with her family. Joslyn received her B.A. in history from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and an M.A. in history from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. One of the reasons Joslyn chose to attend school in Virginia was because it was six miles from the Virginia Military Institute, placing her near many former battlefields, where she could continue to explore her fascination concerning the Civil War. Her husband, who shares her interests, is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Early in her marriage, Joslyn worked at various sales jobs while teaching horse-riding lessons on the side. She also worked for the library at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Her husband's job required the family to move to Summit Point, West Virginia, where they lived in a historic house associated with the Confederacy. During that period, Mauriel worked for the post office in Meadowview, Virginia, and the entire family participated in Civil War reenactments. Josyln has published several books and articles concerning the Civil War. Her articles have appeared in Gettysburg Magazine, United Daughters of the Confederacy Magazine, Georgia Journal, Military Heritage, Irish Sword, and many others. She is a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, the Blue and Gray Education Association, the Georgia Historical Society, and other groups. Her book Confederate Women is a collection of various women's wartime experiences. In addition, Joslyn participates in lectures and living-history events on military subjects. Her presentations have taken her to schools, civic groups, and SCY groups, where she often dresses in Confederate costume and brings artifacts to discuss. As president of the Patrick Cleburne Society, Joslyn is raising money for a statue of General Cleburne to be erected in Ringgold, Georgia. She is currently the vice-chairman of the Georgia Civil War Commission and is writing two nonfiction screenplays about historical personages, one dealing with the Civil War and the other relating to the flying aces of World War I.