FOGLE, THEODORE T. (THEODORE TURNER), 1834-1864.
Theodore T. Fogle letters, 1847-1865

Restrictions on access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Related Materials in This Repository

Harrold Brothers records and the James Appleton Blackshear diaries.

Source

Gift, 1964.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Theodore T. Fogle letters, Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by MRD, June 1964.

Biographical Note

Theodore Turner Fogle (January 16, 1834-May 6, 1864) was born in Milledgeville, Georgia and later moved with his family to Columbus, Georgia, where his father, Dr. Jacob Fogle, established a dental practice. Theodore attended Georgia Military Institute, Marietta, Georgia and then entered Baltimore Dental College.

Theodore was in Baltimore in March, 1861, and although still there on April 18, he had already enlisted in the "Columbus Guards." The Columbus Guards were at first under General Robert Toombs, but later were put under General Henry Benning in Longstreet's Corps and served as Company G, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment. On April 17, Theodore's company received orders from Governor Brown to report to General A. R. Lawton at Savannah. Theodore joined the others and reached Savannah on April 23. The company remained at Tybee Island until June 1, when they were transferred to Camp Semmes (named for their Colonel), then to Richmond, which they reached July 29. From there they went to Camp Bee on August 24. They were in camps around Manassas, Falls Church, Fairfax, and Centerville until March 1862. At that time, Theodore went to Richmond to a hospital for about two weeks, then rejoined his regiment, which was stationed near Richmond until mid-August; in mid-August, they went back to Manassas and took part in the battle there on August 30. From there, they went into Maryland and took part in the Battle of Sharpsburg. They came back to camp near Fredericksburg in late November 1862. In April 1863, they went down into North Carolina to protect supplies, then returned to Richmond until June, when they went into the Shenandoah Valley. In July, they took part in the Gettysburg campaign. In September they went with Longstreet into East Tennessee and took part in the Battle of Chickamauga. They remained in East Tennessee through the winter and into the spring of 1864.

Fogle was elected a First Lieutenant in 1864. Fogle was killed on May 6, 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness and was buried nearby "under an apple tree."

Theodore had two brothers in the Confederate Army, William and James. William had lived in Kansas and apparently was somewhat of an adventurer, was not a member of the Columbus Guards. In the summer of 1862, William was ill in a Richmond hospital and apparently thereafter was engaged in some sort of buying and selling in which he dealt with the soldiers. The other brother, James, was a member of the Columbus Guards. He too became ill, and in the fall of 1861 went home for awhile. On October 6, 1862, James was appointed Hospital Steward. He studied medicine while serving at Chimborazo Hospital, Richmond; on January 21, 1865, he was made Assistant Surgeon, to rank from November 14, 1864. At the time of Theodore's death in May 1864, James was working in an army hospital in Columbus, Georgia. Theodore's sister, Mary Fogle, married Uriah Harrold of Americus (formerly of New York) in June 1862. Theodore had another sister, Martha, a young lady, and apparently a younger brother and sister, Samuel and Ella, who were still children. He had a grandmother in Greenville, Georgia and relatives in Sparta, of whom the most frequently mentioned were the Sasnetts.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of about 200 letters, 173 of which were written by Theodore Fogle, and several miscellaneous items. Of the Theodore Fogle letters, 17 were written before the war, during the period December 2, 1847-September 2, 1859, mainly from Marietta, Georgia (Georgia Military Institute) and Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore Dental College). A letter written from New York, where he and his sister Mary were visiting the Harrolds, contains a postscript by Mary in which she says "I saw the yacht 'Wanderer' at the mouth of the Savannah." Another letter was written from Monkton, Maryland, where Theodore was visiting in the home of Asa H. Baldeston, a friend he had met while studying dentistry in Baltimore. In the letter of August 15, 1856, Theodore hints that he had proposed to Marian Cotton. The Cottons were related to the Harrolds. Marian later married a Mr. Blackshear, and they had one child, Charles Cotton Blackshear. Her husband died within a few years, and she never remarried.

The 156 letters written by Theodore while he was a Confederate soldier are chatty and informative. They reveal strong family affection, patriotic devotion, good moral character, a fine sensitivity to the feelings of his parents and his comrades, and a willingness to endure discipline and hardship in spite of a preference for comfort. He exhausts the news possibilities of every situation; always mentions any contact with other Georgians; describes important persons whom he sees, including Generals Johnston, Beauregard, and Toombs and President Davis; relates his experiences in battle; and describes the countryside, the civilians, the camps, and his comrades. He is generous in praise and frank in criticism. He realized often that his inclination to criticize was the result of boredom, anxiety, or petulance. Once he wrote that he hoped to have a chance at the Yankees soon instead of venting his spite "on innocent objects." His intermittent comments on Col. Semmes are of this sort. Fogle was by nature an optimist: in the midst of great discomfort, he will mention a stretch of good road, a well of cool water, a night's refreshing sleep, or the comfort of a campfire after a march. He complained of knowing little about the general conduct of the war. He felt that Richmond was too close to Washington for the papers there to take an objective view of events. He was always angry when the leaders refused to let them press on when he felt they had an advantage. He wished to spare his family any unnecessary concern, frequently warning them that he might be unable to write, mail, or send a letter.

James Fogle wrote eight of the letters, April 27, 1861-August 1, 1862. One letter is by Mrs. N. L. Fogle, mother of Theodore and the others, July 23, 1862; three by Mary Fogle Harrold; 1 by Asa H. Baldeston, friend of Theodore who, operating under the name of Dr. Oven Hall, purchased and brought in medical supplies from the North for the Confederate Army; one by H. R. Rees (Macon, Georgia) May 23, 1864, expressing sympathy at the death of Theodore. Included also are two letters to Uriah Harrold from J. R. Lemon, apparently a British subject serving in the Confederate Army, whose wife and children were living in a house owned by Uriah; a sketch in pencil by Lemon, 4th Ga. Infantry Regiment., of "Valley with Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance from Camp in Orange County", an unidentified newspaper clipping of a poem in memory of Theodore; a valentine; and two pictures: one of Lieutenant Theodore T. Fogle, and one of Marian J. (Cotton) Blackshear.