Joseph Polley

Despite the dangers of war, soldiering often provided the fighting men of the Confederacy with excitement and amusement, as seen in the letters of Joseph Polley. A member of the Texas Brigade, Polley took part in the bitter fighting around Chattanooga, Tennessee in late 1863, which eventually forced the Confederate army on a disastrous retreat through northern Georgia. Polley describes a watchful night on picket duty, where Union and Confederate soldiers observed a certain code of honor while exchanging jibes as well as bullets.

Iwas lucky enough to be on picket duty a few nights ago with my friends Will Burges and John West, of Companies D and E of the Fourth, each of whom is not only a good soldier, but a most entertaining companion. As the night advanced, it became cold enough to make a...