John Mcmurray Hagins ¹

  General Notes:

A Letter and a Poem From the Battlefront to a Sweetheart at Home:

The Following letter was written from a camp in Virginia during the Civil War by John M. Hagins to Adeline Kirk, his future wife. It is now in the possession of their grandson, Verince S. Hagins of Kershaw, South Carolina.

"Camp Near arrange C.H. Va.
Nov the the
3 1863

dear friend it is with pleesar that I seat myself to drop you a few liens to let you no I am still numberd with the living yet and I fell like I want to wright to some of my old friends and old ackquatances and I sincerely hope that my letter will be ackepted of and if it should not be I hope thea will not be eny hard feelings About it I fell like that it is my duty to wright to my friends and I also respect you as one of them I dont no as I have enything that is interresting to relate at the preasant all though I can state to you that we are looking every day for Another fight but I hope that they will put it off this time for it dont look like that our hard fighting does eny good towards peace but I hope if it is gods blesed will that we will hav peace bestoed ond our wicked land once more allthough it liids like A badchance for us poore soulgers ever to get home enmore but we still liv in hopes - I allso can state to you that we hav got our winter quaters built if we can only stay in them We finished ou house the outher day and had a nice singing that knight but it was not so nice as we hav had on old bare creek and I think from what I can find out that you girls ceapes up the plays ond old Bare Creek I lov to hear of you girls engaging yourselves so well and I can alsohear of some wudings mixed along with the plays I thought that all of the young men was in service - so I must bring my scribling to A close and for that want of something to right and not knowing weather my letter will be acepted or not-tell Miss Elin that hir old darlaring is well I send my best respect to all the family and receive a deu portion yourself please excuse bad writing and spelling and all misstakes
- your truly friend
J.M. Hagins
Please ancer this if you think it is worth eny acering good by untill I hear from
you."




The following poem, probably copied from a book was written on the back of the letter written by John M. Hagins from the Army camp in Virginia in 1863, to Adeline Kirk, his future wife:

A Smile

Dear lady tis our fate below
To meet to part with grief and pain
And when we part though sad I am
I smile to think we ll meet again
Then lady let me see a smile
Bedecking that fair face of thine
That round my pathway eve part we
It may like haloed beauties shine
That smile shall live in memory's sky
The beacon light of all my joy
Ambition wordly honor fame
Shall not that heavenly smile destroy
And then when this fickle unkind world
With all its joy away shall fly
No ray shall cheer my faninting sole
But that bright star in memory sky
And lady wen we mee (t) again
In this poor world or realms above
May that sweet smile still deck thy face
That smile that lights a land of love.

John married Adeline Agnes Kirk, daughter of Matthew Biggart Kirk and Mary Polly Harper. (Adeline Agnes Kirk was born in 1838 and died in 1908.)