A Soldier's Letters to Charming Nellie

By J. B. Polley

The author of this book, Joseph Benjamin Polley (1840-1918) was the son of original Texas pioneers. The Polley family came to Texas with Stephen F. Austin in 1821 as one of the Old Three Hundred colonists and settled near San Antonio. Polley joined the Fourth Texas Regiment as a private in 1861 and advanced in rank to Quarter Master Sergeant. The letters were written to "Charming Nelly," and tell the stories of a Confederate regiment during the War Between the States. Between 1862 and 1864, Polley wrote twenty-eight letters to "Charming Nelly," who Polley had only met three brief times. Although he joined the Confederate army in 1861, his letters to "Charming Nelly" did not begin until 1862. It remains unknown if these letters were really sent to Nelly or were just a pretext for Polley to write about his war-time experiences. Nonetheless, these stories give voice to a soldier and make known an exceeding amount of action that took place on the front lines, as well as humorous incidences in camp.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1983453900
• ISBN13: 9781983453908
• Release Date: December 2017
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"