Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita Honors Theses Carl Goodson Honors Program 2005 Devotedly Yours: The Prison Letters of Captain Joseph Scrivner Ambrose IV, C.S.A. Rebeccah Helen Pedrick Ouachita Baptist University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/honors_theses Part of the Genealogy Commons, Military History Commons, Public History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Pedrick, Rebeccah Helen, "Devotedly Yours: The Prison Letters of Captain Joseph Scrivner Ambrose IV, C.S.A." (2005). Honors Theses. 136. https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/honors_theses/136 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Carl Goodson Honors Program at Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. "Devotedly Yours: The Prison Letters of Captain Joseph Scrivner Ambrose, C.S.A." written by Rebeccah Pedrick 9 December 2005 Tales of war-valor, courage, intrigue, winners, losers, common men, outstanding officers. Such stories captivate, enthrall, and inspire each generation, though readers often feel distanced from the participants. The central figures of these tales are heroes, seemingly beyond the reach of ordinary men. Through a more intimate glimpse of one such figure, the affectionate letters of Joseph Scrivner Ambrose to his sister, written from prison during America's Civil War, perhaps one can find more than a hero- one can find a man with whom one can identify, a man who exemplifies the truth of the old adage, "Heroes are made, not born."1 The Man and His Heritage Joseph Scrivner Ambrose's family heritage bequeathed him legacies of valor in battle, restless thirsts for exploration, and deep religious conviction.2 Ancestors on both sides served their country both on the battlefield and in the home, raising large families and settling the far reaches of the young American nation.