The following letter was written by 23 year-old William E. Scott (1839-1911), the youngest son of Francis Scott (1791-1860) and Nancy Gadd (1793-1873) of Leesburg, Union county, Ohio. William enlisted in August 1862 to serve as a private in Co. I, 121st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI).

William had two brothers who served with him in the same company—Norton (“Nort”) Scott (1820-1905) who was the 1st Sergeant in Co. I, and Ross Scott (1828-1901) who was also a private. Nort was discharged for disability on 9 May 1863, no doubt as a result of the chronic diarrhea mentioned in William’s letter. Ross was discharged for disability as well.

The 121st OVI was organized at Delaware, Ohio, and ordered to Kentucky to pursue confront Bragg on his northern invasion. They participated in the Battle of Perryville and then pursued Morgan in the winter of 1862-63. After spending some time in Nashville, they were ordered to Franklin, Tennessee, where this letter was penned in mid-March 1863. They went on to participate in in the Battle of Chickamauga, the Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea, and the Carolina Campaign.

Transcription

Camp at Franklin, Tennessee
March 16, 1863

Dear Mother and Sisters,

It is with pleasure that I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines once more in answer to your kind letter of the fourth that came safe to hand on the 15th and we was glad to hear from you but was sorry to hear that Mother’s health is so poor.  Well, mother, I enjoy good health at this time and hope that this will find you enjoying the same earthly blessing.

Nort is quite unwell, and has been for two weeks. He is quite weak. He has the diarrhea. I think it is something like the chronic diarrhea. He has not went to the  hospital yet. I hope he will be better before long.

You said in your letter that you had not heard from us since Charles came home. I have wrote one letter since he went home but I suppose that you never got it for there is hundreds of letters that never reach their destination. I am glad to hear that Ross’s cough is better. I think he had better stay where he is for I don’t think he ever will be fit for service as it takes a well man to stand soldering. Tell Gerry’s mother that he is well and that he stands soldering with the best of the Boys.

Well, Mother, we are still here at Franklin, Tennessee. How long we will stay here, I can’t tell. We have moved our camp five times since we came here, and have to move again tomorrow. We have not moved one mile in all. One more move and we will be where we started from.

I want you to write and tell me whether you got the money I sent home or not, and if you have not got it, go and get it for it is there for you as I never heard whether you got it or not. The folks is making garden here now. The peach trees is in bloom. The sun shines so hot, it makes me lazy. So I will bring my letter to a close for this time, write oftener and I will answer  them.

Yours as ever, — W. E. Scott