The following letter was written by Thomas Henry Stones (1844-1921), the son of Thomas Stones (1803-1846) and Joanna G. Edwards (1807-1880) of Atlanta, Logan county, Illinois.

Thomas enlisted on 7 August 1862 as a private in Co. A, 117th Illinois Infantry. He remained in the regiment for three years, mustering out on 5 August 1865. At the time of his enlistment he was described as a 5 foot 6 inch tall single 17-year-old farmer with brown hair and black eyes. After the war, in 1867, Thomas married Elvira Cunningham (1848-1927) and lived out his days as a wagon-maker in McLean county, Illinois.

Thomas wrote the following letter in February 1863 while the regiment was on duty in Memphis, Tennessee. From there they would occasionally go out on scouts, looking in particular for bushwhackers who would fire on Union ships as they carried troops and materials up and down the Mississippi. The “little town” that Thomas describes having seen “in ashes” was most likely the village of Hopefield which Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut, commander of the 16th Army Corps headquartered at Memphis, ordered to be destroyed as he judged it to be “a mere shelter for guerrillas” who had attacked Union boats for several weeks above and below Memphis. It was destroyed on 19 February 1863.

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[Memphis, Tennessee]
February 22, 1863

Dear Mother,

I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well and I feel as well as I ever felt since I came into the army. I think that I can stand the hardships as well as any of our company. Our company went out on a scout this week. We had orders to take one days rations in our haversacks. That was soon done and then we was drawn up in a line and marched down to a boat and we got on board and sailed up the river some five or six miles and landed for the night and in the morning after looking around awhile we started again. We crossed the river and went about five miles and we surrounded a house and closed in and demanded a search of the house. There was no men folks at home [and] the women did not like it very well but all in vain. Our Lieutenant-Colonel [Jonathan Merriam] and Captains searched the house [while] the boys made a charge on the chickens and smoke house. They made a terrible charge on the chickens. I think that we got at least seventy-five hens and honey, hams, sweet potatoes, butter, milk, and other things in proportion and two mules. The officers came pretty near burning her house but they did not. The woman was rank secesh—she did not deny it at all. She said that she had three sons in the Secesh army. One is a captain and the other two are lieutenants. I think that she ought to be burnt out of house and home.

Our gunboat burnt a little town that day. I seen the town after it was laid in ashes. The women and children did look awful. I could not help feeling bad to see them without house or home. Oh how glad I feel when I think you are so far from the army and the destruction of everything. You can’t hardly imagine the destruction of everything.

We had some of a chicken that I saved the other day for breakfast. I thought it was the best chicken that I ever tasted in my life. I wish that I could only quit to take breakfast with you again but I think in course of time I will have that opportunity. We have not received our box yet. Gus will go up tomorrow and see if it has come yet. I have not received any letter from home since the 25 of January. I am looking very anxious for a letter. I would be very glad if you would write once a week. Write soon. Give my love to all. — Thomas H. Stones