The following letters were written by Thomas Leonard (1844-1908), the son of James Leonard (1803-1874) and Ann Brady (1819-1890), emigrants of County Roscommon, Ireland, who arrived in the United States in the early 1850s. They settled in the Cincinnati area, residing initially in Moscow, Covington, Ohio. Thomas wrote all of the letters to his older brother, Luke Leonard (1839-1873). A younger brother, Patrick Leonard (1850-1919) is also mentioned.
Thomas served in Co. B, 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery from 6 July 1863 to 23 August 1865, a total of nearly 2 years and 2 months. He entered the service as a private and was discharged as a sergeant. Just prior to his enlistment, Thomas had been employed as a cooper. After the war, Thomas was married to Ann Tracy and made his living in Cincinnati as a tobacconist.
Thomas’s older brother Luke James Leonard (1839-1873) served in the 1st Ohio Light Artillery. He enlisted on 25 August 1862 and was mustered out on 26 June 1865 after nearly three years service. Luke was married in 1868 to Mary Loughlin [Lofflien] (1847-1923) and made his living in Cincinnati after the war as a drayman until he was shot and killed by a police officer in a Cincinnati saloon in 1873.
There are four letters written by Thomas while serving in the 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery—two datelined from Bowling Green in the spring of 1864, and two datelined from Knoxville late in 1864 and early 1865. The fifth letter may actually be of the greatest interest to historians for it was datelined from Buffalo, New York, in early June 1866 during the Irish Independence movement—also called the Fenian movement. It was penned just after the Fenians (Irish Americans), under the banner of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), invaded Canada with 1,500 men and established a beachhead just north of Fort Erie where they hoped to capture enough territory from Lower Canada to use as a bargaining chip with England to give Ireland its freedom. The US Government did little to intervene as it was felt by many US officials that England had given succor to the Confederacy. [See The Fenian Raid 1866]
[Note: These letters were provided to Spared & Shared for transcription and publication by Alice LeVert, a descendant of the Leonard family.]
Letter 1
Bowling Green, Kentucky
March 25th 1864
Dear Brother,
I received your kind letter this eve. Was glad to hear you was well as this leaves me at present.
I was sorry to hear you had to part with the 12th. I suppose the 12th will be mounted as well as your Battery. I think I’d like Mounted Artillery well. It is more active than this service although I think this is the easiest service in the field.
I think we will leave here before long. Everything has the appearance of a movement. There is various rumors afloat in regards to our destination. One report says Chattanooga, another Knoxville, and one says Maysville. I think we will go to Cumberland Gap, however, there is a move on foot. Well it would be too bad to keep as big a regiment as this is on the Nashville Railroad. There is seventeen hundred and sixty (1760) of us. We was never together since we left Covington. There is four companies of our regiment here—namely B, C, F G. Our Battalion is larger than the whole of the 26th Kentucky Regiment.
I received a letter from Father a few days ago. He says I need not write to Moscow anymore as he moved that day for Cincinnati.
Tell Bill Buchanan I expect to write to him one of these days. Let me know in your next what position Buck holds in the Battery & all the non-commissioned officers that I know. Will [illegible] of Dimmett Fee. He may be Major General where what I know. I haven’t saw him since I left Covington. He is in Co. D stationed at Colesburgh and you enquired if I was corporal. I am and among the last for promotion.
There is several of our Boys going to be examined for commissions in Negro regiments but I can’t see it yet awhile. I received a letter from Pat Callou a few days ago. He send you his respects.
Well, it is getting dark and I am on patrol duty tonight and I’ll have to close. Tell Dimmett Fee I’ll write to him shortly. Write soon, — Tom
Letter 2
Bowling Green, Kentucky
April 21st 1864
Dear Brother,
Do you think me dead or do you think I have forgotten you? If so, you mistake me for I often times visit you in dream. Nor, don’t consider it laziness or an excess of duty that prevented me from writing. But it was neglect of sending a letter which I wrote the 11th of this month and instead of posting it, I laid it [aside] in my negligence & there it remained until now when I found it. And as you know my failing, I trust you will excuse me this time & I’ll promise you such will not happen again.
You said you haven’t heard from home since they moved. I received a letter from them some three weeks ago but they never gave me the direction of the house. So you see I can’t write until I hear from them again & maybe not then if they don’t give me the direction. They may give you the direction. If so, I hope you will send it to me. I wrote them we were going to move & I expect they will not write here until they hear from me some way.
Received a letter from Pat Callou the other day. Told me to send you his respects. I am at a loss for something more to write. I am glad to see you improve in writing but you ought to apply yourself to the spelling book. But you may say I ought to take this home.
It is very springlike here this last five days. It looks like we might have some rain tonight & my partner is on duty tonight. If we remain here, I expect I’ll get a furlough sometime in June or July. Seven of our company gets furlough every month. Tell Bill Buck I’m right side up with care. Give my respects to all the Boys. It appears as if Joe Day’s wife has been loading by detail, until she got the charge rammed home to her satisfaction. But you know it is good and I wouldn’t mind eulogizing a little myself tonight.
I’ll have to close for target practice. I’m ever your loving brother, — Tom
P. S. Co. B, 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Letter 3
Knoxville, Tennessee
November 11th 1864
Dear Brother,
Your kind letter as well as greenback just reported for duty and if it was ever needed, it is now. I was glad to hear you enjoy yourself so well. I received a letter from home day before yesterday and just answered it. I gave them fits for not writing to you. And I gave them your directions. Pat says Mother was in an awful way on account of a dream she had the other night. She dreamed she saw you & I slain on some battlefield the 3rd of September. How troublesome those dreams are to her. And you know she can dream just whatever she wants to. Pat says Ethod McMath is dead. I haven’t heard from Moscow for some time. I would like to know who was drafted there the last call.
Dimmett Fee is at home discharged. They say he went home covered all over with stripes. And he was nothing but High Private in the rear rank. A splendid joke on Dimmett, ain’t it?
We are in good winter quarters are and no doubt we will stay here all winter. We have a good deal of duty to do here. Still it ain’t hard as it is mostly Provost duty. I was at Chattanooga the other day with some 200 prisoners of war. Among them we had 14 commissioned officers. They were captured by Gen. [Alvin Cullem] Gillem and from the rebel Gen. [John C.] Vaughn. Both the generals are from Tennessee and commanded Tennessee men but the Yankee Boys rather flexed it to the Johnnies. They captured all their artillery which was 5 pieces known as McClung’s Battery 1 and I had the pleasure of guarding McClung to Chattanooga. We had one Lt. Col, one Major, and twelve line officers. Those fellows were captured about 17 miles above here. Our forces are still pursuing.
I am glad to hear you like your new captain for a good captain makes a good company. Tell Cooster I would like to hear from him once in a while.
We are stationed at Fort Sanders where the Johnnies made their disastrous charge. Persons say that where they were fighting the engagement, that the ditch (which is ten or twelve feet deep) was completely filled with dead men. 2
Well, I have written about all the news. We had the election. Our Battalion went 282 for Lincoln and 66 for McClellan.
Write soon. Direct as before and oblige your loving brother, — Tom
1 McClung’a Battery was organized during the fall of 1861 and mustered into Confederate service at Knoxville, Tennessee. In January, 1862, it reported 79 men present for duty and later was active in the conflicts at Fishing Creek and Shiloh. The battery served at Vicksburg during the summer of 1862, was stationed at Port Hudson in August, then moved to East Tennessee. It was later detached with no guns to Saltville, Virginia and in April, 1864, had 4 officers and 47 men. In August the company was equipped with four guns, then most of the command was captured at Morristown on October 28. Captain Hugh L. W. McClung commanded the unit.
2 Tom is referring to the Battle of Fort Sanders that took place on 29 November 1863, almost a year earlier, when Gen. Longstreet launched an ill-advised frontal assault on the Knoxville fortress that resulted in 813 Confederate casualties—129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 missing. See Battle of Fort Sanders.
Letter 4
Knoxville, Tennessee
March 4th 1865
Dear Brother,
I received your kind letter of the 25th ultimo. Was glad to hear you was well. I received a letter from home the same time I received yours. Says folks are all well at home. I have but little of interest to communicate this time. I received a letter from Maggie Cunningham the other day. You may expect to hear from her soon. Give me Bill Buchanan’s address. Tell Billy Johnston he owes me a letter and also tell the corporal to give some of them Martinsburg [W. Virginia] Ladies a squeeze for me.
Well, I will close this long letter. It looks as big as some you send me. My respects to all the Boys. Write soon & oblige your loving brother, — Tom
Letter 5
Buffalo [New York]
June 8th 1866
Dear Folks,
I arrived here day before yesterday. Am comfortably quartered in a boarding house. Found Pat right side up with care after going through both fights. There is about 3,000 Finnegans 1 at this place and they are hourly arriving. There hundred from St. Louis just arrived. There is about 2,000 British troops across the river and a battery of artillery. The Irish of this place furnished abundant supplies for all the men. They are the best Irish in America.
The Boys are not at all disheartened with the action of our government. Saw Fritz a few moments ago. He says our Privateer has got safely to sea. Recruiting is going on briskly through the territory through which we traveled.
I am back again in Co. A. The men I brought with me is in the same company. So that swells the company about one hundred. Col. Grace got off as a private. So we still have our Colonel. The Cincinnati Boys has a captured British flag belonging to the Queen’s Own as well as their Regimental flag brought from home. The Michigan has the rest of their colors. Cincinnati comes out first best. You will not forget to collect that $7 I loaned Mary Martha. And sixty cents from Owen Tranner.
Col. [John] O’Neill left town today for the Seat of War. I suppose we will follow soon.
It is not necessary for you to answer this. Don’t think we will be here long. Pat got a job today as journeyman if he desired to go to work. He hailed from Wilmington, Ohio, where there is no union. They said that was alright. There is about six men lost out of my company.
Well, I have nothing further to write but what you see in the papers. Tell my friends they must excuse me for not bidding hem goodbye. My respects to Mrs. Coningham and other friends.
I am as ever yours & Co., — Thomas Leonard, of the I. R. A. [Irish Republican Army]
1 They were called variously as Fine, Fenians, or Finnegan’s.
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