This letter was written by Benjamin F. Stalder (1841-1906) who entered the service in Co. A. as a private in the 63rd Ohio Infantry in August 1861. He transferred to Battery C, 3rd Michigan Light Artillery on 16 January 1864. He wrote this letter from Corinth, Mississippi, in April 1865 while serving in the artillery.

Benjamin was born in Chauncey, Athens county, Ohio. His parents were Andrew James Stalder (1814-1896) and Mary Frances (“Fanny”) Schoonover (1816-1869). He wrote the letter to his aunt, Jane Acton (b. 1823), the wife of Stephen Action. Her maiden name was Schoonover.

I was uncertain of the year this letter was written until I read of the marriage of Wealthy Springer which took place in August 1864. Therefore, this had to have been written in April 1865.

Transcription

Corinth, Mississippi
April 3rd 1865

Dear Aunt,

I received your letter of the 25th on April the 1st and was glad to hear from you. I had almost the notion to believe that you was not a going to answer my letter but when I would think back a while of when I was at home, it would appear as though nothing could stop you from answering.

We have been to work for three or four days back a building log shanties and now we have them done and we have the nicest camp that you ever seen. The boys of Co. A is well and I and them have a good time together. We are camped within about twenty yards of one another. They have log houses built and they keep them clean and as nice as the most of families keep their houses.

Aunt, a soldier’s life is a good and happy life in one way of speaking, but in another sense of the word, they are the [most] sinful set of people that ever lived. What a man don’t know, he can learn if he will soldier about one year.

Well, Aunt, when I wrote to you and said that I had a notion of deserting, I was a writing just to see what I could write and to hear your opinion about deserting. Aunt, I would rather have the papers state of death than to have them state of me a deserting. I know that there is plenty of people in Chauncey that think I would desert, but I am a going to disappoint them for once, and for the advice you give, I thank you for it, and also Mahala. Aunt, tell Mahala that I know all of the good girls is waiting for the return of the soldiers. I know of two that is a waiting that I always respected as Ladies and one of them lives in Chillicothe and the other you can guess as well as I can tell you. But I don’t know as as either of them care a cent about me but one keeps up a correspondence with me and has ever since I left Ohio. But that don’t make me feel as though she cares about me,

It is a good idea for to keep the soldiers in good spirits if you all want this war to close but there has not anything made me feel very bad since I left home. It is true that Weath Springer is married. ¹ But alas, I guess that I can weary through if I don’t hear of it too often. Ha ha ha harah. Aunt, trouble and me has not met yet in this world and I hope that I may never meet it in the next. But some times when I get to thinking, I fear that I shall some day see trouble for I have been a very bad boy in my time. But I have for some time back listened to advice of my friends to home and hear a good more than you think I have perhaps. But I know that it was your desire that I should do better when I left home and before and after friends in that little town of Chauncey appeared to take an interest in my welfare and farther days. But I was too self-conceited to hear to my own brother or sister.

Aunt, I can see my folly when my mind reflects back on my boyish days when I had ought to been a doing something for myself instead of running the streets and doing anything that I first thought of, let it be good or bad. I can see all of my faults as well as any man or better. But I’m resolved to do better the rest of my days to come. I think when a man pays as dear for his foolishness as I have, he will try and do better the rest of his life, let it be long or short. I have often heard it said that experience was the dearest education that a man ever bought and I believe it—at least it has been so in my case.

Well, Aunt, I thought about half of the time while I was writing this letter that I was a talking to you. It appeared so to me because I was writing just what I thought. Aunt, I went down town the other day and got my picture taken but it was not a good one for it was so near night that he could not take it very good. But I will send it to you anyhow.

Well, I guess that I have wrote a good deal more than you can read or anybody else so I will close for this time by saying goodbye. Give my respects to Mahala. Tell her that I guess that she would not like to see me any better than I would her. So goodbye. — B. F. Stalder, 3rd Michigan Battery, Corinth

[to] Aunt Jane Acton

¹ Wealthy Ann Springer (1843-1927) was married on 18 August 1864 at Athens, Ohio.