This letter was written by 19 year-old Pvt. John F. Hoy (1843-1914) of Co. E, 61st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI). When he enlisted, John expected to be mustered into the 52nd OVI—as stated in this letter—but because the regiment was not yet full in mid-April, they were transferred to the 61st OVI to fill out that regiment. As such, unlike most Ohio regiments, the 61st OVI had members from nearly every county in the state. Nine of their companies were German speaking immigrants and two companies were Irish Catholics.

The Regiment fought at 2nd Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, the Atlanta Campaign, March to the Sea, the March through the Carolinas, and at Bentonville, North Carolina. The 61st served the entire war as part of Gen. Oliver O. Howard’s 11th Corp. They began their service with the Army of the Potomac; then were transferred to Gen. Sherman’s western armies in September of 1863.

John was the son of Judge John Hoy (1797-1873) and Elizabeth Traxler (1803-1866) of Franklin, Summit county, Ohio. He participated in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, from Chattanooga to Atlanta, the March to the Sea, and the march into North Carolina where he was taken prisoner on 11 March 1865 at Fayetteville. He was held in captivity for 23 days.

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Camp Dennison, Ohio
April 13th, 1862

Friend Swigart,

By ginger, I promised to write to you when I left home and when I promised I had intended to write sooner but I had so many things to call my attention to that I had forgotten all about it until today.

We arrived here safely on the 28th day of March and found an awful confusion, or it seemed so to me at any rate, but I have become used to it now so that I don’t mind it all. This Camp Dennison is an awful place. There are about five or six hundred men in this regiment at present. They intend to attach the 61st Regiment to this and fill it up and take us off. I think that the 61st will be here the beginning of this week. I think when they come that our days will be few here in Camp Dennison for I believe that when they come in here that the regiment will organize and we will leave here. Where our destination will be, I know not—probably in Tennessee.

We have it from pretty good authority that we will leave here in less than one week. There is any amount of swearing here in the barracks at present. There were about twenty or thirty of the boys went down to Miford (a place about two miles from here) this forenoon to meeting and they were to be back at twelve o’clock but instead of that they just came (2 o’clock) and dinner was over before they got back and some of them didn’t get any. They didn’t lose a great deal by not getting their dinner, but still they swear considerable about it.

For dinner we had dry bread, coffee and beans. Sometimes we have meat, bread and coffee. The boarding went rather hard with this child at first but I have become pretty well used to a soldier’s rations by this time so that I can get along very well. The beds are not of the softest kind but I can sleep as soundly on them now as I can in any other bed. We drew a blanket and a quilt the same evening we got here. We have the soft side of a board for a bed. I lay my blanket down and lay down and cover myself with my quilt and take my overcoat for a pillow and then I am all right. I did not sleep very much the first night or two but I can lay down now, fall asleep, and not get awake until morning. The mights must all be out at 9 o’clock in the evening and at 5 in the morning the drum will beat and then we must all be up for roll call, and if we are not up for roll call, they will put us in extra duty.

There is so much noise here that I must quit for this time, promising to do better next time. Yours in rags, — J. F. Hoy

Write soon and address J. F. Hoy, Camp Dennison, Ohio, 52nd Regt. O. V. USA, Care of Lieut. Leiter