The following letters were written by Franklin Shanafelt (1842-1892), the son of Peter Shanafelt (1800-1875) and Elizabeth Funk (1801-1863) who moved from their home on Antietam Creek in Funkstown, Maryland, to Greentown, Stark county, Ohio, in the mid 1840s. Franklin was twenty years old when he enlisted on 14 August 1862 as a private in Co. E, 115th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI). He was promoted to corporal in December 1862 and remained with the regiment until he was mustered out on 22 June 1865 at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

When Franklin returned from the service, he married Catharine (“Kate”) Housley (1842-1911) in March 1866 and lived out his days as a farmer in Stark county, Ohio.

Most of Franklin’s letter were sent to his older brother Henry Shanafelt (1827-1893). Some of the letters are addressed to Henry’s wife, Rosana or “Rose” (Peters) Shanafelt. Henry and Rose were married in 1856. Henry was a grocer in Greentown.

Readers are referred to “Battling for the Blockhouses with the 115th Ohio,” posted on Dan Masters’ Civil War Chronicles, 3 December 2021. In the early part of December 1864, nearly 200 members of the Regiment, who were stationed in block-houses, were captured, and after being paroled were placed on the ill-fated Steamer “Sultana” which exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., April 27, 1865.

Letter 1

Cincinnati, Ohio
January 1, 1863

Dear Brother,

I received both of your letters you wrote to me so I thought I would best answer them in kind. I ain’t wrote to you for a good while. I hain’t wrote home pretty often to the boys. The letter I got from you yesterday, I was glad to hear that the folks were all well at the time you wrote to me and hoping this letter will find you all the same state of health. I am well at present time. There is some of our boys sick in the hospital. Maiter is in the hospital yet. He is getting better now than he was for some time. You said I should let you know whether I heard anything of Bill Taylor. I don’t know where he is. I have enquired around through the boys whether they know where he is. I haven’t heard anything of John since they left Lexington. I expect a letter every day from him.

You said the 2nd Ohio Cavalry was at Camp Chase. I would like to see them boys if I could. If Carnelson [?] come home, tell him if he gets to Cincinnati to come and see us boys. The name of [our] barracks is named Kemper Barracks, one Second Street between Main and Sycamore Street. If I can get a furlough, I will go up there and see the boys.

We take a good many deserters there. I might get up there before long. We take them all around. I have been to Louisville, Kentucky, and to Covington and to Cairo, Illinois with men. We travel a good deal here. There was some come from Louisville yesterday. They said the streets were all covered with Sambo’s there. THey said that John Morgan was within 30 miles of Louisville with his army but I don’t think it is so. We had a rebel Colonel that they ketch in by the left wiing of our regiment. Took him horse, saddle, [ ]. We are guarding him here now. He is a smart-looking man.

Today is New Years but there is not much going on here today of anything. I must close my letter. I send my best respects to all. — F. Shanafelt

Cincinnati, Ohio

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Letter 2

Hospital No. 1
November 9, 1864

Dear Brother,

I will try and send you a few lines to let you know how I am getting along at this time. I have crawled out of bed about a week ago and I am getting along pretty well. If I keep on so, I think I will get all right again. I have been pretty sick for about three weeks. I had the typhoid fever and I didn’t know anything nor knew where I was. But they tended to me first rate and the doctor done all he could to get me along. He said that I didn’t get sick very often but when I do get sick, I have a hard time of it. There is pretty good nurses in the hospital. Everything is kept nice and clean but the grub ain’t very good. But I don’t get half enough to eat. They won’t give it to me [ ] though I could eat most anything sometimes. But it is best for me that I can’t get it for I know I should eat too much if I could get all I wanted.

Well, I must change the subject. I received two letters that you had written to me and I was very glad to hear that the folks were about all well at the time you wrote to me. I hat got a fellow to write a few lines for me about two weeks ago. I don’t know whether you got the letter or not, and I hardly know what he wrote. I told him to tell you that I was getting better. That’s all I know about it. I also received that paper you sent to me. Well, I must stop for this time for I am wore out. I send you my best respects to all. — F. Shanafelt

I put in a vote for Old Abe yesterday.

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Letter 3

[On December 2, 1864, Hood had ordered Bate to destroy the railroad and blockhouses between Murfreesboro and Nashville and join Forrest for further operations. On December 4, Bate’s division attacked Blockhouse No. 7 protecting the railroad crossing at Overall’s Creek, but Union forces fought it off.]

Overall Creek
Block House No. 7
February 6, 1865

Friend Rose,

I received your letter a few weeks ago and I was very glad to hear from you and all the rest of the folks about Greentown and to hear that they were all well except the young soldier had come to lofe. You had stated in your letter than he was sick but I’m hoping when this letter come to hand will find you all enjoying good health.

Rose, you had stated in your letter that you was going to surprise me when you had stated that Cornelius had got home once more. You’re right, it did surprise me when I found that he had got back to his own state once more. I say Bully for him. Rose, you had said that Hen had been out for rabbits. I would like to take a good rabbit hunt again where there is lots of snow down on such a country. There ain’t enough snow to track a mouse. Sleighing is played out in this country. I haven’t saw a sled in Tennessee. I don’t believe that they know what sleighing means. I suppose that there has been a great deal of snow in Ohio this winter and I suppose that folks enjoyed themselves going sleighing and especially what few young folks there is to home. But I suppose that they are getting pretty well cleaned out about town—that is, the young men. But I suppose there is plenty of young women yet in town.

Rose, you wanted to know whether I had your photograph. I have got it and I will stick to it as long as I have a button on my pants. So you can bet I will keep it for if the buttons would come all off, I would be in a bad fix, don’t you think so? Rose, tell Maria Kisner and Susan Carpenter and Harriet Shanafelt that I want them to send me their photographs and if they don’t, I might throw a stone in their gardens someday for it.

I must close for this time. I send my respects to all, — F. Shanfelt

The weather has been very nice down [here] for the last few weeks. Write again soon.

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Letter 4

Blockhouse No. 7
April 11, 1865

Friend Rose,

I will try and answer your letter that you had written to me some time back. I was glad to hear from you and the rest of the family about Greentown and to hear that they were about all well. I am well at the present time and enjoying myself pretty well at the present. The news are very good just now. I suppose that there are some big times at home now over the fall of Richmond and Petersburg. I know if I was at home I would take a spill on the head of it but I don’t think I will down here and I suppose that you know the reason why. It ain’t because I don’t like whiskey, but because I can’t get it. It will all come right some day—that is, if we live long enough to see this war come to a close. And I think that it will be before very long. It won’t last 1,000 years any more, I don’t think. If it does, I will be old enough to get married when I come home.

Rose, there is only one thing that spites me. That is because I couldn’t be at home to bug that old deaf mare that you sold when Hen went fishing. She would have been a splendid buggy horse for me when I get married. But it is too late now and I must make some other arrangements.

I was glad to hear that Mapes had so long a time at home. I suppose that he enjoyed himself first rate while he was there. I think I would and I guess that he did. You had stated in your letter that Mapes had went with some of the girls and he said that they would better not fool around him very much or he would take them down. You allowed that you didn’t think that it would hurt me to take some of them down once and a while. For all you know, I do for the Southern girls are very liberal to Yanks—especially some of them. But it all goes for the Union.

I must close for this time. Rose, there is a good deal of plain talk in this letter and I don’t want you to let anyone read it, if you please. Write soon. Yours respectfully, — Sheny, F.

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Letter 5

Block House No. 7
May 30, 1865

Dear Brother,

I received your letter you wrote to me today and I was glad to hear from you and the rest of the folks about home. I am well and the rest of the right side up. Your letter that you had wrote to me was on the road over two months. I don’t see where it has been laying so long along the road but it don’t make much difference for I don’t know whether I would wrote any sooner or not for there was a big talk about being mustered out but I think that we will serve out our time or almost at least. We have about three months to serve yet and then our time will be out.

I guess the 114th Regt. will soon get home. I say Bully for them. Hen, it is getting pretty damn hot down here now. There is a few patches of wheat about here and it looks [as] though it was fit to cut in a few days. Corn is up about knee high. We [ ] more than have a time eating mulberries. There is lots of them down here.

I got a letter from Rose Shanafelt a few days ago and was glad to hear from the folks. I also received the photograph that Maria had sent to me and I was very glad to get it and it is pretty good. It looks natural. I must bring my letter to a close. I might talk about a good many things yet but I will drop it at present.

Yours, — F. Shanafelt, Co. E, 115th OVI

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