This letter was written by William G. Sturges (1845-1878), the son of William Sturges (1818-1899) and Susan Ann Ludlow (1822-1861) of Lockland, Hamilton county, Ohio. He wrote the letter to Mary Ann Stevens (1844-1924) with whom he would marry in December 1865.

William enlisted in Co. A, 75th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) on 23 September 1861 at the age of just 16. He committed to a three-year term of service and was originally scheduled to be discharged in September 1864; however, he was captured on 17 August 1864 during the Battle of Gainesville, Florida, and was not mustered out until 25 May 1865 in Columbus, Ohio. Mary Ann’s brother, James Stevens, who served alongside William in the same company—referred to by William as “my brother too, now”—tragically did not survive the war, having been killed in the same battle on 17 August 1864. Another of her brothers, Albert Stewart, also served in the same company and chose to reenlist, ultimately surviving the conflict while serving in Co. K.

Transcription

Jacksonville, Florida
March 29th 1864

My darling Mary,

It is with te greatest of pleasure that I now sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and do sincerely hope that these few lines will find you enjoying the same good health. I sent you a few lines by Albert and would like to have come home with him but I could not enlist for three years more to get home for thirty days. Indeed, I think too much of some person at home for that and that person is my dear Mary A. I suppose you know the rest of her name. My dear, would willingly reenlist just to spend thirty days with you but then to think of the three years would break my heart and maybe some persons at home.

I am very sorry that Albert enlisted and indeed, I done all I could to keep him out but all in vain. He would not listen to James nor I. At one time he said he would not enlist unless he could get in csavalry but he changed his mind and went in the infantry. My dear, I hope and pray that you will forgive me for keeping it from you so long for it was Albert’s request that I should do so and I think it is the best we cold have done for it would have made you feel a great deal worse if you had heard it before he came home. I suppose, my dear, that you have heard of the death of Michael Butler. He was a good soldier and we don’t yet know the cause of his death. ¹

Our regiment is better drilled and better looking in every way—only in size—than I ever saw it before and I hope it will look as well when our time is out which is less than six months. And oh, dearest Mary, if I ever get to come home, you may be assured that I never shall leave you again for any length of time. I do wish we could meet this very might. I think it would be a joyous meeting as you said in your letter. I don’t think I would be so bashful if I could see you this evening. Oh, I do wish the next six months were past. I feel as though I was a slave under some hard master. If it was not for your letters and your brother James (my brother too now), I don’t know what I would do. And you talk so kind to me that it fairly makes the tears run down my cheeks to read your letters. The folks at home think that soldiering makes a person hard-hearted, but I tell you, they are mightily mistaken for I think it makes a man tender-hearted instead of hard—especially those that have friends at home and have any feeling for them. But this is not interesting to you.

My dear, I don’t know whether any of my letters are interesting to you but there is nothing new going on down here anyhow and I don’t know who could write a good interesting letter. I will now close by telling you to reply soon. James sends his love to you and the family. Give my love to all the family and receive the same yourself, my dear. I will close this from your ever faithful, — William G. Sturges

To Mary A. Stevens

Please excuse my writing. Address William G. Sturges, Co. A, 75th OVI, Ames Brigade, Jacksonville, Florida

This was wrote in haste. Think of Willie. We have missed you.

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¹ Michael Butler died on 18 March 1864 in camp. His cause of death was not stated in the regimental roster.