The following letter was written by James Beasley (1840-1903), the son of James H. Beasley (1804-1854) and Hannah Cowgill (1811-Aft1880) of Winchester, Scott county, Illinois.

James enlisted on 13 August 1862 in Co. D, 129th Illinois Infantry. At the time of his enlistment, he was described as a 5 foot 6 inch tall, dark-haired, hazel-eyed, single farmer. He mustered into the regiment on 8 September 1862 and mustered out on 8 June 1865 at Washington D. C.

Also serving in the same company with James was his younger brother, George A. Beasley (1843-1924). He wrote the letter to his younger sister, Amanda A. Beasley (1848-1931). He refers to his younger brothers Dick (b. 1844) and Ben (b. 1846).

Transcription

Near the Chattahoochie River
September 12, 1864

Kind sister,

I now seat myself to answer your kind letter that has just come to hand and found me well and in good health. I was glad to hear from you and that you and all the rest of the family were well. Well, Mandy, I have no news of importance to tell you at the present for we don’t get any news—only what we can get out of the papers, and I suppose that you can get them at home as quick as us. We have not had any papers for four or five days until today on the account of Old Rebel Wheeler tearing up the railroad between Nashville and Louisville. But it is now in operation again so we will get our mail more regular.

We are still camped near to the bridge that crosses the Chattahoochie river—that is, our Brigade—and the rest of our Corps are in Atlanta. And the rumor in our camp is that we are going there to join the rest of our command but no one knows how soon. But Mandy, I tell you what I think about it, I don’t think that we will for our Brigade is here guarding the river bridge and the railroad and I know that it won’t be left without any guards. And there is no troops to take our place. unless they are brought from the rear and I am positive that there is no spare stroops behind. And we are detached from the main army anyhow and I am glad of it because I do think that our company is over until next summer and then the other five hundred call will be out. And if the war lasts until then—which I don’t think it will—we will have another campaign.

Well, Mandy, I would like to see you and all the rest of the family the best in the world but I don’t expect that I will ever get a chance to come home until my time is up. And then I come to stay, you may bet. Mandy, I want you to write me and tell me all the news and what is going on at home and how Dick and Ben gets along and whether Dick liked the show or not. I often wondered why you and the Boys didn’t write any oftener than you do. This is the second letter, I believe, that I have got from you and only one from Dick. Write and tell me if the old place looks like it did when I left home. I think lots times that all the folks back there has business that they had rather do than to write to me for I never get any letter from anyone but Mother. I did get one or two from Jack and Jane in the last year. I would like to see Mother. Tell me if she looks much older or have broken much since I left home or not.

I like to get letters from home and I like to write letters, but we have a mighty poor way to write—that is, we have no table or anything of the kind. I generally get to a stump or old log and it is a poor thing to write on. I am still your brother, — James Beasley