The following letter was written by George P. Marsh who enlisted in Co. E, 78th Pennsylvania Infantry on 12 October 1861. His enlistment record indicates that he was from Clarion county as were most of his comrades in the same company. George died on 1 March 1863 of wounds he received in the Battle of Stones River. His burial record is under the name “P. Marsh,” grave 217 at Murfreesboro. A pension was filed by his father in the 1870s but there are no details of that claim available on-line.

The 78th Pennsylvania was recruited in the southern and western counties of the state and formed in Pittsburgh in October, 1861. They were assigned to Kentucky and moved into Tennessee in 1862, and Stones River would be their first major battle. The 78th Pennsylvania had 555 men in the ranks, and lost 190, the most in the brigade.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Camp Sam Fox, Tennessee
June 27, 1862

Dear Sir,

I sit down with pleasure to drop a few lines to you and let you know that I am well at present hoping these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing. I have not heard from you for a long time. I don’t know whether you are dead or what is up. I want you to wake up old fellow and do better on that or I’ll be up there some of these times and wool you awhile.

Now I will let you know where we are after a month or two month tramp through Tennessee and Alabama. I have not time to tell you where all we was in that time and what we was doing but we did not do much you may know for the rebels won’t stand fire for the Old 78th. We can run double our number just any place we go—that is, chickens and geese I mean and so forth. Now I must tell you we chased fifteen hundred of Scott’s [Louisiana] Cavalry across the Tennessee river and fired across the river at them awhile and shelled them with two pieces of cannon and chased them away from the river. And then we got orders to go back to Pulaski and from there we came to the railroad station eight miles from town and we are guarding the station and two bridges on the railroad. And we [have] good times now again.

We got paid off the other day again and plenty of lager and whiskey and all kinds of drink and we live on top of the pile. And I am going to take a big bust on the 4th of July. Nothing more for this time but my best respects to you and all the rest. And don’t forget to write soon and write all the news that you can think of. Direct your letter to Camp Sam Fox. — George P. Marsh