The following letter was written by Corp. Orson D. Johnson (1833-1869) of Darien who enlisted on 15 August 1862 to serve in Co. D, 22nd Wisconsin Infantry. Orson was discharged for disability on 20 January 1863 after only four months in the service. His Find-A-Grave memorial states that he was wounded in the Battle of Stones River but this is undoubtedly an error as the 22nd Wisconsin did not participate in that battle. He was married to Mary Louise Cullen (1835-1913) in September 1854 in Walworth county, Wisconsin..

Orson wrote this letter from Lexington, Kentucky, after having been on the march from Cincinnati since the 7th of October, moving every few days until arriving in Lexington. They were there until the 31st of October and then moved on to Nicholasville where they were assigned provost guard duty until mid-December.

Many of Orson’s Civil War letters are are archived at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. 

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

Camp at Lexington, Kentucky
October 25th [1862]

Dear wife,

It has been some time since I heard from you and I have not written to you. It was when we was at Williamstown and I found that the post master was going out and the chances for sending letter is very poor now and I have about ten minutes to write and I will just say to you that we are in Lexington all right and I know that you would be so glad to hear from me as often as possible if you are like me. I begin to want a letter from you pretty bad and I know you are not to blame so I will write as often as I can. It will be only a few [lines] for my time is short.

Frank is sick this morning and lots of the boys are sick too.

Mary, write as often as you can. They will come sometime and then I shall feel better. It makes me feel home sick to not have a letter from you. I want to write a long letter to you and tell you all the news and what I have seen along the road. I will not try to write much this time—only to let you know that I’m in the land of the living and I hope that these few scratches will find you well and the little ones too.

Gip is in blowing so in here that I don’t know what I’m writing. So goodbye, Mary, for this time. From your own loving husband, — O. D. Johnson

Be sure to let Ann write on the outside of the envelope for you. She writes plainer. There is so many letters goes wrong.