The following letter was written by Cornelius Cheeseman (1836-1864) of West Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio. He wrote the letter while serving in Co. A, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. He mustered into the regiment on 15 January 1864 and he died of chromic diarrhea in Lincoln Hospital, Washington D. C. on 29 September 1864.

Cornelis wrote the letter to his wife, Margaret (Jenkins) Cheeseman, whom he wed in April 1857. In his correspondence, Cornelius expresses his intention to “come home this fall,” despite being in the midst of a three-year enlistment; notably, he does not mention pursuing a medical discharge. Furthermore, he urges her to “say nothing” about this matter, implying a potential intention to desert. This raises the possibility that such a plan may have been his objective from the outset, as he resided in Ohio while enlisting in a Pennsylvania regiment, possibly as a substitute or to secure a bounty.

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

Camp Distribution, Va.
July 23rd 1864

Dearest one,

Once more I will try to write but it will only be a few lines as my time is short. You will be disappointed in not getting any money [but] I have not got my money yet as the raid in Maryland took us away from the hospital. Just as soon as I get it, I will send you come. I am going to come home this fall—that is certain. But I don’t know what time yet. Keep still. Say nothing. Then I will be safe. Don’t write till I write again for I expect to leave here soon and then I would not get it.

I came from Philadelphia to Washington by water. I was on water four days and three nights. We came around by Cape May and Cape Charles and Cape Henry and Fortress Monroe and Point Lookout. When we got out on sea, it was very rough and the boat came near sinking with us. There was 2500 men on board. About two o’clock at night, sometimes the boat was standing up on end or lying on her side. Three or four of the Boys rolled off into the sea in their sleep and sank to rise no more. I laid on the very top of the boat without anything over me. Goodbye, C. C. [to] M. C.