The following letter was written by German emigrant Pvt. Jacob W. Rush (1845-1902) of Co. L, 3rd Ohio Cavalry. His pension records inform us that Jacob was wounded twice and spent 8 months in prison at Cahaba, Alabama. He was exchanged from prison on 27 April 1865 and survived the explosion aboard the steamboat Sultana on his return home. He married Sarah Kelley Webb (1846-1915) in 1868.

Jacob’s father was Thomas Rush, born in Bavaria in 1813, and in 1860 enumerated as a farmer in Kelleys Island, Erie county, Ohio. We learn from the letter that 16 year old Jacob did not have his father’s permission to enlist so he probably lied about his age in order to be accepted into the regiment.

An obituary posted on Find-A-Grave states that “Jacob W. Rush was one of the most conspicuous characters in the affairs of Pawnee county and western Kansas for many years. He came to Larned from Kelly’s Island, Ohio, in the later seventies, and engaged in the banking business and for many years was president of the First National Bank, which closed its doors in 1896 under circumstances well known to all our readers. He took a prominent part in politics for a number of years, being state senator from this district from 1882 until 1890. He was financier of remarkable ability and was closely connected with all the trouble that disturbed this community since the early nineties. His life was one of many ups and downs but he met all reverses resolutely and never failed to retrieve himself from them. There is no doubt that had death not overtaken him he would have soon repaired in his new home at Lawton, where he was in the brokerage business, the fortune which it is believed was seriously crippled towards the end of his career in Larned and during his short experience in business in Kansas City. He was a man of decided character and made equally strong enemies and friends wherever he was. His death is the concluding chapter to one of most remarkable and notorious conditions of business and social affairs that ever existed in any community in the state. He leaves three daughters, one son and a widow to mourn his untimely death. The sympathy of the entire community is extended to Mrs. Rush, who during the past few months has lost her father and mother, and now her husband.”

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Evan Iannone and was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

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

Camp Worcester [Monroeville, Ohio]
December 4, 1861

Dan Huntington,

Dear friend, I see that you have heard all about my enlisting and I was glad to hear from you. We have a good time out here and live fat. We have coffee and bread and I do not know what all. I’d like to come home for a few days but I am afraid my father [would] make me stay home so I think I will stay here. I wrote to John Ward last week.

We drill once a day and that is dress parade and that is in the afternoon at 3 o’clock until 4 o’clock. And [then] we water our horses. I enlisted Sunday, November the 24th. I went back to Sandusky the same day and came back Monday. My Mother was over here last Saturday and tried to get me home but I enlisted to stay and I will do so if I can.

Mary wrote to me last week. I was in Sandusky last Monday to see my Mother but I did not see her for she had left. I went back to Monroeville the same day for we cannot stay over night with a pass. We will leave here inside of 10 or 12 days. We are going to Cincinnati we think. We made our tent as big again as it was and got a stove for it.

I must close my letter for I was on huard last night from 12 o’clock till 7 o’clock this morning and I am sleepy. Give my best respects to all the boys and girls and all them that inquire of me. Write soon to your friend, — Jacob Rush