The following letters were written by Henry Darling Osborne (1841-1917), a native of Ovid, Seneca county, New York, who came with his parents to Macon, Lenawee county, Michigan prior to 1850, and to Sioux City, Iowa by 1860. His parents were John H. Osborne (1818-1856) and Laraine Smith (1820-1879). He wrote the letter to his older sister, Rebecca Osborne (1840-1926), and mentions his younger brother, Gideon (“Giddie”) Perry Osborne (1848-1916). Rebecca was married in 1859 to Dr. William Remsen Smith (1828-1894) and resided in Sioux City, Iowa, where he was practiced medicine and was elected to be mayor in March 1863.

Both of the letters were written during the American Civil War when Henry served as a private in Co. E, 18th Michigan Infantry. He enlisted on 5 August 1862 at Tecumseh and was dispatched on 15 May 1863 as an artillerist on the Union gunboat News Boy. He mustered out of the regiment on 26 June 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee.

Letter 1

Point Isabel, Kentucky [Cumberland river]

My dear sister,

We have just arrived at this place & I thought I would write you a few lines to let you know that I am alive & well. We had a good deal of trouble on our way. Part of the boats got aground & will have to stay there until the river rises. We had three fights with the Rebs coming up. There wasn’t but one man killed & two wounded & none of them belonged to our boat. They shot sixty-seven balls into us. I expect they will pepper it to us when we go back. We are going down to guard the other boats this morning. They are 50 miles from here.

I would like to write you more but I haven’t time. I am well and in good spirits. I will write you when we come back. I have got a good many things to tell you but haven’t time this morning. I remain your brother, — Henry Osborne

Written in hurry.

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Letter 2

Nashville, Tennessee
December 27th 1863

My dear sister,

Again I sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well & in good spirits. I haven’t much to tell you of any importance but I will do the best I can.

As far as the war news is concerned, I haven’t heard of any in four or five days. We are laying at present at Harpeth Shoals 40 miles from Nashville. We have been down here several days & a very poor prospect of getting to Nashville very soon. Some of the other gunboats have gone up the river three hundred and fifty miles above Nashville & we will have to stay here until they come back again. I was glad we didn’t have to go up for it [is] rather a scaly country up there.

I spent Christmas [day] on the Cumberland River for the first time in my life & a good time we had. We [had] a tip top dinner & supper. We all throwed in fifty cents apiece and got oysters and turkeys. I enjoyed myself very well. All that was missing was the Ladies. I expect we would have had som of them if money would have bought them. When you write, tell me how you spent Christmas. I will write a letter to the Dr. as soon as I get up to Nashville. I don’t know when I will get this mailed. I intend to send it up to town by some of the transports if I can. I wrote a letter to Giddie the other day. I expect he is alone now. How I wish I was there to be company for him. I don’t know whether you are in Fort Dodge yet or not. I will direct this there & if you have gone home, the Dr. can send it to you. I haven’t heard from home in some time now.

You must excuse this rambling letter & write as soon as convenient. Give my respects to the doctor and Giddie when you go home. I remain your brother, — H. D. Osborne.