The following letter was written by 1st Lieutenant Richard Welling Burt (1823-1911) of Co. I, 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Richard mustered into the regiment in October 1861 as a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. G. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of Co. I in January 1863. He was wounded at the Battle of Resaca on 14 May 1864 but recovered and was promoted to Captain of Co. H prior to mustering out in July 1865.

Richard was the son of Foght Burt 91799-1886) and Elizabeth Welling (1803-1877) of Coshocton, Ohio. He was married in 1848 to Malona Evans (1826-1873). He was the editor of The Coshocton Age, “but shortly before the breaking out of the Civil war he removed to Newark and afterward enlisted in the old 76th Regiment, which was composed almost exclusively of Licking county men. He served throughout the war and was a gallant soldier.”

The Pentagraph of Peoria Ill., says of the death of Captain Burt: “Captain Richard W. Burt, one of the oldest and most prominent residents of Peoria, a veteran of the Mexican and Civil wars, died suddenly at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Julius S. Starr, 111 West Armstrong Avenue, Saturday, July 8, aged 89 years. Capt. Burt was twice married, his first wife dying in 1872. At the death of his second wife, in 1891, he took up his residence with his daughter, Mrs Starr and continued a member of that household until his death. He was a man scrupulously honest and honorable, gentle, kindly and brave, and his death is being mourned by the entire community. The flag on the government building flys at half mast in his honor, a tribute that is peculiarly fitting to a man who loved his country with exalted fervor and twice offered his life for its defense.”

See also—1865: Richard Welling Burt to Mahola (Evans) Burt

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

Siege of Vicksburg,
22nd day of siege
June 9, 1863

My Dear Wife.

While engaged in eating an excellent supper last night, our Orderly Sergeant brought me a letter from you of date May 31st, finished June 1st. It was an excellent letter—such an one as it does a soldier and loving husband’s heart good to read, and I hope you will not weary in writing and sending these joy-inspiring missives. By the blessing of our Heavenly Father, our lives have been preserved during twenty-two days of the siege. Neither Philip, Jairus or myself having got even a scratch.

We keep throwing up earthworks every day and night to make us more safe from the enemy’s missiles of death. I have done a great deal of work myself with the pick and shovel to make the Captain and myself more secure from danger, and I am constantly urging it upon the boys in our company to do the same. I regard it as recklessness and foolhardiness not to do so, but there are some so reckless and lazy that they use no such precautions. Yesterday a fine young man of our company was shot under his left eye and the ball came out of the back of his neck. I feared that it was a fatal wound, but here is hopes of his recovery, and he is in good spirits. And when the captain went to see him at the hospital, he remarked, “Who wouldn’t be a soldier?” There was a low place in the rifle pit which I had spoken of several times, but the boys kept neglecting to do the work necessary to make themselves safe and which would have saved poor Jarman from being wounded. ¹ Last night they went to work and threw up the earthwork.

We still remain on the same hill we first occupied and are still besieging the enemy. The 25th Iowa are between us and the river and some of them behind a mound of earth so close that they can throw stones in the enemy’s works. They think they can roll a shell into the enemy’s water battery and are going to try it. It is the one that we are in the most danger from and I hope they may succeed.

We sent to Young’s Point for our tent and trunks and they came to hand yesterday. We have got our tent up and slept in it last night—the first time we have slept in a tent since we left Milliken’s Bend more than a month [ago]. I found a cot that had been left behind in one of our camps on our march, and I had it brought along on the cart we hauled our baggage on, and I have it fixed up so that it makes the best bed I have had since I have been in the army, I believe I described our kitchen to you in a former letter. We have a place dug out of the side of the hill for our tent, near the kitchen, and out of range of the enemy’s sharp shooters.

So you see we are getting along very comfortably right here in sight and within talking distance of the enemy. Five deserters came over to our camp night before last—all Tennesseans. They don’t think the Rebs can hold out long. Their officers keep encouraging them by telling them that we have only 6 days rations and that our supplies are cut off. I think we shall be in Vicksburg by next Sunday, but it may be not for three weeks.

We hear that Banks has them surrounded in the same way at Port Hudson, and is besieging them.

Danny Miskimen visited me only a day or two since and had not been taken prisoner as reported but his regiment has since been up to Memphis with prisoners taken at the battles in the rear of Vicksburg. Either Jairus or me write to you every two or three days and if either of us meet with any harm, you will be immediately informed of it. I will write some to Isaac on another sheet. Remaining as ever your loving husband, — R. W. Burt

¹ William S. Jarman served in Co. I, 76th IVI. He survived his wound and lived until 30 June 1926. He died at East Hartford, Connecticut.