The following letters were written by Alfred E. Edwards (1841-1876), the son of Lemuel Edwards (1815-1890) and Lorinda T. Marshall (1817-1900) of Avon, Lake county, Illinois. He wrote the letters to his younger sister, Lydia A. Edwards (1846-1929) while serving as a private in Co. B, 96th Illinois Infantry and later in the 37th Company, 2nd Battalion Invalid Corps. The Edwards family moved from Herkimer county, New York, to Lake county, Illinois, sometime between 1855 and 1860.
The 96th Illinois was organized in the fall of 1862, drawing four companies from Lake county and four from Jo Daviess county.
Appears to have been suffering from acute aphonia as early as May 1863.
Letter 1
Brentwood Station
[April] 6th [1863] 1
My sister,
I have received yours of the 30th. Was very glad to hear from you once more & [would] like to hear oftener—that is my selfishness for it ain’t been quite a week since I heard from home. Barron is writing but don’t know who to.
We have very good times here and live pretty well. We live on johnny cakes. We bake them ourselves. We have got a bake kettle such as folks use that ain’t got no stoves. I wish you could have a piece but what a pity. Our officers got crazy again yesterday for fear that the rebels would gobble them and we got all ready for them but they did not come near. Our boys carried water for two hours and put it into the rifle pits so that we would have enough to drink. It is well enough to always be ready for the rebels are nothing but men. All the difference there is, they wear butternut clothes & we wear the Union [blue]. For that reason, they aren’t but a a little different.
Our company has gone out on picket today. They have to go once in five days. If our regiment was mustered out tomorrow, there would a great many enlist again. they say they can’t earn $13 [a month] any easier. I believe that I should like to soldier in time of peace but our regiment has had good times beside of the 37. Our regiment is getting rather small. There ain’t over 500 men fit for duty. It beats all how the regiment falls away. Lake county better send enough men to fill up our regiment.
I am comforted with the toothache. I don’t like it pretty much. I had to stop a bit & put some cloves [?] in my tooth 2 and it makes it feel nice & so I am a writing by a candle—something that I haven’t done before since I left home. There is three of us a writing. I am a going to tell you who I tent with. H. Lindsay, J[ames] O’Connel. H[enry] Dombski, O[rville] Barron, J[ames] Litwiler, J[ames] Marble, J[ohn] Washburn, J[ames] Beck, Jerome E[dwin] Potter, J[ames] McMillen.
They just put a dead man in the ambulance wagon right in front of our door. The 92nd hospital tent is right close by ours. There is a couple of women to nurse the sick. They bake pies and they can fix up things nice., I will bet. Tell Jennie to keep up good spirits for I can sympathize a little for her. I wish she only had my health. I feel pretty well but can’t talk—ain’t that curious? I will fetch her by and by. There is a great deal of talk about discharging so many. I guess Uncle Sam wants sound men.
You seem to think that the war will close soon but the 96th don’t think so. It never will be by fighting for we have had to do so much of it. Excuse poor spelling the rest. — Alfred
1 The 96th Illinois Infantry was camped near Brentwood, Tennessee, from March 27th to April 8th 1863. During this ten day period they were camped alongside the 92nd Illinois Infantry. They threw up a strong line of fortifications here and were on heavy fatigue and guard duty before being ordered back to Franklin, TN.
2 I can’t be certain that Alfred wrote cloves but that might make sense as cloves, or oil of cloves, would have been a good treatment for a toothache. Clove oil contains eugenol which produces a numbing effect. This is something a regimental surgeon may have carried with him into the field.
Letter 2
Franklin [Tennessee]
May 18, 1863
Dear sister,
Yours arrived today that was wrote the 15th. That is coming pretty quick. The boys are out a drilling so I will answer it & have it done with. We are making preparation for supper. We are a going to have warm biscuit & won’t be as good as Ma makes but better than hard tacks. A few stewed currants with them. That will make quite a supper for us.
I have been on top of a very high hill today & looked around. The country is a beautiful but I can’t see nobody to work but two nigger wenches. They was ploughing out corn. Oh I wish I could plough once more & I would not care much if I had a farm down here, It’s better looking country than old Illinois. I guess I will have to settle down here when peace is declared.
The boys are sick of soldiering. They have such awful orders to live up to. There was one of the boys out drilling [when] Col. Clark come along and asked him to take his hands out of his pocket He says, “I don’t want to,” in fun but the old colonel out him right under arrest. That is the way the privates suffer it all for the Union. But I don’t like such Union—that’s what’s the matter.
I got those postage stamps all right.
The weather is fine but rather cold for this country. The boys are all feeling well but don’t have much to eat—only what they have to buy. Butter is 75 cents, potatoes 10 pounds so $13 a month don’t amount to much. They say that boxes can’t come through but I don’t believe it. Yet, like all other camp rumors, can’t tell much what we hear down here. There is lots of boxes on the road for the boys. I am glad you are sending me one. Jerome says his folks are sending him one. He says too that his father has been offered $250 for their bay horses, I don’t believe it. Soldiers don’t care much what they do or say.
I have just come in from the doctor. I will try and finish this. My letters don’t amount to much. However, as long as I get one to pay for one, it makes no difference to me. The boys have to get up in the morn at half past three o’clock. That is rather earlier than you have to get up for you can get up when you are a mind to. But it ain’t so here. We have to get up when we ain’t a mind to or carry a heavy knapsack through the hot sun. The folks at home don’t know nothing about soldiering—not until they try it.
My back and sides trouble me. I guess they will always trouble. I guess it will be as Ma said, I won’t get over it right away when I was hurt. My health is pretty good—all but my tongue That has broke at the hinges. If I was to home, father couldn’t hear it whisper as he used to, My tongue would not trouble nobody. Maybe it will be a benefit to me some time if I ever speak again.
Write soon and oblige for this is as good as I can afford. — Alfred E.
Letter 3
Shelbyville, [Tennessee]
July 2, [1863]
Sister Jennie,
We have stopped at last. We may start tomorrow & may stay two months. We don’t know as much as a horse. When he is hitched in the morn, he don’t know where he is a going nor how far. I have heard of mud but God only knows we have seen it too. it rained all the while so night was not very comfortable resting. [We] pile up rails in any shape & make the best of it.
We are camped on the bank of Duck River where the boys are in all the while a washing. They have pulled out two rebs [from the river] which they stepped on, One had an awful gash across his neck. He had $1.10 in his pocket—Confederate script. The rebs say Damn the 7th Pennsylvania with their sabers. They drawed up in a line and dashed on them three times. After the rebs surrendered, some would not dismount [and] the 7th would knock them off. We took 550 through to M[emphis]. They were hacked on the head awfully. Well we have cleaned them out so far & [are] in hopes they will keep on so doing for this is an awful life to live—to have to live three years. 1
I am a little sick to my stomach. It was so hot yesterday, it made me vomit all the afternoon. I wish I could speak aloud once more. I don’t want to never go in the hospital—not as long as I can keep with the regiment.
This county is for the Union. One little boy says we Yanks look better than the rebs for we have new coats. Another one says, “Knock [the] darn hell out of them!” Every house had their flags hung out. We are not allowed to touch nothing. Harvesting is a going on rather lively. Most too much rain. I got a peck of blackberries the other day. I thought of Ma to fix them. Lots of green apples—good big ones.
Jerome got his horse all right. The rebs had this place well fortified but did them no good. This is the road that Buell came through on when the rebs made that dash into Kentucky but I hope that Rosy [Rosecrans] will stand the storm & go right through just as if nothing had happened. That is all that I wish—just keep the ball a rolling & crush this thing. I am ready to do as little as I can. The 96th are the same.
It’s too hot to be comfortable. We throwed our knapsacks away never expecting to see them again. [But] behold, yesterday they came to us. This packing 40 pounds on the backs & a gun with 70 rounds of cartridges is more than I bargained for.
I have to borrow a pen and paper, not very good utensils—you know that. When we are on the march, we can send no mail nor none come to us. Excuse this and write often, Jennie. Give my respects to all of the family. Goodbye, from Alfred
1 Alfred is referring to the Battle of Shelbyville which took place on 27 June 1863—the first major engagement of Rosecrans’ Tullahoma Campaign. Under the command of Col. Robert Minty, the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, with swinging sabers, charged the Confederate entrenchments outside of town and then fought hand-to-hand through the streets and stormed a battery in the public square. Joe Wheeler’s cavalry were driven from the town and many of them were trapped attempting to cross the swollen Duck River at a narrow bridge. From that day forward Minty’s command would be known as the “The Saber Brigade.”
Letter 4
Wartrace [Tennessee]
July 12 [1863
I have just received your welcome letter and was glad to hear from you once more. On the 6th, the news was that Vicksburg had fallen on the 4th. The boys appear to rejoice over it a good deal. Capt. Whitney was a going to put me under arrest for not hurrahing for such good news. Also that Lee’s army is cut off. Gen. Beard says he would not be at all surprised if peace was declared in two weeks. I hope so. Jerome has just come in with a nice pail of blackberries. He says there is 40 acres of them. So when he got his things full, he had to shut his eyes up and leave. I wish you had 100th part of them up there.
There is considerable talk in camp about the veteran volunteers. There is some of them think they are 9 months men. they think so strong that they have bet very heavy on the question. They say that the 92nd Regiment and 40th Ohio are going to be mounted. If they do, it will break up our brigade since they belong to it. Our boys say that they want a horse to ride if they do.
Jerome has received two letters and is a writing. One [was] from H. Hanzer. Cars are quite lively through to Tullahoma. Rosecrans has gone into camp there. It is quite sickly in this camp. I have been on the sick list since we have been here. Feel little better. I thought when I commenced this I would have to give it up. There is some of the boys feeling happy up to the sutlers a drinking beer. Father thinks that I am too tight to drink. I guess that is so.
You spoke about Ma coloring my coat. She need not do it. The boys wanted me to get up a box. I told them I would throw mine away first but they insisted on me to send it so I let it rip. If we could only pick up things on the march and send it home, it would have been better. The railroad between Bashville & Louisville has been damaged by the rebs so it has put the mail back some. Some of the boys lose money sending it by mail.
It rains here most of the time. I guess crops will come out the little end of the horn. My writing don’t amount to much so I will close. My best respects to all. I am glad to hear that Jennie is getting better. Write soon, Lydia.
From, Alfred
Letter 5
Estell Springs
[September] 7th [1863]
We are under arching orders so I will drop a few lines. We are a going to Stevenson. We expect to start just as quick as the rest of the brigade comes up for they are scattered all around.
I saw Nell Blatherwick 1 the other day. He was bound for a military prison to serve the rest of his time out. He is as fat as a hog and as full of his nonsense as ever. He is the same old chick. It made me think of home to see him. He would rather be in prison than at the front where shells are flying. He hauled out his pocket book and says I will have to go to playing poker. He had it full. I saw two twenties. No knowing how or much more. He was dressed up to the handle. He is bound to live if anyone is.
We fare well here. Lots of sweet & Irish potatoes. And tell father if he was here he could have all the peaches he could carry. They don’t agree with me nor don’t taste as they used to at home. I wish I was as good as I was one year ago. The doctor gave me half a glass of castor oil. You must know how it went down. George Burnett has gone to the hospital. Don’t tell his folks for the boys hate to let their folks know that they are sick. There is 33 men fit for duty out of Co. B. The 96th is reduced down quite small. One of the Wauconda boys got his discharge at Louisville & expected to be home last Saturday enjoying the sweet comforts of home once more—where the rest of the boys wish they were if we all live in two years more. y life is no better than a thousand others that are in the field. I never saw a soldier yet but would rather be out than in. That is a natural consequence.
The weather is generally pleasant—rather cool nights. A soldier always feels the nights for they have the benefit of the fresh air.
I suppose Lon is enjoying himself with fall work. There was 600 mules just gone by bound for the front. When I get through with this, I shall have a pair of them. There is some splendid ones that belong to the Union.
I suppose our family is well and enjoying themselves as usual. I would like to see them all once more but in hopes sometime. It’s been two weeks since I have heard from [home]. So goodbye. I sent a soldier record home a week ago. Write soon. From Brother, — Alfred
1 Nelson J. Blatherwick (1836-1919) was a farmer from Fremont, Lake county, Illinois. He served in Co. G, 51st Illinois Infantry.
Report of absent members of Congress. B, 96th Illinois Vols. Absent from muster, April 29, 1864
Spared & Shared 23 