The following letter was written by Marshall McMurran (1842-1910) of Centre, Vanderburgh county, Indiana, who first enrolled in Co. H, 65th Indiana Infantry. He was later transferred to Co. H, 120th Indiana Infantry.

Transcription

Camp of the 129th [120th] Indiana
Raleigh, North Carolina
August 26th 1865

Dear Father and Mother.

After the lapse of several days, I sit down to answer you letter of August 9th which I received August 16th. I delayed in answering it immediately for several reasons. We had just been paid off and I wished to write you in this letter that I would send you some money and I also wished to wait till we arrived at this place. We left Greensboro August 19th arriving here the same night. Today just makes one week that we have been here and I have concluded not to send money home by express because there are so many risks that the company will not be liable for it. Most of our company sent their money by express the first part of this week, the captain tending to the business. When the captain brought down the receipts to the boys, I saw some of them and they were not liable for a great many risks that might occur. So as there is a talk that the regiment will not have to stay much longer, I thought I would keep it with me. I do not know why it is that we have been brought here, for we have not yet been detailed out through the city. While at Greensboro orders came from the Headquarters of Gen. Ruger for each of the six Indiana regiments to send on the date of their muster as a regiment, as three regiments were to be sent home. The three were to be those whose organization was the oldest. The adjutant of our regiment whose business it was to forward the date, sent on our date as being the 15th of March 1864 when it was the 2nd of March 1864. So instead of our regiment being one of the three, we have o remain although our regiment was the first one that was mustered in. Our Colonel did not learn of the mistake till four hours after the dispatch had been sent in by telegraph. He immediately telegraphed to Headquarters to have the mistake rectified, but it was too late for the dispatch had been sent pn to Washington. The 23rd, 124th, and 129th are thus the regiments that are to go. So you see what a mistake causes. This is the story of it in camp. I know that there are a good many officers in the service who wish to keep their regiments in as long as they can in order that they may be promoted still higher. The Colonels as also Captains and Lieutenants look for still higher promotion which brings still higher pay. Men that here receive between 100 and 200 dollars a month will on returning home sink into their former trades of farming and even working by the day.

I am with my company again, my duties having ceased on leaving Greensboro. There is talk now that all the white troops in this Department are to be mustered out as soon as possible. I am well at present and hope this will find you the same. All is business and a activity at this place. The streets are crowded every morning with market wagons and we can have the chance of buying right from the citizens. Splendid potatoes, both Irosh and sweet, are abundant and sell from 80 cents to $1 per bushel. Butter is plenty and cheap. In fact, the citizens are so destitute of money that they are obliged to sell cheap in order that Greenbacks may be realtered through the state.

Our regiment is camped on the very same camp that the 65th was while here and I cannot refrain from thinking of my old messmates every time I pass over the ground. It was while the 65th lay here that Johnston surrendered and Sherman’s army started on its march for Washington. It was three months and a half from the time we left here till we came back. I wrote to you last on the 30th of July which I expect you have long ere this received. I also sent word by William A. Holcomb, a mess mate of mine, of how I was getting along. He started for home on furlough on August 4th and he knew you, as you worked on a mill in his neighborhood. I am looking for him to come back soon as his furlough expires on the 3rd of September. I though that he would be as good a letter as I could send to you and I think that he will be a good envelope for you to send your letter to me in—at least I am looking for him to tell me all about you as he promised to go and see you.

The weather here begins to be cooler. The nights are quite cool and the mornings also. I, by an accident, became acquainted with a son of Doctor [Joseph] Neely who is no other than the surgeon of our regiment, and I never heard his name till a few days ago, although he has been with the regiment ever since I came into it. He happened to be in the office of the Provost Marshal one day as he came up every day to chat with the officers, and after observing me closely he asked me if I was not your grandson and I told him yes. He then went on to tell me all about you and having seen you on the wharf at Evansville while the boats were passing which contained the troops of the 23rd Army Corps. I never knew him personally but well remember Old Doctor Neely as he used to stop with you often. Of course there was a regular scraping up of old recollections of old times in which he asked me what John Stanfield and a good many others. So you may judge of how little trouble I give the doctor. If he had never spoken to me, I would never have known him for after all our conversation was over. I had to ask him what hi name was.

We are getting along fine, having plenty to eat and wear. I drew $94.45 which with some little coming to me amounted to 112 dollars. If I find out that we are to be here till winter and that there will be a safer way to send the money, I will try and send it, but the state is not yet perfectly quiet nor civil law established so there are bands of lawless men roaming around in different parts of the state robbing and making their living by stealing and various outrages. The express companies will not be liable for what these roaming bands of Confederate soldiers may do.

Hoping his will find you and mother all well, I will close. I have had no letter from Henry as yet. Hoping to hear from you all soon, I will close for the present. I remain your affectionate grandson, — Marshall McMurran