The following letter was written by Charlotte Melissa (Miller) Coon (1821-1917), the daughter of Daniel Miller (1785-1852) and Jane Wick Genung (1792-1878). She wrote the letter to her sister, Edna Amanda Miller (1834-1928) of Seneca Falls, New York. Charlotte was married in 1842 to John V. Coon (1822-1895) and lived in Elyria, Lorain county, Ohio, where her husband had practiced law since 1846 as well as dabbled in farming and manufacturing enterprises.

In her letter, Charlotte describes the departure of her 17 year-old son John Emir Coon (1847-1889) who had enlisted, with his parent’s permission, into the Union army. He was mustered on 11 May 1864 as a private in Co. K, 135th Ohio Infantry—a 100 days regiment. The 135th OVI left Ohio for Cumberland, Maryland, May 11. It was assigned to duty as railroad guard on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at North Mountain, Opequan Station, and Martinsburg until July 3. At North Mountain, a portion of the regiment was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison. It participated in operations around Harpers Ferry July 4–7, and performed guard duty at Maryland Heights until September. Participated in the actions at Maryland Heights July 3–7. Emir was mustered out of the service three and a half months later, on September 1, 1864.

The “Oberlin Company” was also mentioned in the letter. This refers to Co. K of the 150th OVI, a unit largely composed of Oberlin college students and other local young men. We learn from the letter that they were initially intended to be part of the 135th OVI but a dispute among the officers resulted in their being sent to Cleveland instead to become part of the 150th OVI where they also served for 100 days. Rather than guarding railroads, however, they garrisoned the forts defending Washington D. C. To read a letter by one of its soldiers, see 1864: Allen Albert Wright to William Wheeler Wright on Spared & Shared 22.

After service in the Civil War, Emir attended Cornell University and was united in marriage with Elizabeth Boynton. In 1871 Emir’s father came to Blue Rapids and discovered the presence of gypsum among the ledges near Blue Rapids. Finding it to be of good quality he and Emir returned to Blue Rapids from Elyria, Ohio, in 1872 and built the first mill west of the Mississippi river and commenced the manufacture of plaster of Paris. Marshall county owed them the origin of the largest single manufacturing within it’s borders. This mill was operated for 12 years , when the firm discontinued business. The 1880 Census shows his profession as a lawyer and the father of two girls; Frances and Florence. On May 29, 1889, while on his way home from the mills, just in front of the Baptist church, he was seen to stagger and fall, and before anyone could reach him he was dead. The cause of death is not positively known. Emir moved permanently to Blue Rapids in 1876

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

Elyria [Lorain county, Ohio]
May 10, 1864

Dear Sis Edna,

Yours of May 5th was gladly received and read with pleasure. I thank you for writing such a long letter so well filled with good news and especially for the words of encouragement and sympathy addressed to ourselves. Lottie’s letter too was so good and sympathizing. Please tender my thanks to her.

Emir left with his company this morning. They go to Columbus to be armed and equipped (the old equipments to be left behind as they belong to the State) and from there wherever the government chooses to send them. You will recollect they were to be ready for marching orders the 2d of May. Accordingly the Oberlin Company came down that day. They were not allowed to go to the hotel but taken in and entertained among our citizens—two and four in a place out of pure good will and friendship—as they were going with our boys and we wanted to make their acquaintance. We found them very nice young men—mostly college students—some studying theology—and many professors of religion. We had felt very much gratified to have our boys go with a company who would set them a good example and whose influence over them would be the right kind. They in turn had felt very grateful and a mutual warm friendship had sprung up. But by some disaffection among the officers which I cannot explain to you, the Oberlin Company were sent with the Cleveland regiment to Camp Cleveland yesterday a.m. And three hours after they left, our company received orders to report to Col. W. C. Cooper at Camp Chase. Col. Cooper commands a Mt. Vernon regiment which they say is a fine regiment. The boys of both companies felt much dissatisfaction about the matter, as well as our citizens generally. I clip what Washburn says and send it along.

We could have prevented Emir’s going on account of his age and not having had his father’s consent to join the company but he was so anxious and determined on going that we thought it would not be wise to detain him although it was like tearing our hearts out to let him go—so young and inexperienced as he is—into so much danger both morally and physically. It will seem almost wicked for us to go to our warm beds at night and think of our poor boy standing guard perhaps in a severe storm—or at best in a frail tent lying on the cold damp ground.

It has rained steady all day today and is quite cold. The past two weeks has been very exciting and wearing to us all—not only us—but most families who had boys going. Last week the town was full of soldiers who were drilling before our eyes every day. Other parents who have young boys in the company are feeling very bad. The young girls and citizens, many of them, went in the rain to the depot to see the soldiers off feeling fine and glad to start. Mary went to Vermilion last night and came back this morning. She bid Emir goodbye on the cars and has cried all day since until her eyes are almost cried out. Her mother was not quite as well as she had been.

Allie is in school every day—is healthy [and] growing fast and having lots of play and fine times. Jo[hn] is busy in court which is now in session. Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Byington, Lida and Mrs. Vincent visited here last week. They send their love to you. I have got a beautiful pressed flower wreath made. Are you pressing flowers? Do not fail to press a nice lot this summer. Is Jacob & Ruth coming West this summer? We would like to see them here, and Mother with them. Mother might make us a visit—when she has a girl to leave the work with, & a daughter to oversee her. With love to yourself. —Mother, Albert & all. Yours sister, –C. M. Coon