This letter was written by Edward M. Brown of Co. E, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was 22 years old when he enlisted on 29 August 1861 to serve three years. He was appointed Corporal on 17 July 1863 and taken prisoner at the Battle of Chickamauga on 20 September 1863. He died at Andersonville Prison on 2 October 1864 after a year’s confinement.

Edward wrote his letter from the company encampment at a guard post placed near a bridge on the Nashville & Decatur railroad between Elk River and Decatur, Alabama. Co. I was stationed at Elk River, Co. K at Decatur Junction, and Co. E four miles up the road from the Junction. The Headquarters of the regiment was at Athens, Alabama, at this time.

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

Fort Brewster, Swan Creek at RR Bridge
July 25, 1862

Friend John,

After some delay on account of having orders to be ready to leave in five minutes for the last 6 or 8 days. Yet I have not forgotten you nor never will John. I am well, also the boys in our company, and in good spirits. We are as yet at the RR bridge having good times under the circumstances, although as I said, we have been under marching orders for several days and that is one of the hardest ways of camp life—to be on suspense.

The weather is fine. We get rain every few days now. That makes it more pleasant in cooling the air. We are feasting as usual. We have all that is good for us to eat such as peaches, green corn, berries, &c. &c. and milk at 25 cents a gallon. You spoke of [Wilson S.] Musser. ¹ He is well now. I told him about what Harley said and he laughed and said that he had written last to home and never received one from Harley a joke on Harley, ha ha ha. Wilson [Musser] has been unlucky for the last four or five months. Has been poorly most of the time but is quite hearty now and cheerful. Is well liked in the company.

S[amuel] Hull is hearty and most of the boys from our parts. We are looking for our Lieutenant S[amuel] F[letcher] Cheney of Defiance who is at home on furlough. Also [Finlay] Britten and Warts of Hicksville. We are waiting patiently for their arrival, expecting to hear some good news from there. But supper is ready and I will finish afterward. Supper over. Had corn, coffee, and hard bread. And while eating, the train passed and Lieutenant S. F. Cheney came. On that account, I will not finish tonight. Boys are in swimming now and I must go in also as this is the hour appointed for swimming.

July 26, ’62. I will again attempt to finish my uncollected thoughts. Boys well and cheerful. It is cloudy this morning and sprinkles some but I guess the rain will not be heavy although the clouds are thick. Yet the sun shines bright behind and the thought comes to me that this morn is like our great nation. A great cloud is hovering over her and as yet the prospect is poor for her to get out very soon. But surely though it be long and tedious, the more brilliant the sun will shine when the clouds are dispersed.

As I stated last eve that our brave little lieutenant [Cheney] had arrived from Defiance, he brought no particular news. The boys were very glad to see his manly form as it jumped from the platform of the car. You may guess we were as glad to meet him as a father to see his children. As before heard, he says crops are good there and hands scarce. Enlisting rather dull, but I think that as soon as harvest is done, there will be plenty of brave men to help to crush this great rebellion under which many of us are laboring day after day. Although our labor is not so hard at present, but we have felt it and know how to feel for those who now are laboring still harder. I suppose General McClellan is in a good position now for the enemy.

I was pleased to hear of your going to school of last winter and spring and presume as soon as you shall receive this, you will—or soon be—at your studies again. Luck to you, John. May you prosper in your attempt. I heard your father’s dam had burst and floated out again. Bad luck. It seems almost that the water is not to be feared there.

It is now almost time for the morning train to come. There, I just heard the whistle some 4 miles south of here. The boys are in front of my little bush cot jumping, but the ground is rather hard, although the excitement must be kept up in some way—sometimes in jumping, running, wrestling, &c. as we have not much reading matter here. Sometimes get a paper. Sometimes can get some interesting book—[the] life of some of our old soldiers that have parted this life long, long ago.

The moral feeling in camp is about “as usual.” I have not heard a sermon in about eight months, yet, as ever, I am trying to live so that if my maker calls me, I can go with joy and not grief. I will be glad when they will come—when peace will again cover our beautiful land. When (soldiers), friends, and loved ones can enjoy the word of our heavenly master according to the dictates of our own conscience, none daring to molest or make us afraid. John, don’t you think it would be pleasant to arise Sabbath morn, dress and go to Sunday school and church, where the word of God is preached in its purity? Surely it would be. But not withstanding all these privations, I am willing to stay [and] endure the privations of a soldier’s life as long as needful and reap the rewards in some future day—that is, if I am permitted to live through. And that I trust to God, the father of all good.

The train just passed going towards Athens. Had some cannon on board. Capt. [Lewis E.] Brewster and Sergeant [George T.] Squire came after, having been at Huntsville on business.

The sun is beginning to shine. The air is cool and pleasant now and has been for several days. The weather is cooler there this summer than has been for many years. The thermometer has not been over 95 degrees since we have been here which is the 9th of May and Lieutenant Cheney said it stood at that in Defiance one day when he was there. And there is a cool breeze blowing most of the time which we do not have or so much so in Ohio.

The corn is coming out well since the rain we have had of late, so we have all we want to use. Can stand on the peak of some hill and see corn for miles. As for cotton, it is late for the time of the season but will produce a tolerable fair crop. It is in bloom now. There is not much of it raised this season. The so-called Pres. Davis ordered the planters to not plant more cotton than they wanted for their own use but put in plenty of grain to help the army. The wheat was nothing of importance, but here the corn will be very good and as Davis said, it will help the army—-but the USA instead of the CSA.

But fearing I am wearing your patience with my unconnected thoughts, I will close by saying remember me to all with respect. Hoping to hear from you soon. I remain yours truly, — E. M. Brown

Co. E 21st Regt. OVI USA, 9th Brig. 3rd Div., in care of Capt. S. B. Brewster, via Nashville TN.

¹ Wilson S. Musser was 19 when he enlisted in Co. E, 21st OVI on 29 August 1861. He was killed on 31 December 1862 in the Battle of Stones River.

The following letter was written by Loyal Barber Wort (1830-1893), the son of Israel Brown Wort (1804-1840) and Susan B. Dubbs Miller (1808-18xx). Loyal was married in January 1853 to Susan Gardiner Hendershot (1834-1914) and was living in Hicksville, Definance county, Ohio, where he was employed as a shoemaker just before the Civil War.

According to muster rolls records, Loyal enlisted as a musician in Co. E, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) on 27 August 1861 and he served a little over three years, mustering out in September 1864 as a private.

Loyal’s Find-A-Grave biography includes the following entry includes the transcription of a letter he wrote following the Battle of Chickamauga where the regiment carried Colt Revolving Rifles that fired so rapidly they ran out of ammunition and had to make three bayonet charges. The letter read in part: “Our line of battle is formed at this place and whilst I write this our men are a skirmishing with the enemy and I think there will be a great battle fought at this place….We had a battle with them on last Sunday and it was a very hard one. All of our regiment was killed or wounded or taken prisoner except one hundred and eighty. Solomon Smith [Co. E.] was killed dead and John Kauffman [Co. E is wounded in the arm. There is but one Captain left in our regt. and five Lieutenants. Our Colonel is badly wounded…Our regiment got out of ammunition made three bayonet charges after all the ammunition was all gone and drove the Rebels and then they had to surrender, but some of the men would not stand it and they cut their way out and ran away….I think Dunafin is taken prisoner [He was and when released was killed in the explosion of the steamer ‘Sultana’ 4/27/65], there is only 15 men in our company. I tell you it makes me cry to think of it….I tell you, this battle beats Stone River. This was the hardest fighting ever known and it is not over yet. The Rebels throwed shells in our camp yesterday but they done no damage. The Rebs have a much larger force than we have. The prisoners say they have one hundred and fifty thousand. A part of their Richmond army is here….Through the providence of God I am still spared and I hope he will still continue his goodness to me….We were forced to fall back and leave the field so we did not get a chance to bury the dead and a great many of our wounded fell in the hands of the Rebs. It is heartrending to behold a battle scene.”

Transcription

Camp Jefferson
January 15, 1862

Dear Wife,

It is with much pleasure that I again take my pencil in hand to inform you that I am well and hope these few lines will find you and the children the same. I received your letter dated January the 5th and was glad to hear you are all well with the exceptions of a bad cold and headache. Well, it makes me feel very bad to learn that any of you are sick for it makes me feel very uneasy about you.

We are still at Bacon Creek and I do not know how long we will remain here. There is about 120,000 troops between Louisville and Bowling Green and there is nothing a doing and the papers say that Old Jeff and his Vice President is willing to settle the war and I hope that they will settle it for I have got enough of it, for they ain’t doing anything any place that I can learn by the papers. And you know that when I go to do anything, that I want to put it through.

You said if I would tell the truth, that I would say that I was a fool to enlist. Well, I can say that if I had have known as much then as I do now, I would have stayed at home. It makes me mad when I think that the government has got so many men a laying around and a doing nothing and keeping married men away from home and from the society of their families. I should like to be at home with you and the children. There is nothing in the world would do me so much good as that would. The Lieutenant told me he would give me a furlough when we were paid off, but then I will have to get the Colonel to sign it and the General and it will cost me 10 dollars to come. But if you say come, I will if I can get the furlough signed.

The weather here today is cold and rainy and the ground is very muddy and that makes it very disagreeable in camp. You know it is very disagreeable at home and much more so in camp. We just got our blankets and comforters yesterday and I slept under the comforter that you sent me and it looked natural. But I thought how pleasant it would be if I was a sleeping in your bed. You said that you thought I got good bread in Kentucky but you’re mistaken. I often think that I would like to get some of your bread and would not grumble at it being sour. I think this will cure me of that.