The following letter was written by Simon D. Ewing (1817-1902) of Francisco, Gibson county, Indiana, who enlisted on 21 October 1861 in Co. B, 58th Indiana Infantry. He was made First Lieutenant of his company and held that rank until his resignation was accepted on 7 September 1862. Simon was married in 1840 to Mary Matilda Dimick (1819-Aft1880). Back in 2019, I transcribed a letter by Mary (Dimick) Ewing to an unidentified friend named “Angeline” who lived near Sutter’s Creek, California. See—1862: Mary Matilda (Dimick) Ewing to Friend Angeline

Simon wrote the letter from Camp Gibson, a Union Army training site in Princeton, Indiana. Located at the Gibson County Fairgrounds, it primarily served as the organizational base for the 58th Indiana Volunteer Infantry but also trained troops for the 65th and 80th regiments.

We learn from Simon’s letter that he had previously resided in California. He may have been a gold seeker. He addressed the letter to Mrs. Phebe Hill who may have been Simon’s sister.

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

Camp Gibson [near Princeton, Indiana]
October 30th 1861

We received your very kind letter of September 29th just two years lacking 18 days since we received anything from you. I can’t say I thought you were dead, but I heard you were married and therefore you could not write. California seems to be a selfish place yet. I thought by this time it would be more like home. I suppose it is in consequence of the diversity of money—each holding on to their supposed superiority. There is but little difference back here. They get along in the same blundering manner. Plenty of very poor people but social enough. We have plenty to eat and drink.

Now I will tell you what kind of a fix we are in & I hardly know how to commence. It is all mustering, recruiting, and bustle. No work, no trade, nothing but get ready for fight. Don’t you think the excitement has got so high that it has carried me along with it? I am now camped here as you see by the heading of this letter. Whether I shall be able to stand it is very doubtful. I have not seen a well day since I have been here.

I would like to be back in California if I could be in a good neighborhood on the account of my health. I take cold so often here—every time there is a change I am worse, which is very often.

We received a letter from Mr. Kimbrough a short time ago. He told us you were living but said nothing about seeing you. He says Jim is going to make a lawyer of himself. I am glad to hear so well of him. I hope William Hill is also making some effort towards honorable destination. I would be much better pleased if you all could sit with us by our comfortable fire and talk of the past. We could tell a great deal that we can’t write.

We can hear their big guns sometimes at our house when they get to fighting on the river but I believe no one has been killed in a Free State by the Secesh as yet. Our regiment will be sent to Kentucky as soon as armed and then will be our turn to see the elephant.

Yours truly. — S. D. Ewing

Direct your letter to Princeton, Box 147