The following letter was written by Ebenezer (“Eb”) Thayer Chaffee (1841-1922) of Winchester, Randolph county, Indiana, who enlisted on 25 August 1862 as a private in Co. K, 84th Indiana Infantry, and was promoted to sergeant major in January 1863, and again to 1st Lieutenant in September 1864. He was serving as the adjutant of the regiment in the F&S regimental headquarters when he wrote this letter in February 1865. He mustered out of the regiment on 14 June 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee.

Eb was the son of William and Abigail (Thayer) Chaffee. He was married after the war to Martha Jane Stewart (1841-1912) and settled in Hartford, Blackford county, Indiana, where he worked as a hardware merchant. He was admitted to the Home for Disabled Veterans at Danville, Illinois, in 1907, and died in 1922 at the National Soldiers’ Home at Marion, Indiana.

Eb presumably wrote the letter to his older brother, Dr. William Carey Chaffee (1835-1927).

[Note: This letter and the image of Chaffee are from the personal collection of Dale Niesen and are published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Transcription

Headquarters 84th Indiana Volunteers
Huntsville, Alabama
February 1st 1865

Dear Will,

Yours of January 25th has just come to hand and as per request, I will immediately acknowledge its receipt ok although I had begin to get somewhat uneasy myself on account of its long delay—for it had been more than 5 weeks since I had written you. I hope the calling for that amount of money did not discourage you for I should be sorry to do so. I supposed though that you had that much that was not in use.

You spoke of a nice trip to Corey’s. I would have enjoyed the trip also had I been there. I hope by next winter to enjoy all such little things with you as well as “other arrangements too tedious to mention.” I have no assurance though of that for it has been but a day or two since I heard that another companion in arms as well as friendship had fallen a martyr to the cause. May he reap a rich reward in that land where they are given solely according to merit. I first heard of Jake’s death on the 29th for on that day Ez ¹ received a letter from his sister Becky. Ez is much affected by the news but at this date begins to assume his wanted joyful tone of voice & elastic step. I have seldom seen anyone much more stricken in my life than he was when first the news arrived. The boys all feel his loss and sympathize with Ez in his bereavement.

In reference to Henry Chue, I can’t give you much news as it is not known yet what will be done with him. He is now in arrest at Brigade Headquarters awaiting trial by court martial. If he can prove what he says, nothing will be done with him and he will be released and allowed to go home. I hope that nothing bad will befall him for I always thought well of Henry and considered him a good boy.

Well, I must stop. I remain &c. yours truly, — Eb

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¹ Ezra Mann Stahl (1839-1913) joined Co. K, 84th Indiana Infantry in November 1862 and was mustered out on 14 June 1865 as the Sergeant Major of the company. He was the son of Abraham Stahl (1809-1889) and Elizabeth Waltz (1808-1875). Ezra’s younger brother, Sgt. Jacob Stahl, also served in Co. K, 84th Indiana Infantry. He died on 22 January 1865 from wounds he received at Rocky Face Ridge, Georgia on 9 May 1864.

This letter was written by John Pittenger, Jr. (1838-1923) of Wayne county, Ohio. He came to Delaware county, Indiana, with his family in the 1850s. He wrote the letter to 19 year-old Mary E. Shafer, the daughter of German emigrants Adam and Eleanor Shafer of Muncie, Delaware county, Indiana. She married George N. Barrow in 1886.

John enlisted in Co. D, 84th Indiana Infantry on 13 August 1862, entering the service as a corporal. He was mustered out on 14 June 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee. According to the Indiana CW Database, John (or Jonathan) was taken prisoner at Chickamauga on 20 September 1863.

After the war he moved to Wayne, Kosciusko county, Indiana, and married Clarissa E. Jones in December 1868. There is another Pittenger to Shafer letter dated 28 January 1863 housed in the William Henry Smith Memorial Library in Indianapolis.

To read other letters I have transcribed by members of the 84th Indiana Infantry, see:

Nathan Hiatt, Co. A, 84th Indiana (1 Letter)
Henry Taylor Semans, Co. A, 84th Indiana (1 Letter)
David Thomas McConochy, Co. H, 84th Indiana (1 Letter)
William Randolph Way, Co. H, 84th Indiana (19 Letters)
George W. Whitzel, Co. H, 84th Indiana (2 Letters)

[This letter is from the personal collection of Rich Condon and is published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Transcription

Franklin, Tennessee
May 20th 1863

Dear Miss,

I embrace this privilege of dropping you a few lines in reply to your kind letter of the 7th [which] was duly received and its contents perused with pleasure and I now sit myself with delight to try to drop a few lines in reply which may be of interest to you.

Things is extremely quiet here at present. There has been no picket fighting done amongst the pickets nor any Rebels seen for some time and consequently there is no news of importance and we have been here so long it is getting to be one constant routine of camp scenery every day and nothing new so I hardly know what to write.

You said there was a very fine prospect for fruit. I hope it will do well and I get home to help eat some of it. I think I could enjoy myself very well.

You said you wished I had of been there to of took dinner with you. Well I wish so too but I am too far off to accept of the invitation. I would like to have one dinner like I use to have for a soldier’s fare is not very good sometimes and but few varieties.

I hope this war will soon be over and then I will come down and take tea with you. We will have a good time generally, don’t you think so?

Now it is pretty near night and I will have to close. You must excuse a short and poorly written letter for I have to sit down in my bunk and write on my knee and so you must look over all bad writing. This leaves me well and I hope it may find you the same for health is the greatest blessing the Lord can bestow in us. The other boys is all well. Rueben Pittenger ¹ has got with us at last and he looks tolerable well.

Mr. Myers was down to try to get Jacob home and he thought he would when he was here. You had better bet we was all glad to see him. Excuse all mistakes and write soon. Believe me to be your true friend, — John Pittenger

Goodbye.

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¹ Reuben Pittinger (1838-1864) also served in Co. D, 84th Indiana Infantry but died in the service at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Cobb county, Georgia. He may have been John’s cousin.