The following letter was written by William Jasper Andrews (1840-1909) of Vermillion county, Indiana, who enlisted on 11 August 1862 as a private in Co. D, 85th Indiana Infantry. He mustered out three years later at Washington D. C. on 12 June 1865.

Jasper was the son of William Andrews (1807-1879) and Jane Wellman (1811-1879) of St. Bernice, Vermillion county, Indiana. Jasper’s father was a tanner & currier from Ohio. His mother was born in Kentucky. In 1870, Jasper married Amanda Minerva Davis (1846-1918) and lived out his days in Vermillion county as a farmer.

Transcription

Nashville, Tennessee
February 24th 1863

Dear Cousin,

I received your letter the other day with the greatest of pleasure. I was glad to hear from you. We have had a general movement since I wrote the other letter when we was at Danville, Kentucky, and I will try to answer your letter. I am well at present and I hope you are enjoying the same blessing. We are camped 7 miles south of Nashville and we are looking for an attack every day but I don’t think there is any such good luck [for] the Rebels to attack us here.

I was glad when we left Kentucky but we are now in Tennessee which is not any better than Kentucky—only we are advancing on the Rebels. The governor has called us to hold a meeting here to get the opinion of the soldiers and to make a proposition whether we shall settle this war or the people at home. I think if those Democrats don’t carry themselves straight and quit kicking up a disturbance, we will be apt to send a regiment or two back there to take charge of them. But I hope we won’t have to send any troops back there in old Indiana. Long as they keep cutting up in the North, it will make the South stand in arms some many months longer against us. There has been several back there at home writing to the soldiers here for them to desert and come home for this is nothing but a abolitionists’ war and they are fighting for the negroes. I think the man who would write such stuff back to the army is not right in his heart and is not true to his country. There was a great many men scared before they heard about the President’s last proclamation. I think it is the best thing that ever was put in force towards helping to put this rebellion down. Any way to put it down. I think this proclamation will weaken the South considerable.

Well, you was saying something about Edward Andrews. I have not had any letter from him for some time. the last time I heard from him he was at Indianapolis. He was taken prisoner. Well, I must close. I would like to know where Uncle Ethan is. I have not heard from him for some time. Write soon. So no more at present.

From your cousin, — Jasper Andrews