The following letter was written by George S. Day (1845-1901) of Co. C, 8th Iowa Cavalry—a survivor of Andersonville Prison. George enlisted on 31 July 1863, writing this undated letter sometime in the fall of 1863 from Camp Roberts near Davenport, Iowa. The regimental history informs us that the 8th Iowa cavalry saw little of real war until the spring of 1864, when it started with Sherman in the celebrated campaign for Atlanta. The regiment had been organized late in the previous autumn at Davenport. It left Iowa in the middle of October and by the middle of November was stationed at Waverly and other points west of Nashville, Tenn., where it remained on guard and garrison duty all the winter, with little opportunity for showing the pluck of its soldiers and no chance at all for distinction.

In May, 1864, the 8th Iowa Cavalry was made a part of the 1st brigade of McCook’s division of cavalry. In the arduous campaign that followed, the regiment was constantly at the front, and when the Confederates, after weeks of constant skirmishing and battles, at last fell back behind the Chattahoochee, the 8th Iowa cavalry was the first troop across the river after them. So the fighting and the skirmishing went on around Atlanta, and then came that luckless raid of Gen. McCook’s to the Macon railroad, in which the regiment was captured near Newnan, Georgia, only a few escaping through the woods to tell how heroically the command had tried to save itself. It was on this raid that George was taken prisoner with most of the others in his regiment on the raid, Georgia. He remained in captivity, which included a long stint at Andersonville—until mustering out at Macon, George on 13 August 1865.

George was the son of Timothy Roberts Day—a wagonmaker—and Eliza Jane Smith of Winchester, Van Buren county, Iowa. He wrote the letter to Ruth Huber (1843-1894).

[Note: This letter is from the collection of Michael Huston and was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

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

Camp Roberts
[Davenport, Iowa]
[Fall 1863]

Friend Ruth,

This being Sabbath I have nothing to do so I thought instead of idling away the whole day I would improve a portion of it by writing to you, hoping you will pardon the intrusion as no offense is intended. It’s merely to express these friendly feelings that I entertain for you and to let you know how I like a soldier’s life which I can assure you pleases me exactly. I can endorse the sentiments of some unknown poet who expresses himself thus.

A soldier’s life is the life form. I own I love it dearly. Soldiering is nothing but fun—that is, such soldiering as we have to perform. I presume that we get down in Dixie the joke will not be so funny but then we can form a very good idea of what soldiering is for we have to come down to discipline here as close as we would in Dixie, and have to perform guard duty the same as though we was in the Rebel’s land. Several times when I have been standing guard at the [ ] hour of night and it pouring down rain in torrents upon me, I have thought I would like to be at home. But as soon as I was relieved, I would think just to the reverse. I am satisfied as long as I can keep my health that I will enjoy a soldier’s life for it is not a laborious task by no means or at least it is not in my estimation.

It is true, I have not experienced much of soldiering and have not been to Dixie but then we have to perform the same duty that we would if we was there, with the exceptions of marches and I presume that part will not be hard to perform on horse back.

Ruth, I would like to return home for a few days to see all of my old friends again but I have no desire to come back to stay. But there is little hopes of any of us getting furloughs. The prospect is dead at the present at any rate. It may be that we can get them if we stay here all winter. Dave is very anxious to geta furlough to come home to stay a while but he says [ ] could not hire him to come home to stay if it was left to his own action.

Ruth, if you consider this worthy and answer, I want you to write and tell me how you are a progressing with your exhibition or whether it is gone up the flume or not. I imagine that you are having lively old times in Winchester now since the boys have all left for I suppose from what I have heard they have all left including those that are agoing to school. And I heard that George Moore had left Winchester and gone to Birmingham to sell goods. And if such is the case, Winchester is dead and I am not certain but what Betty is dead too. Ruth, I guess I had better bring this to a close before I worry your patience any more with this uninteresting letter. Please write soon if you think worthy an answer and give me all the news. So goodbye, from your friend, — George

P. S. Excuse this big blot for R___ shoved my elbow and caused me to blot it. — George S. Day