Isaac Mark Abbott letter to sister Lydia, 04-24-1863
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
April 24th 1863
Dear Sister Lydia, As I was laying in my tent this forenoon, in no very enviable state of mind (for I had the blues the worst way), the Lieut. brought me your welcome letter of the 19th inst. & never was a letter received more gladly. For I had not had a single letter for more than a week & I was beginning to entertain some curious ideas about my writing friends & thinking how I would make some of them glad to write before they heard from me again. But that is all foolishness. For why cut off one’s own nose to spoil another person’s face?! I was glad to hear that you was as well as common & I wish I could say as much, but I am not very well. I have been sick for five days. I was out on picket Sunday morning. I didn’t feel very well when I went out & we hadn’t been on post more than two hours when another Regt. Came & relieved us & when we got back to camp I had to lay down. I had considerable fever for two days & then it turned to the flux! And I have the flux yet but not so bad but what I can be up & around. I think with you that good health is one of the greatest of blessings. & when a fellow gets sick in the army it brings him to a realization of the fact. I think Roe and I ought to be thankful four good health since we came in the army. For while we have only been a little sick two or three times, lost of the boys have not seen a well day for three & 4 months & only last week one of the boys in our company was taken sick. Went up town to the hospital & died in two days after leaving camp. His name was Gault from Springtown. The Capt. bought a suit of clothes & a metallic coffin for him & sent him home to his folks! I tell you Lydia such captain as Capt Moore are hard to find in the army. They are few & far between. I have not been so lonesome before since I left home as I have this week. Our reg’t was ordered out on a march last Monday morning with five days rations & there is none left in camp only those who are unfit for duty. & I tell you we are beginning to feel as though we’d like to see our mamas. There was five other Reg’ts. accompanying ours & one battery. They started out the Murfreesboro pike in the direction of Reedieveille. They took a large quantity of ammunition with them & I shouldn’t be surprised if they have chance of using some of it before they get back. For I saw a man from Reedieville the other day & he said the Rebs were think all around there. All I am sorry for is that I was not able to go with them. They sent out a 6 day’s more rations to them last night & there has been troops going out in that direction every day this week. So I think they must be going to have a fight. & the boys may not be back here for a week yet. Lydia I am glad that you are going home so soon & I hope you will make your arrangements to go to school this summer. John wrote to us last week that he wants to help you to go. & that he can send you 20 dollars (twenty dollars) right away besides paying your tuition for six months & then Roe & I will furnish what money is necessary to pay your expenses till the six months is up. & after you have gone that long, I have no doubt but you will conclude to keep on going till you can get sufficient education to teach any free school’ and if you will go Roe, John, & I will pay all your expenses as long as you want to go! I want you to write to us about it as soon as you get home & then we will make our arrangements. I can’t tell you exactly where Adrial lives for his house is not directly on any street, but it is just back of the Canal on a kind of an alley. I suppose Jones knows where Camp Sullivan is for I believe he & Martha were there to see John when the 13th was in camp there. Adrial lives about 150 yards from that camp. I suppose you can go there & inquire of any of the people living around there & they can show you his house, for it is right in sight. You ought to hunt them up by all means, for they would be glad. [in between text on Page02] Give my love to Martha & all the family & tell her that we’ll whip the Rebs completely is they’ll only act like white folks & not go to making a row out of it as they generally do by refusing to be whipped by the d----d Yankees & ____cills. (Mark) unsigned (upside down on Page01) |
"I hate newspapermen. They come into camp and pick up their camp rumors and print them as facts. I regard them as spies, which, in truth, they are. If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast." - William Tecumseh Sherman
Isaac Mark Abbott letter to sister Becca, 11-22-1863
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Nov. 22nd 1863
Dear Sister Becca, It is raining this afternoon & as I sit here in my tent & look out on the storm it reminds me of the many rainy days spent at home! And you may think that I am a queer fellow when I tell you that some of my most pleasant & happy times at home was on rainy days! And I fancy that if I was with you today we could spend this afternoon more pleasantly than we will be able to do under existing circumstances but as that can’t well be, I will try & comply with your request (which came in this morning) that I would write you a long letter! But it may prove to be like Father’s opinion of long parties & not very profitable! But I’ll try it on at any rate! We received the one of the 16th so you see our mail is beginning to come in more regularly than it has been doing for some time! But John’s letters continue to come as irregular as ever & we don’t get a letter from him sometimes for a month & then like as anyway we will get 4 or 5 from him in one week! Have not had a letter from him now since the 5th of Sept.! I got a letter from Hi yesterday! He was well & still at Fort Snelling. He wanted us to get a furlough & all go home & spend Christmas! But furloughs are plaid out in this department except for officers. & they can’t spite one by not giving me a furlough for I wouldn’t take one if I had a chance! But I told Hi that if I was in his place I would get a furlough if there was any chance! Cap got back from Nashville yesterday morning and he said that he saw the 83rd Reg’t. on the goose. He said that Harris had his fiddle with him & played some for him. I expect that they will be up here before long! Capt. Moore went down to Kelly’s landing yesterday & when he came back he brought us a big piece of cheese so we had crackers & cheese for breakfast & dinner today & I tell you it was a great treat to us! More especially because it came from Cap for we all think as much of him as though he was our pap! He got our blankets & coats and they will be here about tomorrow! I & Omer & Billy Arnold bought us a fiddle the other day & Omer is just making it ring now! I had not had hold of a fiddle for over five months & I couldn’t play any at all hardly! But if we stay here this winter I intend to try * learn to play some! Becca, what makes you think that I get letters from Old Dock Abbot? I don’t know what I would want to write to him for! I was just fooling when I was writing about my blossom! For there isn’t a girl in old Hoosier that I care anymore for than I do for my old hat, unless it is my dear Bet! And I expect that she has soured on me before this time. Now, what dye’say? That I am the biggest food in the army, I’ll bet! I would like to see Jake stepping around in his new coat & trousers! I expect he feels as big as I did when I got my first pair, but if Lydia has great a time with him as she & John used to have with me & my new breeches, I bet she wouldn’t make him another pair very soon! Yesterday old Gen’l. Hooker & Stuff were up here at our fort & I went out & stood in the rain about an hour waiting for him to come out so that I could get a squint at him. He came out finally & tell you he is a rare beauty he is just about as good looking as Old John Oliver! He is an older man than I had thought he was for his whiskers were as white as wool, but he is a keen looking old fellow & he has given the Rebs good reason to hate the looks of him as much as I did. I suppose that the Tribe of Joshua have got their spiritual strength considerably renewed by their pilgrimage to a Copperhead State & now if I was a sojourner in the land of Ripley I would be anxious for them to try the benefit of 40 years in the wilderness. Or some other sea-port! I am glad to hear that Patrick has commenced plastering the house & think he would have showed his honesty by commencing it a little sooner. Tell him that I saw James the other day & he was all right side up. & hearty as a buck! Well I have about used up my sheet of paper so I will quit & write a longer letter when I have something longer to write! I want you to write soon & often & not get out of patience with the foolishness written to you by your Brother Ike! (Upside down on Page01) Lizzie, I accept your invitation to go to Charleston to the oyster supper & just borrow Jack & bring him along & we’ll go a coon hunting too! As Chattanooga is right on the road it would not be worthwhile for me to walk back home to start so you hitch up Jonathan & I’ll wait for the wagon! You must take good care of Stephen & be sure & speak a good word for me to his fair Daughter & lastly be sure & not forget to write lots & gobs of letters to Mark! |
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