"The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
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Isaac Mark Abbott letter to family, 11-21-1863
Chattanooga
Nov. the 21st 1863
Dear friends at home, It is with pleasure that I take up the pen to answer your kind and welcome letters of the 9th and 15th. I guess that we will get the mail more regular now. We got two letters from John this week, one written on the 4th and the other on the 19th of last month. We got a letter from Hiram written on the 9th. He is still at Ft. Snelling. He was well when he wrote it. I hope he will stay there as long as he can for he will have an easier time there than he would in the field. We got orders to move last night with two days rations in our haversack and a hundred rounds of cartridges. We drew rations and had just got our ammunition when the order was countermanded so we did not go. I think from the movements that there will be a fight or a footrace here soon. Capt. was down to Bridgeport the other day and saw the 83rd. He says the boys are well and are now on their way here. Harris played him a tune on his fiddle. Mark & Arnold’s boys bought a fiddle so you see we have some music to remind us of the good old times we once enjoyed. It rained here last night and this forenoon but I guess the rain is over and we will have a little cool weather. You say that the tribe of Joshua has made its appearance again in the land of Ripley. I was in hopes that they would like Mo well enough to remain there, for we have been burdened with enough of their stripe but it is my opinion that they will reap their reward and all other butternuts. The day will come when soldier [Upside down at top of page.] Lydia, stick to your school. Roe will be respected at least as much as butternut citizens. I think that Abraham Lincoln will yet be president over every state in the Union, and the stars and stripes will float all over this once happy land. And we will have a better government than we had before. It may cost the blood of many a brave man, but we had better half of us die than see this government ruined. I think there will be a hard fight here and if we can whip them out right good it will about end the thing. I want you to get me a pair of gloves and send them by mail. If you can get a good pair of woolen ones get them .If not get buckskin. If you can, get a couple of pair socks and send, for the socks that we draw is little better than none. You can do them in a newspaper and send [Upside down at top of page.] Give my love to the female women. them. If you can send them immediately when you write again send us some needles and thread. I am glad that you have got a long so well with the house for I know that you must need it. I reckon that we will hardly know the old place if we ever get back. James Mokiernan was here the other day. It is the first time that I have saw him since we left Murfreesboro. He is as fat as a bear. He is a good soldier and I think an honor to his parents. He has more sense than to take up with all the fool notions of the army such as swearing, drinking & c. I am glad that Lincoln is still able to cry and Jake to ask questions and Ella to gabble. I fancy that I would like to be there to hear the music. I am not sure that I should like Lincoln’s part but I could answer Jake’s questions with a good grace but we must wait with patience the good time coming. Please write soon and give us all the news. I suppose you will get our money before you get this and see Johnson. He will give you all the particulars, so I will close by saying that it is getting cold and I must get some wood. This is from Sergt. Wm. M. Abbott to the friends at home. |
"I think that Abraham Lincoln will yet be president over every state in the Union, and the stars and stripes will float all over this once happy land. And we will have a better government than we had before. It may cost the blood of many a brave man, but we had better half of us die than see this government ruined. I think there will be a hard fight here and if we can whip them out right good it will about end the thing."
-Isaac Mark Abbott
Isaac Mark Abbott letter to brother Roe Abbott, 07-28-1864
Chattanooga
July 28, /64
Dear Brother Roe, Your very welcome letters of the 18th & 23rd came to hand, one of them the 23rd and the other this morning, and it is needless for me to say that they were joyfully received for you know that I am a great hand to get letters and a letter from you is always specially welcome. The day after I rec’d your first letter I and Shockley, Todd, & Torver went out in the country blackberrying. We had a gay time and I & Tummill & Shock & Buck-Cat are going out again tomorrow. We signed the pay-rolls today and expect we will be paid in the course of a week but it will be only two months and so far as I am concerned I would rather have not drawed any till we could get for four months. I can’t imagine the reason why my letters do not reach home regularly and theirs get to me for the letters I write to other places go all right. I got no letter from home last week and have not received any yet this week. I would like to be at Home to help John cut the grass and to go to Uncle Edds with them but as you say we will have to wait 13 months and then we can look around a little too and see how the Land lays! You wanted to know if there was much politics with us. There is considerable gassing about it but we are mostly of one mind about who ought to be president for the coming four years and if Co. K should receive the invitations + + choose whom ye will serve, there would go up almost an universal shout for Lincoln! & Johnson! There is not a Freemont man in the Co. and I think but very few in the reg’t, although if the Chicago Convention nominates anyone but a regular Copperhead for the office, I expect there will be a great many of the Democrats who will vote for him! For it is hard for them to give up the old party even for the good of the country. There has been talk about our getting to home to vote but I think that it is all papycock. But I would have no objections for we would have a he old time if we did get home. And the betternuts & copperheads would have to lay low & keep dark during our stay. You say that you intend to come to the company when it gets cooler if you are at Madison then. Now you know that I would like to have you with me, but I would hate to see you coming to the Co. in the condition you will likely be in for the next six months. I suppose you could get along as long as we stayed here, but there is not telling how soon we may leave for the front and you could never stand marching I know! Cap has never as much as hinted to me that he thought you ought to come to the Co. and if I know anything about him, he would not want you to come till you are able! And he knows enough about you to know that you will not stay away a day after you are able for duty. So I think you would be doing yourself and all of us a great wrong by coming and you couldn’t be of as much service to the country as you can where you are. The Johnies have it appears all taken a notion to come to Chattanooga, for they have been coming in here by the train—load ever since the late fight! And + + still they come! You wanted to know what king of a watch I got for Duncan. It is an open face old fashioned Cylinder escapement. It is a good time-piece, worth about 10 dollars here it cost me $8.40 cts. Well my paper says dry up. So I will close by saying all is well with the bloody 68th and hoping to hear from you soon & often I remain your affectionate brother, Mark. Here’s success to the draft! The election of Old Abe! And death to traitors and the Southern Confederacy! Ike What is the matter with Cylvannus Stowe? Does he know anything about Royal? Have you ever heard anything more about Hink Shockley? Mark Abbot |
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Isaac Mark Abbott letter to brother Roe Abbott, 08-19-1864
Chattanooga
August 19th 1864
Dear Brother Roe, By the providence of God I am again permitted to engage in the ever pleasant duty of writing to you! + + + I say by the providence of God because we have been in a fight since I wrote you last and whenever I get out of a battle safe I consider that it is by the mercies of our heavenly Father, who has watched over us & protected us by his all powerful arm from the deadly bullets of the enemy and we would be very ungrateful not to give him the praise! I suppose you have seen some account of our little biz in the papers ere this, but be that as it may an account of the part taken in it by the 68th will I know be interesting to you so I will try and give you the details of our operations. + + Sunday afternoon about five o’clock we received orders to fix up our traps & be ready to march right away! I was down to the river swimming at the time & didn’t know anything about till I came up & found them just ready to start. So I jerked on my tricks in double-quick time & went off without any supper. We marched down to the depot and there we found six reg’ts on the cars waiting for us so we piled on and were soon rolling away to the front, as fast as two engines could carry us. It was dark when we arrived at the junction of the Knoxville road & there we had to wait about two hours for some trains that were coming back from Dalton. When they came in they reported the Rebs in Dalton at sundown and that they were fighting the garrison in the streets when they left. They estimated their force as about 1500 and the garrison was composed of the 2nd Missouri 300 strong and about 150 convalescents. The Rebs were of Wheeler’s gang and he was commanding them in person. They had captured 1500 head of beef cattle that were on the way to the front & had been cutting up jack generally! We passed the trains at last and were once more flying over the rough road and we soon found ourselves in the swamps and thickets of Georgia and at about 11 P.M. we hauled up at the mouth of Tunnel Hill. It was not considered safe to run the old Iron Horse any farther for we were then within 7 miles of Dalton so we got off & started on by the right flack. We went about three miles & then halted. We sat down on the R.R. and in about a minute we heard the artillery belching away. It was a nice moonlight night, and I tell you it made a fellow feel kinder all-over-ish! to set there in that deep & lonesome valley of Buzzard Roost and listen to the thundering of rebel canon with the expectation of soon being under its fire. We set there till nearly daylight when our reg’t was ordered to go forward and take possession of a fort and line of works about half a mile in advance, which the rebs had possession of at dark so we about faced & went back a few hundred yards & got off of the R.R. & then struck off in the direction of the fort. They took 10 of us off of the right, deployed us out and started us ahead for an advance guard. We had to go through the weeds & brush up nearly to our heads and as there was a heavy dew we were soon as wet as though we had been in a river. It was pretty dark (for the moon had gone down) and I tell you I never felt so skittish on any little job before in my whole experience soldier, for we were expecting to run on to them every minute and we could have no chance to see them until they fired at us once. And I tell you it wasn’t very pleasant creeping along there in the dark expecting to be shot at, with no chance for our life, but we kept on & on until we could begin to see the grim outlines of the fort & still no rebs and we began clambering up the hill and in 5 minutes more were inside of the works without firing a gun for the Johnies had left it. The reg’t then moved up and took their position behind the works to wait further orders. We stayed there till about 7 A.M. and then we got orders to move forward. All was still in the direction of Dalton and we could see a big smoke & light in the city so we concluded that the garrison had surrendered and that the rebs were burning the town. We went up about ½ mile and there formed our line of battle. The other reg’ts came up and we had three pieces of artillery with us. We formed in single line of battle and sent forward a strong line of skirmishers. We had one negroe reg’t with us. They were next to us. Except one reg’t, we were moving forward in a few minutes and the skirmishers were soon popping away quite lively and in about 15 minutes we came in range of them. They were stationed in an old camp on a hill and as they could get behind the shanties for protection they had the advantage of us but when we got within 500 yards of them the order was given to charge & we went for them with a yell. The bullets flew think & fast for a few minutes but they couldn’t stand our charge & we soon had them skedadling most beautifully, and our artillery got into position and spend out on them with every gun and the Johnies never stopped running till they were out of range; but they formed again in the edge of town & we throwed forward the skirmishers again and moved up. We went right along and the skirmishers drove them back without our help. But the reg’t on our right didn’t get along so fast and we soon found ourselves under a crossfire and the order was given to lie down. They just more than popped it to us there for a minute or two but the right was reinforced & the rebs began falling back again along the whole line and in 20 minutes more we were in possession of the town! + + The rain just commenced pouring down about this time and in 15 minutes we were as wet as drowned rats. It came right down by the buckets fully for nearly two hours and it fairly flooded the streets! We went down to the R.R. & our reg’t took up their quarters in the depot building. The garrison had not surrendered as we had thought, but they had taken up a position in a king of half-fort on one side of the town and there they had held out for about 12 hours although surrounded on all sides by a force of four thousand with no artillery to protect them, while the rebs had two pieces playing on the at a distance of no more than 300 yards. It was about 7 ½ A.M. when we went into the fight and 10 when we got into the town so that we were engaged about 2 ½ hours, but the most of the time it didn’t amount to anything more than heavy skirmishing. Our loss was one killed & seven wounded. Our company came out without a scratch. The man who was killed belonged to company H. Cap. Wheeler was badly wounded and the surgeon don’t think he will get over it. Bob McKittrick & Mit Pendergrass were wounded and you know that little old Sergt. of Company E., he had his arm taken of close to the shoulder! I don’t the loss of the other reg’ts but I guess it wasn’t very heavy. The Rebs left a good many dead on the field and some wounded, but I can’t say how many! We stayed there till the 17th when we got on the cars & started back. We found the road torn up in three different places between there & here, and it was so badly torn up that we didn’t get in here till noon yesterday. Once place where it was torn up, there was an old secesher living in a nice house. Our men searched the place & found several guns and a lot of cartridges in the house so Gen’l Studman ordered it to be burned and there was a detail went up and burned it & then barn and all the out-houses to the ground. I tell you looked pretty hard to see a family burned out of house & home but that appears to be the only way to dry up their bushwhacking. And perhaps they will find out after a while that Uncle Sam is determined to put down their rebellion regardless of the cost, and they will be able to see more clearly what it is going to cost them to experiment with their Southern Confederacy and I think that where the torch can be used to good advantage towards putting down the rebellion, that it is perfectly right to use it. And there is nothing that will make them sick of war sooner than to take it right to their homes and give them to understand that the government is to be respected about everything else and that if it is necessary (in order to subdue them) to wrap the whole country in flames, that it will be done! The rebs burned five or six houses in Dalton and destroyed a considerable amount of commissary stores, and they made sad havoc with the Sutlers (but that is a small loss for they are nearly as great an enemy of the soldiers as the rebs themselves. There was nearly a dozen shebangs in town and only one escaped with his goods so I reckon the Johnies got enough to have a regular spree over and I guess the were about all tight for I never saw a place tore up so in my life, and yet they didn’t destroy but very little government property. There was several large warehouses that they might have burned but instead of doing that they went around burning private houses. When we drove them from Dalton they went north and they are yet somewhere in the vicinity of Cleveland and we expected yesterday that we would have to out after them again, but they called on us for a detail for picket this morning so I guess we will not be apt to go out again. The niggers that were with us done pretty good fighting considering the source, but they didn’t come up to the work like white folks for when we made the charge they hung back till we past clear on by them and when we stopped we were ahead of their skirmishers but still I believe that when they become a little used to the biz, they will do good fighting, and believe Old Abe did a wise & righteous act when he decided to arm them & put them in the field. Your welcome letter of the 9th came to hand several days ago and I should have answered it sooner only I hadn’t time. I had previously received the letter containing the fiddle strings. They were the kind that I wanted & I am obliged to you for sending them but I don’t want any more now for I got a lot from Cincinnati, before I got the ones you sent me. I got a letter from John yesterday. He was at home when he wrote. He had just got back from Lafayette & Boone. He has taken a contract of getting out 100,000 staves near Lebanon & he said the reason why he hadn’t been to see you was because he thought he had better hunt up his hands to get out the staves and then visit you afterwards. Don’t you wish we could be there to help him out with it? I also got a letter from home a few days ago. They were all well. Father was working at the mill and Lydia was working for a family by the name of Kelly at Delaware. Roe! Do you remember two years ago today? One year from today we will be done soldiering and the Lord only knows how many of us will be done before that time! Well, I believe I have written enough for this time & I fancy I hear you saying I honor his judgment! So I will close and write a letter home. We are all well & hearty and hope this may find you the same. Please write soon & often and remember your true but erring brother Isaac Mark Abbott |