SCOUT

John D. Messinger wrote this letter to his friend E. Smith Woodworth from Pulaski, Tennessee on November 20, 1864. In it, Messinger discusses Lincoln's victory in the recent presidential election and Confederate troop movements in Tennessee. He also expresses his hope that the Union will soon win the war so that he can return home.

This collection consists of a letter and a poem written by John Edward Thompson of the 20th Illinois Infantry. The letter, written on March 17, 1862 to a friend while Thompson was stationed in Savannah, Tennessee, discusses Thompson's thoughts on surviving the war and on arriving in Savannah. The poem, entitled Good Night: Who Wouldn't be a Soldier and written before the Battle of Shiloh, was published in the Advocate in 1887.

John Forsyth wrote these two letters to his wife, Martha (Swanger) Forsyth, while serving with Company G of the 97th Ohio Infantry. The first is dated September 12, 1863 from Bridgeport, Alabama amidst the Chickamauga Campaign and the second is dated May 27, 1864 from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Two letters in which John McNickle Laird Jr. of the Ohio 124th Infantry Regiment (U.S.) writes to his mother, Julia Laird, from a camp near Knoxville, Tennessee and from Marietta, Georgia.

In this letter to Master Sergeant Curtis Judd (postmarked in Clarksville, Tennessee) Lathrop discusses how much he dislikes war. He talks about how he would rather be a Chief Operator than out in the field fighting.

In this letter from Lieutenant Colonel John Scott, he claims Colonel Nelson G. Williams of the 3rd Iowa Regiment incorrectly and maliciously reported Second Lieutenant Benton A. Mathews, Second Lieutenant Ole A. Anderson, and Lieutenant Colonel Mathew M. Trumbull of Company D as well as Captain Emilius I. Weiser of Company I as deserters. Scott calls for an investigation so that these men, who had been wounded and served valiantly, might have their records corrected.

This collection houses a letter that John Cleland wrote to his sister, Mary J. Jennie Cleland, in Defiance County, Ohio from Knoxville, Tennessee on December 14, 1863. In it, he discusses his regiment's participation in the Battle of Knoxville, including the losses they suffered.

This collection consists of one original letter and one reprinted letter written by John W. Fox during the American Civil War which discuss his life in the army and his religious faith.

While encamped in the Cumberland Ford area of Knox County, Tenn., John W. Hammer serving in the 16th Ohio Infantry Company K writes to a friend named Annie. In this letter dated June 4, 1862, he describes the fortifications that are in place to protect them from the Confederates. His company moves toward the Confederate camps and skirmishes occur.

This collection contains two letters written on one sheet of paper. The first, from Martha Stewart to her husband Joseph (dated November 30, 1864) details the daily happenings in Franklin Square, Ohio. The second, from hospitalized Joseph in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to his wife and children (dated December 24-25, 1864) discusses the Battle of Nashville.

The Boyd Letters contains six letters written by Joseph E. Boyd of the 115th Illinois Volunteer Infantry between September 1862 and January 1864. These letters describe Union military camp conditions, the environment of Tennessee, Union soldiers' viewpoints regarding the war and Confederates, battles and military operations in Middle and East Tennessee, and the family concerns of Union soldiers.

This collection contains the diary and daybook of Union soldier Julius E. Thomas, 2nd Sergeant and Chief Bugler of Company F, 1st Tennessee Cavalry. Entries range from August 5, 1864 through April 5, 1865. Thomas writes about the movement of his company throughout Tennessee. Additionally, the entries cover topics such as supplies, battles, sermons, and Thomas’s feelings about being a soldier.

A single handwritten letter by Confederate soldier M. D. Wilson stationed at Cumberland Gap, TN on August 4, 1863.

M. H. Owen wrote this letter to his sister from Fort Pillow on March 22, 1862. In it, he describes his trip from Columbus, Kentucky to Fort Pillow and mentions the other regiments stationed there with him.

A four-page handwritten letter, signed "MR" by Lieutenant Marcus Richardson, sent to Captain Joseph Washington Anderson. Written from Cumberland Gap, Tenn., the letter details the reconnaissance and skirmish that took place at Cumberland Gap in the days prior under the command of Major General Edmund Kirby Smith. The letter is dated March 23, 1862.

Moses Owen of the 7th Ohio Infantry, Company F, wrote this letter to his mother on February 18, 1862, just after the Battle of Fort Donelson.