SCOUT

Henry Bechtel of Company E of the 22nd Ohio Infantry wrote this letter to his parents on June 5, 1863 from camp on Haines Bluff in Mississippi. He mentions having recently left Jackson, Tennessee, and traveled through Memphis before approaching Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Isabel Belle Scott of Gratiot, Wisconsin wrote this letter to her brother James, who was then serving with Company B of the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, on 15 February 1863. Belle is under the impression that James is helping to construct a canal at Vicksburg and the letter is addressed to him via Memphis, Tennessee.

This collection consists of an April 11, 1864, letter from Union soldier J. C. Gates in Ringgold, Ga., to his wife in Ohio. Gates mentions the arrival of Col. Brownlow and the East Tennessee Cavalry and discusses the fish supply in the local rivers.

J. P. Hollowell wrote this letter to his sister, Sallie Hollowell, from camp in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In it, he mentions that his unit has been looking for a fight, but their location is too well fortified. Hollowell also apologizes for not being home for Christmas and says that he wants a new pair of pants.

A handwritten letter from J. S. Hanna to an unknown recipient written circa November 24, 1862 from Fort Saunderson, Bolivar, TN. The letter discusses his time at his time at the fort including sickness and weather.

Jacob H. Bickley wrote these three letters, dated 1863 December 14, 1864 January 13, and 1865 June 13, to his sister Martha Mattie Bickley in Ohio from the field in Tennessee. In them, he discusses his involvement in the Battle of Chattanooga and other military duties, family life, and his attempts to send money home.

This collection contains a letter from Confederate soldier Jason Cooper, dated December 5, 1863 from Dalton, Ga. To his dear friend Farley, Cooper writes about the Confederate evacuation of Chattanooga, Tenn.

The collection contains a letter written by Captain James Fowler Rusling (1834-1918) of the 17th U.S.C.T in Beech Grove, Tennessee to Captain Marsh of the "F" Co. MI 19th Infantry. The correspondence discusses rebel troop movements across the Harpeth River under General Hood in 1864.

A single handwritten letter from James J. Vauln in LaGrange, Tenn. to General Ulysses S. Grant in Memphis, Tenn. dated June 23, 1862. Vauln, a deacon of the American Catholic Church in LaGrange, pleas for permission to continue his church services, as the new brigadier general had forced him to stop holding services.

In this letter written from Waverly, Tenn., and dated February 16, 1864, James E. Pritchard of the 8th Iowa Cavalry writes to his brother John. He comments that the Rebels will never regain a hold on East Tennessee, noting that in Waverly, 300 Confederates surrendered and took the oath of allegiance.

This collection consists of a letter written from a camp in the field near Chattanooga from James R. Bell to a Miss Ella Bell. He desires to perpetuate "a friendship I esteem as almost sacred" with her and asks of news of her and her brother George.

This collection consists of a letter from Jethro Hill, dated February 3, 1864, sent from Lenoir's Station, Tennessee, to Jodie. Hill describes a brief battle and his good living conditions. He also asks for news of the family and wonders why Jodie hasn't responded to his previous letters.

This collection contains a letter from Job Barnard to Flora Putnam, written from La Vergne, Tennessee on May 30, 1864. In it, he discusses his work on monthly reports to the War Department and singing for a sick Sergt. Henseley of Co H. Barnard also describes meeting local families and conversing with one woman about southern girls versus Yankee girls. He also talks about ladies who seem to like him or think he likes them.

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.

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.

According to Lieutenant Colonel John Scott, 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. He calls for an investigation so that these men, who had been wounded and served valiantly, might have their records corrected.