Medical Purveyors
Office
Chattanooga, Tennessee
January
24th 1864
Dear Father
I received your kind letter of the 18th inst this evening and
was very glad to hear that you were all well and that the small pox was not
spreading for I was very much afraid that some of you would get it and would be
taken off before I would have the chance to see you but I hope such will not be
the case for want to see all you once more in this world. I have been out all
day looking at the town and getting acquainted with some of the citizens of the
place. It has been very warm all day for this time of the year, the thermometer
has stood at 62 degrees all day where the sun was not shining on it and I expect
it has been at about 32 degrees up there. I like the country very much for it
seems to be very healthy, but I expect the coming summer will not be so for
there are so many dead horses and mules laying around that when warm weather
comes it will cause sickness unless they are soon hauled away.
Dear Father, if I was at home I would not
notice my enemies but I would do all I could to undermine them in their
undertaking to injure. I hope I may soon get home and then you will see my way
of doing business to be very good for I will give them all they want. I do not
write any one in Liberty but you with the exception of one or two instances.
Please do not notice them for moving the post office to B. L. Goodwins for it
will not do any good in the end. I have not made any ink yet but I will in the
morning and if it does well I will get you to send some more. I wish you would
send me a box of butter and dried fruit and a hat and when I am paid I will
send home money enough to pay for them and as much besides as I can. The
express is regular here and now there is no danger in sending a box. I wrote a
letter to you some days ago in regard to enlisting as U.S. but since then I have decided to come home as soon as
possible and then decide what to
do. I seen Jne G today, he is well
and says he is not going to reenlist but
is coming home in April and intends staying there. I have not heard
anything of the Regiment going into the veteran service but I think they are
not, for the Colonel is here and says it will not go into the service for any
longer time then it is now. I raised the body of A. R. Crist and took it to
Bridgeport Alabama and there took a receipt from W. R. Cornelius, undertaker,
who is to express it from Nashville. I wrote to Ezra Crist as soon as I could
but I expect he has not got the letter for the mail has been delayed at this
place for some days but on what account I cannot tell. Jne Ryram was here
yesterday and took a cert book for me, which he will give to you if nothing
happens. He has resigned and is a citizen. I think Jne is a very nice man but
will do nothing for my good. I have just heard from Knoxville and the news is
that the troops have come back to that place and have gone into winter camp and
that they are foreseeing a fight soon near Knoxville.
Mr Cory is here yet and is not improving
very fast. Sergeant Newl Conklin has started home on a furlough. He will call
to see you, please treat him well for he has treated me very well every time he
has met me. Dear Father I love for you to correct me in regard my spelling for
I know that I am not as careful as I should possible be for I allways write in
a hurry. It is late so I must close.
Write soon to your affectionate son
L. M. Beaver. Private
Co I, 15th Reg,
Indiana Volunteer, Infantry
2nd
Brigade, 2nd Division. 4th A,C
and clerk in Medical Purveyors Office
Chattanooga, Tennessee
P.S You wished the address of our former
Chaplain. It is as followes. Direct your letters as usual but without the
Regiment.
Rev. Even Stevenson
La, Fayette, Indiana
In care of H.J Sample, La, Fayette, Indiana
Good night.
2 comments:
Great reading as usual..
There's still a lot more but it is kind of interesting how prosaic so many of them are. The 15th Indiana were in an awful lot of battles and he was there for all of them but he is writing to the people on earth he is least interested in disturbing with the ugliest realities of that war.
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