CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME TULLAHOMA TENNESSEE

Camp at Tullahoma, Tennessee 

Aug 11^th 1862

Dear Father and Mother,

I received a letter from both of you last night. Pa’s was dated the 16^th of last month and Ma’s was written this month but had no date to it. You state that you have not received a letter from me since the 11^th of last month which I suppose was the last I wrote to you until the 4^th of this month and I suppose you have received it by this time as the mail is straight thru now. The reason I did not write before was because the mail was stopped and I thought it was of no use to write a letter and have it lay in the office but as soon as communication was opened again I wrote to you informing you where I was and what I was doing. The letter was written on the morning of the 3^rd and in the afternoon we started on an march for this place.

We marched half the way (8 miles) in the evening and camped for the night and continued our march next morning and arrived at this place about8 o’clock (having at the rate of 4 miles an hour) but found that we were not to remain here for a long train of cars soon came rolling into town to take us to Manchester (12 miles from this place) at which place landed about 4 o’clock in the evening but had orders to come back to this place next morning which we did as orders was to be there. I suppose you have heard of the death of General McCook who was killed by a band of rebels who are skulking around thru this country. He used to be Colonel of the 9^th Ohio Regiment (a german Regiment). After he was killed the Regiment was set loose and they have hung and shot 48 of the rebels and are still in the chase of them. The General was taken out of an ambulance while on a side road and he had got ahead of the Brigade and being sick he was in t he ambulance. If he had been able to walk he would have been taken prisoner but he was not so they killed him immediately and took his aides that were with him prisoner.

We are now on full rations.

Dear Mother do not attempt for my sake to get Pa into the service for he would never stand it in the world. Dear Father do not think of leaving home to go into the service in any way for you have no idea what experiences you would have to endure while on marches especially in this country. If I was at home I think that Ed. Farnsworth would enlist or would take a good whipping he should be tarred and feathered and stoned out of the country and all like him. You may tell this if you chose.

I am glad that Lincoln has decided not have any black soldiers for I believe that if he was to allow the negroes to take up arms that 9/10 of the army would lay down their arms and go home at least I would. I would be glad to see Regiments of blacks armed with tools to build fortifications in order to save the soldiers from a great deal of hard labour that otherwise they would have to perform.

You still talk to me about getting a discharge but I must tell you that I do not at the present time want one and if I did I think that would be impossible to get one.

I am as well as I ever was in my life and I flatter myself that I am better. I was out in the country getting peaches, apples and potatoes of which I got enough for several days but run the risk of being taken prisoner by the guerillas. I don think you need fear the taking of Buell’s army although it is in a precarious situation at the present time. Our supplies and communication might be cut off and still we would not starve, as provisions seem to be plenty in this country. Give my love to all and receive the same. Your affectionate son Luther M Beaver

15 Regiment Indiana Volunteers