PHONING IT IN

It probably looks like I've been doing that for a few days but I can't draw on my usual sources of inspiration because they are unbelievably dismal and depressing. If I wanted that, I could just read the New York Times or Washington Post. When I deliver dire, dismal, depressing stuff, I want to make it up, not quote the news.

I have neglected some of the deeper wells of memory and I can do something about that, tomorrow. Those Civil War letters don't transcribe themselves you know. They take some time to puzzle out because, let's be honest, most of them appear to have been written by candlelight in a tent by a young man who was too young for the Army and learning things at an almost impossible rate by the standards of today and also making up the English language, spelling and grammar the way this administration's spokesmen do.

When I read the early letters sent home after the Regiment was formed and ordered to service and sent to undergo training, it is easy to see the partially lettered youngster who is coming to grips with the school of hard knocks. Thanks to a commenter here I see that young Luther enjoyed the aid of his commander who knew the young man was not of age but who would not/could not send the young man back to his angry father.

They knew each other. They all knew each other. They were not like a modern military formation thrown together by chance and circumstance. They dashed to the colors and joined immediately after the opening shots of the Civil War and then they went on to serve together for much of the rest of the conflict until, as it happened, the war in their sector petered out and left them with not much to do and a government unwilling and unable to pay them to do nothing. They mustered out, took their pay and went home to get on with the lives they had, for the most part, voluntarily interrupted in order to serve their country.

I live much closer to my family's roots then I have for almost 50 years. They were scattered around Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana long ago. They lived in places with names like Liberty and New Philadelphia.

It's a little odd living here in MetroParkCentralis these days. The Republican National Convention will be held here in July and I'm not sure what to expect. The civil society that I remember as a young man was never anything but a complete myth. I was 7 when the SDS decided to show the Democrats their outrage and while I think those guys are 10 x the men that the modern pajama outrage boy are, I don't discount your actual anarchists and haters who I expect will come out in droves to tie up the city.

It does make you wonder though at how prescient the GOP was to choose this city and these cops to provide a backdrop for their convention. There may well be a shortage of money, equipment, ethics and morality in that cop shop, but there is no shortage of unrestrained, unpunished, untapped police brutality, ammunition and sheer animus for blacks. If there is any city on this continent that won't hesitate to up the brutality against demonstrators and take a bulldozer to the party, it is MetroParkCentralis.

OK, so those images won't play nicely in the deep blue but, sadly, for the rest of the country, it will be like night and day. The people who want Trump are kind of tired of being hijacked by the 11%. They'll enjoy watching the enemies of civilization meet the Hussar.

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME CHATTANOOGA

My cousin wrote a letter home from Chattanooga on the eve of the battle to open a supply line to the Army of The Cumberland which was then besieged in Chattanooga.  General Grant kicked off the Cracker Line Operation on 26 October which led two days later to the Battle of Wauhatchie.

Medical Purveyors Office      Chattanooga, Tennessee                      Oct 26^th , 1863

                                    Dear Mother

                                                      I received your letter of the 8^th ult, this morning and now as my days work is over I will take a few moments time to write to you. Lieutenant A. F Davis started home with a letter for you yesterday. I hope he may arrive safely and be able to commence his new labours with a new and willing heart for I wish him to gain reputation and become as good a civil officer as he has been a military officer. General Grant is doing something now that I think will cause the enemy to leave our front very soon. I cannot t ell you at the present what it is but if things end I can write more with safety and I will tell you.

Luther Sheets was down here this afternoon and I went with him to the 11^th Ohio to see Jno  and I saw him but did not get to talk to long with him as he was fixing to go out with the  Regiment, where to I do not know but I think I can tell you in my next. I have to borrow a postage stamp to send this letter will you please send me some in your next. I hope I will not be an expense to you much longer in the Army but I do hope to be able to come home and do for myself and you.

Newton Conklin is the 1^st Sergeant in the Battery again so I understood today. I wish all the soldiers well and hope he may do well.

Lieutenant Davis will explain the reason why I left the hospital and came here for I explained it to him and if you ask him he will tell you and it will save me the trouble of writing it.

I still like my new place here and I think I can keep it as long as I am in the Service which I understand is not to be very long.

I seen General Grant out walking with his crutch and cane this morning before I was hardly up. He is not a lazy General nor is he afraid to talk to the men. But still the men want General Rosecrans back again.

The 15^th will not be in the coming fight but I think most of the Brigade it belongs to will as they have gone to the front this evening.

You must excuse my bad writing for I cm in a hurry and when I write fast I write poor but I can write very well when I  take my time to it.

Well good night. Expect more in the next.

                                             Luther

                  P.S. Write soon.

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME SILVER RIVER, TENNESSEE

                                    Camp near Silver River Tennessee

                                                      November 24^th 1862

                                             Dear Mother

                                                      I received a letter from you this evening dated Nov. 19^th, 1862 in which you state that you received a letter from me of the 1^st of this month and one of the 13^th at the same time. I suppose that the one of the 1^st was laying in the mail some place until communication was opened between here and Louisville, Kentucky. We are camped between two rivers one of the the above name and the other , Stone River, the latter is a fine stream with high banks but the other is a stream about the size of Silver Creek in Union County, Indiana. I wrote a letter to father today with the last stamp I had on it but I can borrow one for this letter. You asked me why the Captain of Company I resigned. It was because the 1^st Lieutenant and him could not live together.

Captain Patterson was a man who drank considerable liquor and it was the cause  of it making him unfit for duty so that the Colonel recommended him to resign and done all in his power to get his papers thru. Since he has left Lieutenant McKiney and Lieutenant Davis have been promoted, the first to Captain and the second to 1^st Lieutenant. And Wm ?ering and C.R Burgess have also been promoted. The former to 2^nd Lieutenant and the latter to 1^st Sergeant. You wish to know what I mean by styling myself the reformed son. I can answer that by confessing to you (Dear Mother not wanting it to cause you any pain) that I have indulged in spending my time in idleness and uselessness until  today when I was detailed to come to the place where I am and in doing so I got out of bad company into good and under the control of a religious man who has some care for the good of men’s souls as well as their bodies.
 I have pledged myself never to be caught using profane language to be found idling away my time, gaming or doing anything is unbecoming of an upright young man. I have partly the promise of a better place in a few days. It is now getting late so I will have to close soon. Give my respects to all. Tell me something of my old schoolmates Shriner Nutter and others who I do not just at present think of. Write soon and often.

Your affectionate son

         Luther M Beaver

PS Direct your letters to Nashville Tennessee to which place the mail is taken every day and mail brought back.

The places he names sometimes have vanished or are very hard to find. The history of the 15th Indiana shows that they had just finished marching up to this camp the day before. It always amazes me how the mail kept up with them and found its way to the soldiers with such an apparent lack of difficulty. Writing as the former mail officer for the Middle East Force, we sometimes went weeks without getting or sending any mail and we lost an entire plane loaded with mail when it was destroyed in a crash taking off out of Sigonella.

Silver Creek, Maury County, Tennessee

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME RANDOLPH COUNTY, VIRGINIA

                                                      Randolph County, Va

                                                      October 12^th 1861

                                                               Dear Father

                                                                        I received your letter and Ma and Emma’s and the papers you sent me and commenced to answer them but had not written long before the company was called to go to get there pay so that I had to go and leave the writing for some other time, the next day we were ordered to move our camp to Huttonsville which is 8 miles closer to home. On the 11^th (yesterday) I was on guard but tonight I have time for Lieutenant Davis has given me permission to write in his tent and let me use his pen and ink and of course I accepted.  The Lieutenant is not very well but hopes to soon be around. Do not tell his wife that he is very sick for it might trouble her. The supposition is that we are on our way to winter quarters. The whole brigade is gathering together here and as soon as we get all of our close and some rest we will come to Indiana. This brigade is reported at Washington by the Sur. unfit for duty which makes me think more that we are coming home. If we do come to Indiana to winter quarters I will get a furlough to come home. I will get one anyhow for the Colonel told me that he would give me one soon but I do not want to get it here for will have to pay my own way if I do. I did not draw as much money as the rest of the boys for they were in the state service and I was not.  I drew $25.44. I have it all in gold but the 44 cents. There was some persons discharged that I might have sent it home by but I did not like to trust them. I will try to bring it myself when I get a furlow. There was about 50 men discharged this week. I understand that Frank Doughty was among them. He has not done anything since he has been in the service. I told you in my other letter that I had not been here for nothing had got into a battle. To give a description of the battle is more than I will attempt until I can tell you with my own lips. You say that you have not heard whether I ever got that dollar you me or not. I got it. I am as well as ever I was but it is not the case with all for the fever is in camp. It is adapted to this country. We have not got it in our company. It’s almost 10 o’clock. I must quit writing. Give my love to all. Write. Kiss all for me. Your affectionate son,   Luther Beaver

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME PELHAM TENNESSEE

I'm trying something new since this is a short letter home.

 

And the original.

ON THAT LETTER

I have a raft of these. I look through them from time to time and think about how different the world back then was from the world today. In many ways nothing has changed between then and now. I think that perhaps the point of departure between civil discourse and ugly hate was more refined a hundred and fifty years ago but I could be wrong. There are whole topics today that one cannot even hint at discussing without inviting some really ugly and mean critters into the house. We decided early on that our rules here would be the rules of the mess. We eschew the ugly and the mean.

There are words most dare not even breath lest some idiot take them down to the foundry, cover them in molten metal, and then swing them most enthusiastically at one's head. It strikes me that much of the innerverse has become a series of closed tidal pools which are excessively intolerant places and where the occasional dissenters get eaten alive. I particularly noticed this in some of the book forums where there is literally no civil discourse. I accept that. It's easy to allow people to find their own ways to damnation and people these days generally take the freeway.

One would really like to believe that the preachers and practitioners of the worshipful voice were out there on the Sabbath preaching the unifying theory of togetherness, all God's creatures, we can all get along, but sadly, I know that's a lie.

I don't believe that the major moral movements that made America have completely flamed out. The flickering candles still appear at the odd little rally of hopeful types who join John Brown and his abolitionists in believing that if enough of the sovereigns in this country get together and unite, they can pass laws that will rebind this country to the moral path they believe was laid out for it at its founding. They don't realize that a judge will just toss out the law. They want to heal the world, heal the nation, heal the sick, comfort the poor, educate the illiterate, save the unborn, abolish slavery, end the war. You know, all the things that the Church used to do

These people are at the fringes of society where they are hanging on grimly so society doesn't entirely cast them out as society has been trying for just about always. Some of them are kooks. Some are idiots. Many are the worst sort of orcs and trolls. Quite a lot are saints and the kind of people you pray to come by and offer a hand when you need help. Unfortunately, many have become tainted and stained by devotion to unworthy causes, unsavory science, and addicted to every dollar you ever made in your life. Everything you have is theirs and they'll suffer to let you have only so much of yours as they see fit.

Everybody declares that the best approach is compromise but surely they don't mean that because if they did, how monstrous is that? There is dead and there is alive. There is no place that straddles life and death. How exactly would you compromise with the great evils in the world? Many people thought that Compromises and Treaties were just the thing to keep everybody happy...except the ones who saw all they had and ever would have, traded away for Peace in our Time.

This envelope still contains the letter that was mailed over a 150 years ago. It was mailed before computers and zip codes and it passed through a country fully engaged in a Civil War and yet see how it is addressed:

Every man knew his neighbor. This was addressed to a man using only the county and state for his address and it made it there without delay. Seemingly all of the letters mailed by this man's young son made it to his home. It was enough that the letter make it to the right county. Imagine getting a letter today addressed to you by name and nothing else but the county you live in. [This might be worth spending whatever it costs to mail an actual letter and finding out if it ever shows up at your door.]

I don't think our country is ripe for any kind of civil war. Nope. I think if some parts of it wanted to secede right now, many of the rest would get behind and push. In a way, I admire the folks of Great Britain. What other kind of fools would allow the Act of Union to be torn asunder by the vote of one half of the Union without counting the votes of the other members of the Union and yet turn about and deny the whole of the Union, the right to vote on staying within the Concert of Europe?  I think if I was English that I would hire me some ACORN managers to organize the turnout in support of division.

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME PELHAM TENNESSEE

This letter is quite legible so I'm going to try posting it as is.

It's an interesting letter home from a young man who is finding out what so many do after they have joined the military and campaigned with it for awhile.

I am sometimes struck by how Luther writes his parents and sister and tells them which Post Office he is, or will be, nearest to, so they can send him mail there. It took the Great War to institutionalize the Armed Forces Post Offices. One of the constant refrains that came up at various planning conferences I attended over the last 20 years, was who was going to deliver the mail to the front. The Army doesn't want to, the Marines refuse and the Air Force and Navy are not at the front and therefore not inclined to be at all helpful in the matter. The question remains though and is right up there with just who is going to provide the massive manpower to confine all the enemy prisoners of war we expect to capture and the millions of refugees we expect to see. Oddly enough, the Army refuses, the Marines won't and the Air Force and Navy don't take prisoners.

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME GLASGOW KENTUCKY

-->                                                                                     Camp near Glasgow, Kentucky -->

                                                                                                     November 1^st 1862

Dear Parents

And Sisters I have received several letters from you but have had no opportunity to write to you as we have been marching all the time until today. We camped 5 miles north east of town last night and this morning we moved 2 miles south west of the town in a large field where the grass was quite long and dry and when it caught fire it was impossible to arrest its progress and the consequence was the tents of one company (Co. B) was burned but nothing else was injured by the fire in our Regiment.

You speak of the destruction of General Woods’es train but you have heard the true reports of it yet so I will  tell you what I know about the matter. A train of 90 wagons was loaded with clothing and provisions and about 150 men unarmed was taken 7 miles on the other side of Bard Town, Kentucky. The train belonged to this division but not the goods, but still I lost all I had when the train was taken for the man in whose care I left the things was coming threw to the Regiment with the train but when he was taken the things were taken from him. I will give you a list of the things I lost and the things I have left with me

List of the lost Property

1 Pair of boots

1 “         “pants

1 “        “drawers

1 “        “socks

3 shirts

1 satchel

1 blanket

1 overcoat

some postage stamps

1 Algebra

1 bottle of carmine fluid

1 fine tooth comb

List of things left

1 pair of pants

1 “    “ drawers

4 “    “ socks

1 pair of shoes

1 cap

1 coat

1 shirt

1 comb

1 needle case

9 Postage stamps

1 Blanket which is enough with those in the hospital

1 towel

 I received the things you sent to me by Albert Kerbst a few days ago. Our Hospital team has come up so that I am doing very well in the bed matter.

General Rosecrans has superseded General Buell now so that I suppose this grand army will be able to do something soon to put down this war which I think from appearances is fast coming to a close. If you send anything to me please let it be the following articles

           1 Gum overcoat

           1 Pair of Boots

           2 Woolen shirts

           2 Pair of Woolen Drawers

           2 “                        “ socks

           2 “                        “ gloves

           1 Bottle of Carmine Fluid

and then I think I will have be fixed for some time. If you wish you may send me a pen knife as I lost mine a while back. Dr Dryden (the Hospital Steward) and  Dr Goart send their respects to you. I will send you the Surgeons Morning Report I made this morning in this letter. I am as well as usual. Give my love to all and receive the same an I will remain your affectionate and reformed son and brother.

                                          Luther M Beaver

                                              Co I, 15^thRegiment

                                                   Indiana Volunteers

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

CIVIL WAR LETTER HOME CHATTANOOGA 1864

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                                                                        Medical Purveyors Office

                                                                           Chattanooga, Tennessee

                                                                                January 24^th 1864

                                            Dear Father

                                                                 I received your kind letter of the 18^th 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, 15^th Reg,

                                                                  Indiana Volunteer, Infantry

                                                          2^nd Brigade, 2^nd Division. 4^th 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.