25th Michigan Infantry - NEW

Item LTR-12066

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


Camp near Knoxville
February 7^th 1864
 
Dear Father and Mother,
 
I got a letter from home on the 4th, dated January 7th, which I will answer now. It was written to Jerome. He is back in the CO. They have turned over the battery at Knoxville.
 
You wrote about sending a box, however small, you could not get a box to us except by mail, and you know something about what the cost would be that way. There is no express one to Knoxville, and they would not bring anything on the cars for anybody hardly, from the fact that they have everything that they can do to bring provisions, clothing, and medicine for the army to bring much of anything else. They do everything for us that they can. We get enough to eat and to wear. I blame myself for writing home about our short rations. You borrow so much trouble about us when we are doing well enough. I was reading in a newspaper the other day a few lines which I think that I will write down. They were this: "Never trouble. Trouble when trouble doesn't trouble you."
 
Wrote to Mary some time ago to knit me a pair of socks and to send them. The reason that particularized her was that she was not very well and would have time, but you may all knit some of them if you want to. Ain't that fair?
 
But it will cost more to send them than I thought it would. I hope that you will get that $65 that I sent in a letter, but I must confess that I am a little uneasy about it. I am afraid that it won't hardly pay you to send many papers, as we get so few of them, and as we get considerable to read now. We get the Knoxville Whig and Rebel Ventilator every week, besides other papers. I intend to send you a number of the Whig ones one of these days.
 
I saw Colonel Brownlow's son of the old pardon the other day. He is a smart-looking man and no coward. He commands the 1st Tennessee Cavalry.
 
The 16th Kentucky has gone home from our brigade. They have re-enlisted the 13th Kentucky and have come into our brigade in the place of the 118th Ohio, which has gone to the 2nd Brigade. I do not know the reason for the change.
 
All of our officers have signed a petition to have our regiment go into the 9th Army Corps, so as to go on to the expedition with General Burnside. Although we don't know when he is going, but we suppose somewhere, the men are mostly all in favor of it. But I don't know whether we will succeed or not.
 
Our 1st Lieutenant Wells came from Michigan. He got here last night. He reports they are enlisting very fast in Kalamazoo.
 
Jerome wrote home a few days ago. He is well. The health of the regiment is first rate, never better than now.
 
I must close by saying you must write as often as convenient. I am writing Sarah a letter, and this is to her. As to the rest, Mary and the boys all write.
 
Your son and brother, 
 
William Williams
 
My partners are grumbling because I don't come to dinner.