121st Ohio Infantry

Item LTR-310

Description

4 page original Civil War soldier's letter, written in period ink and war dated.

Camp near Franklin, TN

May 16th 1863

Dear Brother and Sister,

I once more sit down with pen in hand to write a few lines to you to let you know that I am well at this present time. Hoping when these few lines reach you, they will find you all the same. I received your letter yesterday and was glad to hear from you. Was well you said that Kate had gone home. I haven’t had a letter from home for some time. I don’t know what is the reason they don’t write.

It is nice weather down here. Now it is most to nice weather for me for it is too hot. You said you heard that there was a fight down here and our men got whipped. There hasn’t been any fight here very lately. There was a little fight down here about a month ago or a little over a month. There wasn’t but one regiment of infantry engaged in the fight and that was the 40th Ohio and the cavalry that is here was in the fight too. There was a good many Rebels but our men whipped them like the Devil. The loss on the Rebels side in all killed, wounded and prisoners was about three hundred and the loss on our side in all was about one hundred but our cavalry has a skirmish with them about every day or so.

Our cavalry went out one night and in the morning they fetched in one hundred and fifteen prisoners and they didn’t have any fight either. They went in their camp and took them. The rebels were in bed and the night before last our men fetched in a lot of prisoners. You wanted to know if I thought there were be any fight close to here. I think there will be a fight here some time but don’t know how soon. But the Rebels can’t take this place for we are strongly fortified. There is a fort here and it has got six big guns in it and they talk of getting more. There is one that will shoot six miles.

I haven’t had a letter from Walter in a long time. I have written three to him and I haven’t received any answer to any of them. Walter is only twelve miles from here. I was on a big hill and I could see within three miles from where he is. I can see nine miles. We have the best of times down here.

Now I can’t send you my likeness now but when we are paid again I will send it to you if I am where I can get it taken. I would like to see you first rate but I expect I won’t get a chance to until this war is over. Excuse me for this time. Write as soon as you get this. So goodbye from Lester Case to Sara L. Davis.