7th Indiana Light Artillery & 10th Indiana Cavalry

Item LTR-5659

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 2 pages written in period ink.

Camp 7th Indiana Battery
McMinnville, TN

August 7th 1863

Miss Jennie Davis

Pardon an old friend for the liberty I am taking in bring to remembrance thoughts long since sunk in oblivion by all save one poor soldier boy. I am thoughtful tonight perhaps sad and me thinks I hear you saying “disappointed in love.”

I have been thinking and wondering if the many notes, letters, pieces of poetry to be sent by you to me in days gone by, never to return were ever returned to you by my mother or sister. I sent almost everything I had home previous to leaving Indiana for the seat of war. (How I wish I had reserved some things.) If you have received them well and good. If not and you desire them, I will “issue orders” (a little military term) to have them sent to you at once. Oh! How I would love to read them over once more.

No doubt you will wonder what strange spirit has taken possession of me. To bring up an almost forgotten subject after two and one half years of silence. Perhaps I might tell the reason and perhaps I do not know. For two years I have been the faithful correspondent of a young lady (you know her name), writing her a letter almost every month and visiting her once during the two years. This very day I received a letter from her. Kind and tender were the contents but the principal part of her letter was taken from a book, used by ladies sometimes and its name is “The Letter Writer.” And worse? That all the same thing was written to me by her one year ago this month. I thought of our old mischief make Miss Ella Ely and concluded to close the correspondence at one. I gathered her letters together and the same mail that takes this to you takes her letters to her with a simple request to return my letters to me post haste. This is probably the reason I have written you this (perhaps) unwelcome note to know if you have ever received the letter you sent me.

Pardon me if I have overstepped the bounds of propriety and attribute it to the head not the heart. I remain a true friend,

George R. Swallow
Captain, 7th Indiana Battery
McMinnville, Tennessee