111th Ohio Infantry

Item LTR-567

Description

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

Cedar Bluff, Alabama
Camp 23rd Army Corps

October the 26th 1864

Cousin Elijah,

I take this pleasure of answering yours of the 12th which came to hand yesterday. I was very happy to hear from you. I am well at present and I hope that this will find you well. You wanted to know whether I knew anything about Henry Kline. I have not heard anything of any certainty of his death. I have heard several times that he was dead. But there has not been any official report sent to the regiment yet. There was a list of names in the Fostoria papers in September. I saw the list but his name was not mentioned. Albert Kline died at Knoxville. There has not been any official report of his death sent to the regiment yet. But we have heard from him by other soldiers that was left at Knoxville at the same time he was there,

We have heard from the boys that was in the hands of the rebs through a captain of the 100th Regiment who came through the lines by an exchange the last of September. He stated that there was only 9 of the boys of Company B, 111th that was alive at that time and I suppose there is more of them dead now.

If I hear any more about them Kline boys I will let you know.

Well Elijah, I suppose you have some lively times there now as it is so near the election. Do your best for Old Abe. We will help all we can although we have one third of the McClellan men in the regiment. I think that Abraham Lincoln will take the day and if he don’t this union is destroyed or the rebs recognized as a nation. I never want to see that while I am able to raise my musket.

Well I have had pretty bad luck with my little child but we must all go the same way whether prepared or unprepared. The best hope that I have is to live in such a way that I may be able to meet my children in heaven. We as I can’t think of anything of any importance to write, I will close. Hoping to hear from you again.

Yours Truly,

W. C. Hackett

My address:

Company B, 111th Regiment Ohio Veteran Volunteers
2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 23rd Army Corps
Via Chattanooga, Tennessee

Cedar Bluff, Alabama