125th Ohio Infantry - Opdyke's Tigers - Wounded at Franklin

Item LTR-8475

Description

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


Camp in the field, Georgia
June 8, 1864

Mr. Ensign Chubb

You say that there are hard times in Ohio but they are nothing to the times that we have in the army. We have the Rebs to Atlanta and we are resting now. We have had two hard fights with them and cleared them out both times. Cornelius Infildt was killed on the 7th on Rocky Ledge. He was [shot] through the head and there was fifteen killed and wounded. Five killed and ten wounded in our company in all that we have lost since we started on this campaign.

Corn is almost knee high but the army takes it for fodder for the teams. The Rebs are about done for this time and I hope it will end this summer and that I will get home safe and sound. This war is getting desperate for we fight to put the rebellion down this summer. The weather is warm and there is plenty of rain but the country is not very good. The soil is thin. The timber is about the same as it is in Ohio except the pine and there is no sugar tree and there is very little birch timber.

We have hard times for it is so warm and our clothes is all woolen and it makes one sweat a great deal and sometimes we have to march middling hard and then it tires the men.

We was under fire for ten days in the last fight that we had with the Rebs and there was a great many killed and wounded. I wrote a letter to my wife and dated it the 17th of May and it should have been the 7th of June and you can tell her. So I saw Jacob Lynn in the 124th O.V.I. but I did not talk to him for he was marching and had not time to talk with me.

The people have all gone south with the Rebel Army and there is no people at home. Suspect there is some. Hot times about the election for the president. You must write as often as you can and I will do the same. There is no news that I can think of this time.

From your old friend
Yours truly
James P. Ramsey

I forgot to tell you that I got your letter that was dated the 28th of April

James P. Ramsey