Dear Brother Jack, June 4, 1862
I am part of the 10th Ohio regiment. I am so excited, and my fellow soldiers claimed I jumped out of my boots. I got some really nice fellow soldiers, though one is a big troublemaker, by the name of Joseph Ayers. He marched all day with a sack full of bricks for stepping out of line and dancing. Most soldiers are from Cleveland or Cincinnati. I know you do not share my views, but I joined the Union. I joined mostly for fame, money, and to escape drafting. I hope you do not consider me rude, yet I despise the idea of slavery and am disappointed that you joined the Confederacy.
Boot camp is very frustrating. The stupid sergeant made us do drills until we were ready to drop. He claimed it would help is in the war. His exact words were this, “Them Reb boys ain’t gonna play easy, so you are gonna train and train till you can beat one of them aristocratic sharpshooters. Currently, y’all don’t seem to know what’s the front of the gun compared to the back.” So we trained and trained. Surprisingly, I improved. At first, I had no clue how to wrap a sling, but now I can even stitch a minor cut. Yet I think our group’s sergeant took a fancy to me, as when he got promoted to lieutenant, he promoted me directly to sergeant. Me a lowly farmer, got to a sergeant within two months! I worry about my health a lot, so I have brought a towel, soap, and a water purification kit. I got an Enfield Rifle, which was pretty nice, since all I had at home was those old Smoothbore Muskets.
I am very excited, mostly because now I will get to lead the charge. Yet this may not be a good thing, as it is like having a big white X painted on my shirt. I am very proud to serve the Union, and I hope I do not have to see you on the battlefield. Many of my fellow soldiers are nervous and are blabbering about random stuff, mostly saying “How we gonna beat the Rebs.” I hope you have the best of luck, and I hope to see you on better terms. I have you in my heart, brother.
Your loving brother,
Jamie
Dear Brother Jacob, June 10, 1862
I am glad to be able to write to you. With all the men dying, all the screams of agony, I am not enjoying this sad life. We had to head to Washington D.C., to apparently hear a “very important speech.” To get there, we first had to trek thirty miles in the scorching heat, just to reach the train which would take us to Washington D.C. Joseph Ayers and I did not hold up well on the hike, so both of us wanted to rest, yet our fellow regiment members turned down our request. Then our train, the stupid train, was six hours late. We gave our regiment members a long lecture. Our regiment finally reached the capitol, sad and dejected. There, Lincoln’s speech did little to help what little we had left in our morale. It was all about saving the Union at all costs, yet right now all I want to do is to run away to paradise, which would be as far away from the war as possible. Finally at the end of a long and terrible day, we went to camp.
Henry Matthews and Lewis Fitzgerald went to haul water, and failed! Henry came back mumbling about “how he’d gotten thirsty,” while Lewis was shouting hard at him. We had a terrible dinner, and we were very argumentative, shouting at the slightest of things. Joseph and I are on the verge of running away and are very frustrated. Since I have nothing else to do, I will give you a short history on each person in my regiment. First, there is my close friend, Joseph Ayers. He and I have been in the same battle many a time; we are almost like brothers. He was an orphan, and has told me many stories about life as a street boy. Also, you may not know that I have a cousin, by the name of David Kirkham, in the 19th Connecticut Infantry. My last regiment members, Lewis Fitzgerald, David Ellis, and Henry Matthews, are all born in Cincinnati, and are generally very nice. I will write to you again, if I live to. I am on the verge of leaving, and hope you are doing better.
Your brother,
James Hunter