1863 Fort Henry letter
dixontorpedoman
using in my 71st OVI book - written by a soldier who was captured at
Clarksville and parolled, it might be of interest to you.
Martin Stewart
Fort Henry, Tennessee
Jan. 28, 1863
Dear Sir
It is with pleasure that I now seat myself according to promise when
we parted at Camp Chase. I am in the enjoyment of the best of
health. The rest of the boys are enjoying the same good blessing with
the exception of a little hitch of the Tennessee sketters once in a
while. We have once case of smallpox in Co. F which will be very
likely to nockilate a good lot of us if there is not some preventative
used. He brought it from Columbus with him. The weather has been a
little rough a part of the time since we have been here. It has not
been very cold although we had the greatest snow storm I ever saw, it
being from 18 to 20 inches deep. It only lasted a few days, it is
entirely gone. As for rain I put this down as the best country I ever
saw – it can rain from 24 to 36 hours and not stop and it seams that
it don’t half try.
We had a very nice time for our trip south considering the time of
year and the way souldiers are accommodated on board the boats. We
was just a week on the way, arrived her on New Years day. It looked a
good deal discouraging when we landed her. The boys that were here
appeared to a kind of a hatred towards us unlucky fellows that had
been paroled. There was a kind of jealousy gotten up between the
companies of the regiment that will stick in them as long as the
regiment last. It has broke out amoung the officers and a great many
of them are a resigning on the account of the way the Governor has
been a given commissions to some of the Sergeants that had been at
home. A rite smart of the privates are a diserting since we have come
here.
This is a good place to play souldier for it is not likely the Rebbels
will disturb us. We have a pretty strong fource, it would take 5000
men to take us if we had time to get ready for them. The only way
that they can take us is to make a dash on Donelson and get us to
reinforce that point and have another force attack this point. It was
reported that Forrest was threatening that place a few days ago, but I
believe it turned out to be a grand humbug.
The duty is light, the boys have but little to do besides stand
guard. We have Negros to do the principle part of the fatigue duty,
Nigger cooks and teamsters. Our company has two darkies to do the
cooking and have but Billie Duff in as overseer and to boss the black
cusses. It suits him frustrate the Niggers would be a good
institution if the boys would let them alone but we have a certain lot
of men that like to torment and call them black sons of bitches which
they do not like to be called.
We have got rather poor tents to what we had when we went out before.
We have got the low belt tents and they are so low that we cannot
stand up straight except right in center and they are maid of poor
canvas so that it rains almost as hard inside as it does outside. If
we don’t keep a pretty good fire in them they is not a chance to build
a good fire but most of the boys have arranged some kind of furnaces
out of some old sheet iron taken from some old boat boilers. One mess
of twelve men have built a cabin out of cedar logs taken from a raft
they caught a floating down the river.
We have no regular mail line here but we cannot complain for its sent
up when they can get a boat a coming up the river. The last week we
had 3 mails. We get the Cincinnati here 3 or 4 days after date so we
have the news if it is a little old.
I will close for the present. Write soon and give my best to
enquiring friends and reserve a due portion for yourself.
Your obliging friend
R.G Dinsmore
Letter written from Sergeant Robert G. Dinsmore, Company C, 71st OVI
to Private William W. Heston of Miami County who was discharged from
Company C in July 1862 due to Shiloh wound.
Greg Biggs
Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the letter which we did not have.
How is your 71st OVI book doing? I found an article from one of their
soldiers who wrote an good article in the National Tribune that states
clearly that they did not run at Shiloh. This is along the lines of the
soldier accounts and testimonials that my wife found at OHS and some
other sources. It details the detaching of the several hundred sick
soldiers that morning and talks about Barton Kyle some as well. We
compared their casualties at Shiloh with those at Nashville and there
was not that big of a difference between them. As you may know Stacy
Allen, Chief Ranger at Shiloh, was the first to use Karel's research
when he wrote that Blue & Gray Magazine article on Shiloh some years ago.
Thanks again for sending this along.
Greg Biggs
Clarksville, TN
Martin Stewart
I think I am nearly complete with my book. I have been having some
difficulties with my publisher - he has his ideas and I have mine but
together we have managed to pound out about a 375 page effort.
10 Chapters, 50 photos, and about 15 maps. I wanted the book to be
hardcover but cost will not make that possible. An initial run of about 250
copies is all I will invest in now until I determine if anyone wants to read
it.
Will hopefully get some coverage in Miami, Mercer, and Auglaize County
newspapers and then attempt to place the book in local bookstores in all of
those areas.
I already addressed the Stillwater Round Table and am scheduled to do the
same in Cincinnati in February.
The Fort Henry letter I sent you is typical of about a dozen Fort
Henry/Clarksville letters I found which, to my knowledge, have not been
published. I am scanning the originals currently and checking previous
transcriptions. Anything I find, your group is welcome to.
Martin
Judith Ewing Morlan
Martin Stewart
Judith:
Thank you for your interest. I will alert you when I have them back from the printer.
Martin
Judith Ewing Morlan
lstevens
Would you please reserve 2 copies for me? Thanks for your work on this
project.
Larry Stevens
On Oct 10, 4:32 pm, "Judith Ewing Morlan"
> Thank you
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Martin Stewart
> To: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 2:22 PM
> Subject: RE: 71st OVI book
>
> Judith:
>
> Thank you for your interest. I will alert you when I have them back from the printer.
>
> Martin
>
> From: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Judith Ewing Morlan
> Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 11:04 AM
> To: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: 71st OVI book
>
> Mr. Stewart: I would like to reserve a copy please let me know when it is ready and how I can pay for my order. Judith Ewing Morlan
>
Kenneth Kepf
Perhaps you checked with Broadfoot Publishing? Prices are reasonable. You might think to donate a book to the OHS & USAMHI too. I wish you much success and the CCWRT are good guys so bring a few copies, I'd bet they would like you to sign the books you publish. Dan Hurley is a Cincinnati Historian though I don't know what TV station he is affiliated with but he would be IMHO a great "spring board to get your books sold. I know he has impeccable rapport with the CHS or museum center well worth the hunt to find him. When I finish my book on Dilger's Battery I'll be in your same shoes--with the hope of Providence for 2 operations both which are major. Try a Google search on him. True about now he will be moderating political debates but there is a pool of piranha's on the radio that like the CW too. Don't be shy to ask questions.
Best, Ken
Bruce Lamping
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:16:30 -0400
To: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
From: km...@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: 71st OVI book
lstevens
Dr. David R. Hayes
PO Box 366
West Milton, OH 45383
On Oct 12, 8:47 am, Bruce Lamping <blamp...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Please tell me, who is the contact for the Stillwater Civil War Roundtable? I live in Vandalia and Troy is pretty close.
> Thanks, Bruce Lamping
>
Martin Stewart
big...@charter.net
I don't think that David Hayes has had anything to do with the Stillwater CWRT in years. I moved from Ohio to Tennessee 8 years ago and he had left the CWRT before then. If he has come back that would be great.
Greg Biggs
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: "Martin Stewart" <mste...@woh.rr.com>
Sender: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:00:08
To: <ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: 71st OVI book
lstevens
someone has correct contact info let me know. I rely on the CWRT's to
update their info to the roundtable page on this site. Please have the
CWRT's contact person send updates of their contact info here.
Thanks. Larry
On Oct 16, 7:15 pm, big...@charter.net wrote:
> Hello
>
> I don't think that David Hayes has had anything to do with the Stillwater CWRT in years. I moved from Ohio to Tennessee 8 years ago and he had left the CWRT before then. If he has come back that would be great.
>
> Greg Biggs
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Martin Stewart" <mstewa...@woh.rr.com>
>
> Sender: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
> Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:00:08
> To: <ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com>
> Reply-To: ohio-in-the...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: RE: 71st OVI book
>
> Stillwater Civil War Roundtable
> Joe Bellas
Martin Stewart
Stillwater Civil War Roundtable
> Joe Bellas
lstevens
Best
Larry
On Oct 16, 9:26 pm, "Martin Stewart" <mstewa...@woh.rr.com> wrote:
> Below is a contact for SCWRT. I spoke there just last month.
>
> Stillwater Civil War Roundtable
>
> > Joe Bellas
Greg Biggs
John Walsh of the new Fort Donelson CWRT tells me that he has you coming
down to speak to them in October 2012 (I believe). As the Clarksville
CRWT meets the night before them I would like to extend an invitation to
you to speak to us on the 71st Ohio and your book. There is deep
interest on them here of course so I hope this can be worked out. The
two CWRTs will share your travel costs and take care of you motel rooms
while you are here. We also hope that you will bring copies of your
book for sale as well.
Please let me know if this can be worked out as we would very much like
to have you with us. If I have the month wrong please let me know.
Thanks,
Greg