August
21, 1864
around
Petersburg, Virginia
Regiment
XYZ
Dearest
Father and Mother,
I
sincerely apologize for not having written you a letter for so long.
Let me tell you about my whereabouts and my doings since.
Unable
to pay a commutation fee of $300 and hiring a substitute for $1,000,
I was drafted and am now a soldier of the Union. I know about two
persons who were willing to fight on my behalf, an African who called
himself Joe, and an Irish who just arrived from Ireland. They needed
the money and were willing to take my place. As you know Irish
immigrants are not well liked in Ohio, they even put up signs in
shops not to hire any.
Most
of the other soldiers are volunteering in this war. I don't
understand their reasons why they fight. Some say they want to fight
the South because of the pay and regular food, some others say they
want to see more of the United States. They probably think it is an
adventure to be a soldier.
Some
of the soldiers try to desert. There are quite many who succeed. They
don't like the harsh conditions, like marching for days, or sometimes
being very thirsty.
They
treat me fairly in my regiment. The pay could be better and I receive
$16 every month, so at least they say. I haven't seen any pay for the
last three months,but my captain says it will be paid later. I am
planning to send some of this money to you, so you can invest in the
farm and buy some new tools.
Sometimes
I imagine being a Lieutenant General, like Ulysses S. Grant. They
receive $748 each month and their pay is for sure.
I
was told that negro soldiers are paid less than $16. I guess I am
still lucky. Africans are also in separate regiments than the whites.
I have seen some passing, and I am astonished how well organized and
disciplined they are. I noticed that they have white officers only.
You
may wonder what foods we eat. We get some green coffee beans that we
roast. They provide us with salted pork, a bread we call hardtack,
beans and dried fruits and rice. I like to make a soup and crumble my
hardtack in it. To be honest, I don't like the bread, but I love the
coffee.
I
started to like my new life as a soldier because I made so many new
friends. Still it doesn't make much sense to me why we are fighting
to free the slaves in the South. After all, aren't we whites superior
to the Africans? Even Mr.Lincoln prohibits our generals to free
slaves in the territories we capture. He also said in Columbus
Ohio,on September 16, 1859 that he was not advocating negro freedom.
He said these words “I will say
here, while upon this subject, that I have no purpose directly
indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States
where it exists. I have no purpose to introduce political and social
equality between the white and the black races. I, as well as Judge
Douglas, am in favor of the race to which I belong, having the
superior position. ”
Some
soldiers in my regiment think, that Mr.Lincoln just wants to give the
negros their freedom because he wants them to fight on his side so he
will be the only president in the United States. I hope Mr.Lincoln
will prove them wrong once this war is won. They fight as good as we
do in this war. They earned my respect. When I think about it we may
be wrong thinking that the negros are inferior. Maybe it is a just
cause to fight for their freedom as well.
The
captain in my regiment said, that hundred thousands of Ohioans are
fighting on my side in this war. He also said that we get a lot of
beans from Ohio and also pork. Maybe it comes from your farm, he
says. He also thinks that some of the rifles we carry are made in
Ohio. We wear blue uniforms, and I think some of them may be made in
Ohio as well.
In
September of last year I fought in a horrible battle under Major
General William Rosecrans, the Battle of Chickamauga in Tennessee. We
lost that fight, and thousand of my fellow soldiers died, but we were
able to regroup after. I was grazed by a bullet and lost a lot of
blood, but I am fit again for duty thanks to the food they provide. I
had some beef roast twice, regenerating from this battle. Four of my
best friends were killed in this battle. After the battle I was very
angry with Rosecrans, but then I noticed that it wasn't his fault
that so many soldiers died. He tried his best, and the situation on
the battlefield turned out of control. There is no order in war once
you fight on the battlefield.
I
put my hope in general Ulysses S. Grant, our new commanding general
after Rosecrans was relieved of duty. Grant has won so many battles
and is advancing into enemy territory. Sometimes I wish more soldiers
would fight on Grant's side. The war would be over soon when Grant
would command more troops. Right now we fight around Petersburg in
Virginia. Grant told us to dig some more trenches and fight from
there, because the Confederates defend this city pretty well. Being a
fellow Ohioan we understand his way to fight. I think we will capture
Petersburg very soon.
You may ask how I feel right now. I am tired of marching long distances and digging out trenches. When it wouldn't be for my friends and General Grant I probably would have given up and deserted too, maybe fleeing to Canada or to the South. I have seen so many soldiers on both sides die in battle and with disease, that I pray to God that this war is over better today than tomorrow.
Tell my sister Penelope that the war will be over soon and that I will return to work on the farm again. I am looking forward to plant beans and corn. I promise to write more often,
Yours
truly,
John
Doe
