107th Illinois Infantry CIVIL WAR LETTER from Kentucky - Men Have Scurvy CONTENT

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Seller: cmvolz ✉️ (27,345) 100%, Location: Washington, Illinois, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 372509085424 107th Illinois Infantry CIVIL WAR LETTER from Kentucky - Men Have Scurvy CONTENT.

CIVIL WAR LETTER

CIVIL WAR SOLDIER LETTER - 107th Illinois Infantry

George Messer, ca. 1860. Enlistment records say he had dark hair and blue eyes.

George Messer of the 107th Illinois Infantry was “a good man and a man that I thought a heap of. He was liked in his company and regiment but he is now gone where there is no trouble, no war, nor no fighting. Tell his wife that he is buried nice and was well cared for whilst sick.” So wrote a fellow soldier following the discovery of George’s death from chronic diarrhea late in December 1863 at the Lamar House Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee.

There is nothing remarkable about George Messer to distinguish him from the thousands of men who answered their country’s call for volunteers to put down the rebellion. He was a simple carpenter from rural Illinois who sought to acquire his share of the American dream — a home to call his own and a loving family to love and support. But his sense of patriotic duty caused him to put those dreams on hold until the rebellion was ended. Unfortunately for George — and the family he left in Illinois — that day did not come before he succumbed to the disease that plagued him throughout most of his term of service. Though he never fired a gun at the enemy, he did not desert nor shirk his duty when he was capable of fulfilling it like several others in his regiment. Though he saw others less qualified than himself rise to positions of leadership in the regiment, he maintained his spirit and did his best to comfort and give hope to those he left behind in Illinois.

TRANSCRIPT

George Messer of Co. F, 107th Illinois Infantry, writes from the regiment’s encampment near Woodsonville, Kentucky. He informs his wife that there will be no furloughs granted for the foreseeable future and that they will be paid again soon. He tells her they have hired a “Darkie” to cook in their mess and that there are rumors of Morgan’s guerrillas in the area but that their fortifications are strong and could hold off an attack of a much larger force. He closes by mentioning that some of the men are beginning to show signs of scurvy due to the lack of vegetables in their diet.


Letter No. 12

Camp of the 107th Illinois Volunteer Infantry
Near Woodsonville, Kentucky
February 24th A.D. 1863

My Dear Wife,

I seat myself this afternoon to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and hearty and knocking around as soldiers usually do. I received Letter No. 8 from you this afternoon and I am very glad to hear that you are all well. I have just bought a quire of gilt-edged paper. It is the best that I have come across since I have been in the service and I thought that I would get enough to last me for a little while.

I have wrote to you so often in the last four or five days that I have almost run out of anything to write about. I will have to close for a little while and go on Dress Parade.

Well, I have just got in again and will try to write a little more. We have just received word that there will be no furloughs granted under no circumstances whatever so there will be a poor chance or any of us to come home very soon in that way and that is the only way that I propose to come unless I should be so fortunate as to be sent home with a squad after those deserters which is not a very desirable job to me. At least all those that have went home or left the regiment will be branded as deserters and a good many of them will be treated as such by the authorities if they are ever caught. I am glad to hear of these old soldiers being treated well by your folks for they deserve all the kindness that can be shown them and they should ever remain dear to the memories of every true American citizen. They have faced and fought the enemy and suffered almost every privation that the mind could imagine ad if anyone deserves a kindness, it is these soldiers. Every house should be a soldier’s home.

We will be mustered for pay next Saturday and we are to have General Inspection of arms, knapsacks, clothing, and everything else belonging to the soldier.

We have got a Darkie to cook for our mess. We have all got tired of cooking and got a nigger and propose taking the times a little easier than we have been doing. He is as black as a coal and appears to be a pretty good cook as far as we have tried him.

Jacob Zanger arrived here today. I have not talked with him but a few minutes. I received a letter from Mary J. McClure the other day. I wrote her a letter about three weeks ago and I made some enquiries about McNulty. She says that he left there for parts unknown. She says that he left two girls there to shift for themselves and in rather a delicate way. I am sorry that McNulty has become so depraved as to conduct himself in that way. I have not said anything to Wesley [McNulty] about it for I know that it would hurt his feelings if I did and do no good.

We are looking some for Capt. Wismer back here soon. If he comes and tries to take command of the company, there will be fuss in the camp.

Wednesday morning, February 25th

My darling wife, I had to stop writing last night and go and sit up with Tillmen Martin. He is laying sick at a private house on the outside of our picket lines. He has the regular camp fever and it will be a long time before he gets well — if he ever does. He was some better this morning when I left.

There is a rumor in camp that Morgan’s guerrillas are coming around again and some of the Rebel sympathizers that are around here say that we will be attacked next Sunday morning. Let them come. We are prepared for them. It would take four times our number to whip us here behind our breastworks and we are strengthening them everyday. We have twelve pieces of artillery — ten field pieces and two 32-pounder siege guns. We have now about three full regiments of infantry and two of cavalry.

I have not much more to write this morning for this is the fourth letter that I have wrote to you since last Thursday morning and some of them tolerable long ones. Two of them I sent by S. Colliver, Esqr.

I received a letter from David Bell the other day and he tells me that the Old Man had sent after Old Red [cow] and that you refused to give her up until he paid for wintering her and he also stated that the Old Man’s wife says that there should not one bushel of corn go to pay for [my horse] Dick until she had a cow at her door. I don’t know hardly what to say or do about it but I think you had better wait a little while and I may get to come home. And if the Old Man don’t sign that Article and I get to come home, I think that I can get possession of what property I have left in his care without going to law about it. Write to me and tell me all about the matter in answer to this and I will determine by the time I receive your answer to this what I think will be best to do about that business if I don’t get to come home by that time.

Some of our cavalry have just come in with twenty-three more prisoners but I have heard nothing about how our boys are getting along. But I might judge by appearances that they are doing pretty well. When the boys left here, they made me their banker and deposited most all their money in my hands fearing that they might fall into the Rebel’s hands and lose it all. I have some over one hundred dollars for them besides several pocketbooks, all of which I will take care of for them to the best of my ability. Most all of the Creek Nation boys are gone but three or four, except those that are not fit for duty.

I must close for a little while and go and eat my supper and by that time it will be too dark to write so I will wait till after the mail comes in and perhaps I will hear some more news. — George to Lottie

Sunday night. Well my darling, I have not heard any more news this evening and I don’t know what I shall write about but I will try and scare up something for it is Sunday night and would like to be with and talk with you as in times past when our present troubles were unthought of by us. O how I would love to see the time again when we could enjoy each others company unmolested without the thought of those troubles and perils that are now uppermost in our minds — each thinking of and wishing for the others welfare. I hope that time may soon come when such may be our happy lot and then I will know how to appreciate a happy home the better for our long separation which this very unnatural Rebellion has cause us and thousands of others to suffer for the sake of our homes, honor, and government.

There is one thing that we are needing here at present very much and that is vegetable diet for he scurvy is beginning to break out among some of the men. It is caused by eating so much salt provisions which is about all we have got and all we can get. I went to a private house yesterday and got a mess of greens — the first that I have had this year. We want onions more than anything else and they can’t be had. Neither can we get much of anything else of the vegetable kind for such things has to be grown yet.

I must now close for tonight as I am getting sleepy for I slept none last night and but very little today and it is now nearly nine o’clock. I will finish this tomorrow and start it to you. Some kisses for you & Eddy for you must share them with him for I know his little mouth is sweet. No more tonight. Hoping you are all well and hearty. Good night. — George to Lottie

I have had nothing to do and have put in most of my time in writing to you for I see more satisfaction in writing to you when I can think of anything to write about than anything else that I can do.

Lieut. John D. Graham received a cracking Valentine the other day. He accuses T. Kelly of sending it as it was mailed at Cairo about the time that Tom would get there and it looked very much like Tom’s hand writing on the back of the envelope. Henry Graham started to his regiment the other day and we heard that he was in Louisville in Park Barracks and did not know when he would get away. He was cursing the barracks at a terrible rate.

I was very glad to hear from Vinia. I will answer her letter some of these days. Tell her that I think in Mat Throckmorton going away the neighborhood has suffered no very great loss.

I must close for the mail will start pretty soon. My last letter I forgot to number. It should have been No. 11. I will stop for this time. Excuse this short letter my darling. Hoping I may have the pleasure of seeing you soon. Goodbye.

I ever remain your true & loving husband, — George Messer

To Lottie Messer

TERMS

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