Adkinson Family Civil War Letters

Excerpts for Discussion Apr. 8, 2013

The following letters are available at the Duggan Library Archives, Hanover College (Hanover, Ind.).

Camp Near Burlin
Saturday July 18th , '63

Dear Sister

Yours bareing date of the first came to hand last night[.] I felt very old before receiving it but after reading it I felt much better[.] We have marched continually for the last six weeks not stoping to rest more than one day in any one place and not often that long[.] We came here yesterday at noon[.] Hope we will stay a day or two at least that the horses may rest alittle which they need very much as they have had but very little to eat and the roads are muddy as it has rained all most evry night for the last week[.] Now Effie it would do you good to see how we live here it is so grand to live after our stile we have alittle tent some four feet square that is two pieces of this side drawn over a pole in the center and peged down at the corners to the ground[.] Some times we have some straw but more frequen two rails to lay on this two or three skins tumble and sleep ever so sweetly until morning then arise and shake themselves as a horse would do after taking anap on his bed of hay, then breakfast is to get[.] This is composed of salt pork rosted on a stick (which isent very bad after all) some hard tack and coffee and sugar[.] The coffee I don't use but suply its place with water sweetened and on this we live very well. It is very helthy die[.] Our horses have oats and corne and hay and grass some times and at others nothing at all and but very little of that[.] My rideing fat horses is played out for the present[.] Hope If I get home once more to be able to ride one once more[.] You and Nan musent let Father sell the little Black but coax Mother to let you ride her very often[.] Don't let her do any thing faster than in pace as that is the gate I wish her travel[.] Don't care how fast she does that and tell Oliver I want him to have her pace just as fast as he can and do it right for this is to be one sorce of happiness to me should I be so fortunate as to get home[.] I would like to be with you, you don't know how well to well to tell but as a year is soon gone I shall soon be there[.] But one year here is as long as two or three at home where one has evry thing that is necessary for his comfort and happiness[.] Dont think me sick of my contract for I feel that I did but my duty in comeing here and then there is the conscripsion. It makes one more content[.] Oh it would do me so much good to hear that six or a half dozen moore field rats had drawn the lucky ticket there[.] Oliver Smith first[,] Squire Hulley next[,] Fletcher Bellamy next and so on[.] It would be more than huge and I feel that I could indure every thing and fatten on it too[.] I can imagine I see them now the first with a sigar with his head swelled to an immoderate size and his fiddle in his arms propped back in his chair with his Mother boxing at his ears[.] Every thing plain before me and I feel as though the next word would be come to dinner[.] Oh I long to hear that word spoken by agood cook once more and that at home to joke you all and see you and Minnie and Nancy laugh first becose you could then[.] I have such a rich joke on Oliver and Will to see Will limping round with soar toes[.] Ann tramped his toes so that he could limp easy and by the means escape the draft[.] How I should like to have seen him grin and make long faces and herd her tell him it hurts but you must stand it or the draft which is worse[.] So Willy bare it patiently for my sake which he did no dout and then Rinda think it is so ridiculous that that Hillsdale rat should bring the contemped of the whole crowd upon her by sitting with her in church[.] As a just punishment she had forced him against his will to walk some four mildes and not on a pavement[.] She thinks she has lernt him a lesson which he never will forget though, he should live till he dies[.] You may think it strange how I become sourse to our happiness Rinda and useto keep up a correspondence of all importance[.] I must close yours as I want to write to Mary and Father and Mother[.]

Your Bro

Jo

Douglas Hospital Washington DC
October 22nd, '63

Dear Sister Mary,

I seat myself to write you a short letter[. ] I am still here all though almost as well as ever[.] I am detailed here as nurse. You may think it strange that I would undertake such a task[.] My reasons were that by doing so I would be out of the rain and not have to sleep on the damp ground nor be exposed to all kinds of wether gerneraly[.] Here I have my bed and groob regular with exercise enough to make me enjoy it and that Hugely to I tell you I haven't yet bin out in town[.] Want to go out next Sunday to Catholic church have some curiosity to see and hear them once at least[.] The sisters that nurse are all Catholicks[.] All ware the black vail[,] are very strict[,] insist on my going to mass which is held at six on the morning[.] Haven't bin yet perhaps shall soon[,] don't know[.] Have bin to meeting 2 since I came here herd 2 good sermons the first since I left home[.] Now some things over six month that seems to me like a long time to be from home but I must stay 9 more before I can come back to enjoy the blessings of a quiet and happy home[,] one of the best things that man was ever blessed with[.] One dosent know the blessing of home until he has bin deprived of them for in time[.] Then they begin to show in their proper light there is nothing so good as a home blessed with a Father & Mother and sisters who all lived in peas & love together[.] My though of home are my hapiest hope that at some time I shall again be a member of such a home is my most cherished hope[.] Evry other fades into oblivion at the approach of this[.] I then to once more used those old places where I have to church so often gone and mingle once more among those that I useto[.] All this is in the futur and then you will be allmost grown to a woman while the rest will be married and out of the way[.] How we will saddle up the horses and take pleasure rides where we wish to go, so don't get married and spoil all my fun[.] Now Mary I want you to write and tell me all the girls secrets[,] who is going with who and if they are getting to thick to stir with a stick[.] Now you [under stang] I want to know all about Home & how much Father & Mother stand the times [&] what Father thinks of the war.

Your brother

Mc to Molly

P.S. Direct your letters to Douglas Hospital Washington D.C., Ward 8[.] Write all of you[,] I have plenty of time to read them, Mc

Camp 3rd Indiana
Stevens Burg Va
April 22nd 64
To all at Home

I find myself In a niew Camp this morning. We left our old one last Tuesday went on picket 2 days came in here last evening this comes of a change we are now in the 3 Div, 2 Brig, Command by General Wilson as Div Com, Chor, Chapman Brig. Don’t like the change, now may think better of it. After while we have nice houses. Here the Camp is much better than the one we left. Good water handy have inspection today. Those are a great boar to the soldier. The weather is very fine here now, dont think at passable for the army to lay still lone. Now we must move. I hope to victory & richmond. The Paper of yesterday & the days before gives us views of great inter[est]. There is arumor that the mail will be stoped for sometime. This may be but Camp rumo[r]. I think this will be the case soon if not now so you must rest easy if you dont get your letter evry weak. Now I must close we are all well. So good by untill next week.

Mc

Point Lookout M---d

May 31. 1864

My Dear Father.

I had a letter written to you a few days ago. I had written soon after I arrived here on the 16. but have heard no answer & I write again. My wound is doing firsrate & I am doing very well & altho I may be confined for sometime yet I hope to come out all right. I cannot account for the fact of getting no letters. I do hope you will write at once -- & let me hear from you. Direct to Hammond Hospital, Point Lookout, Maryland. Love to all. Your affectionate son. J M Adkinson

Point Lookout, MD
June 3, 1864

Mr. Francis Adkinson

Dear Sir,

I wrote a letter a few days ago for your son, Joseph, who is in the hospital at this place. And at his request, I write you again in answer to a letter which he received this morning from his sister. It is the first he has had from home since he has been here.

I am sorry to say that he is not getting along as well as we hoped he would when I wrote for him a few days since.

On yesterday morning the wound commenced bleeding and the nature of the wound was such that the doctors on consultation decided that it was necessary to amputate the leg, which was done yesterday about 12 o'clock. He was placed under the influence of chloroform. I saw him a few moments after the operation. He was cheerful and not as much prostrated as I expected. I saw him twice during the afternoon and evening and he appeared to be doing well. I saw him again this morning at 8 o'clock and he appears to be comfortable. He told me he had received a letter from home and wished me to answer it.

I know it will be sad news, and yet it is best you should know it at once.

What will be the result in his case, of course we cannot tell. God only knows. It is but right however, that I should say that the doctors think the probabilities are that he will not recover.

While there is life there is hope. He is in the hands of the infinitely wise God who does all things right.

I have been trying to direct his mind to the Savior, the great physician of both soul and body, and my prayer is that the Lord will prepare him for life or for death.

I will write to you again if any material change takes place.

May the Lord bless and sanctify to you this and all his dispensations is my wish and prayer.

Yours truly,

D. D. McKee
Chaplain

Point Lookout, MD
June 5, 1864

Friend Adkinson,

I wrote you on yesterday rather discouragingly about the case of your son. The case is still a very critical one but I am happy to say that the indications this morning are more favorable than they were yesterday and more so than we hoped they would be.

I will keep you informed every day or two of his case. I do so because I know the anxiety of friends.

Yours truly,

D. D. McKee
Chaplain

Point Lookout, MD
June 6, 1864

Mr. Irvin Adkinson,

Your brother Joseph Adkinson is in the hospital here. He handed me your letter to answer.

He was wounded in both thighs. The right leg was amputated on Friday last. The wound in the other thigh was slight and is nearly healed. His case is a very critical one. The doctor told me he had but little hope of his recovery. I thought yesterday he was better, but he is not so well today.

Yours truly,

D. D. McKee

Point Lookout, MD
June 7, 1864

Mr. Francis Adkinson

Dear Sir:

I suppose you will be expecting to hear from me as I promised to write every day or two in reference to your son.

I did not give you much encouragement in my last and I am sorry to say that my worst fears have been realized. Joseph died today at 3 o'clock.

Day before yesterday he seemed to rally, but during the night he had a chill and yesterday morning as soon as I saw him, I felt that there was no hope. Last night he had another chill and this morning when I called he was scarcely able to speak and he continued gradually to sink. He did not appear to be in much pain but appeared exhausted.

I had spoken to him several times on the subject of religion. He admitted its importance and on yesterday I earnestly pressed upon him the necessity of an immediate attention to the matter. He said he would think about it and asked me to talk with him again. But this morning he was so feeble that I could not learn distinctly which were his feelings or prospects. I called to see him about half an hour before he died. He recognized me and spoke to me. I spoke to him the promises and invitations of the Savior and told him in the dying pain he might seek and find the Savior. He whispered "this is my dying [hand]." I stood by him until he expired and held his hand in mine.

He has passed away and is in the hands of that God who does all things well.

To the compassionate Savior I would direct the deeply afflicted family. And may the Lord bless and sustain you and sanctify to you all this severe affliction, is my prayer.

Be assured of my sympathy with you all in your Savior.

Your friend
D. D. McKee
Chaplain

P. S. I cut a lock of hair and send it. His property and money is in the hands of Dr. Miller, one of the surgeons and will be forwarded by express if you so order it.
D. D. M.

Point Lookout, MD
June 14, 1864

Mr. Irvin Adkinson

Dear Sir:

As you requested, I have drawn up a very brief memoir of your brother which I herewith send you.

Died on Tuesday, June 7, 1864, in the Hammond General Hospital, Point Lookout, Maryland, from wounds received in battle on the 12th of May, Joseph Adkinson of Mooresfield, Switzerland Co., Ind.

He entered the service in the summer of 1861. The regiment was immediately ordered to join the Army of the Potomac, where it has remained ever since. He, with his regiment, shared in all the previsions and dangers of the campaigns of '62, '63, and '64 and having helped to earn, he shared in the honor that belongs to the 3rd Indiana Cavalry.

His regiment formed a part of the cavalry force led by Sheridan in his raid around Richmond and it was in one of the battles fought in that raid in the Chickasome swamp that he was wounded.

He was brought to the hospital at Point Lookout on the 16th of May and for a time his wound appeared to be doing well and he was anticipating a speedy recovery.

But secondary hemorrhaging occurred to a point which amputation of the leg became necessary. But this proved [ ].

Although for a day or two he and his friends entertained hopes of his recovery, yet the shock was more than his system could bear. He was seized with a chill and in a few hours the scene cleared.

He said but little as to his hopes and prospects for the future, yet we have some ground to hope that his thoughts were turned in his last hours to the Savior of sinners. Thus he died another victim to this cruel and wicked rebellion.

D. D. McKee
Chaplain

Point Lookout
June 24, 1864

Mr. Francis Adkinson

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 17th was received this morning. You will probably have heard before this reaches you that your son from New York, whom I had written before Joseph's death telling him of his condition, got here a few days after his death. He received, from Dr. Miller, Joseph's money and property.

And at his request I wrote a brief obituary of your son and sent it to him a few days after he left.

I did not hear from your son the particulars or the circumstances of his wounding, whether on horseback or not. I am under the impression it was received on foot as both thighs were hit by the same ball. The wound on the left leg was slight - - - it was the right leg that was amputated. He was willing for it to be done. In fact they do not compel any to submit to operations. They state the case to them and let them decide. He was very cheerful and hopeful. I thought he was going to recover and I never had any other thought until the bleeding commenced anew after the amputation. The next day he said to me he felt that he had a better chance now than before. And I felt very hopeful until the second night after the amputation he had a chill. The next morning I saw a marked change for the worse and the night following another chill and in a few hours he died.

He spoke to me of the family at home and appeared to feel much interest in home matters. His grave is marked with his name and regiment on a board at his head. There is an order prohibiting the removal of bodies before the 1st of October.

I desire no other compensation for which I am able to do for the gratification of the friends of the deceased soldiers than to feel that I have contributed something to alleviate the grief and to be permitted to mingle my sorrows with theirs.

May the Lord bless you and every member of the bereaved family and sanctify to you all this bereavement.

Yours truly,

D. D. McKee
Chaplain

Lighthouse Landing
July the 6th 1864

Dear Father and Mother

I received a letter from Effie yesterday and was glad to hear from you and to hear that you are all well [.] I have just got back to camp after a rade of ten days of the hardest marching that I ever have seen since I have been in the service [.] we marched day and night hardly stopping long enough to fead and make coffee [.] don’t think that we slept one night putting it all together [.] while out we cut all the railroad tracks leading from Richmond to north Carolina [.] we distroyed all of 35 miles of the Richmond and danvill road in that distance there is but few sections of the road that was not burned [.] it is givenup to be the bigest rade that has been made during the war [.] There was only the third division and five regiments of General [Coutes?] division along [.] we had some hard fighting and lost several good men  but it is believed that it done the enemy more harm than any two defeats that they have had yet as we cut of all supplyes untill they can repair the roads again which will take at least three weeks [.] it is generaly thought that they will have to evacuate Richmond before they can get it repaired [.] we followed the danvill road to within five miles of the Northcarolina line where we found a rather two [strong?] a  A force and then we started back we had infantry and cavalry to contend with before we got back they pushed us so close that we was compelled to burn our wagon train consisting of some twenty five or thirty wagons loaded with ammunition principaly but the hardest and worst of all was we had to leave our wounded in the ambulances [.] we left three of our company [Lum Vanasdall?] Spence Cunningham and Lige Brindly [.] it was hard to leave them but there was no helping it[.]  it was either that or loose the command [.] my waggon wentup amongst the number and I mounted a mule and fellin along with company A where I staid untill I got back to camp but am now with the train again as an extry hand and will have an easyer time than driving [.] Tom Lampson and David [Hascal?] and Fran Jackson of our company were captured [.] Jackson is the man that bought Joes horse and I suppose that his capture will delay the money for him a while but it is sure sometime [.] I am glad that Irvin went out and seen after Joes remains it seems hard that he must die alone amongst strangers but it is impossible for any ones friends in the army to go to see them after they get a few miles of [.] it would have been a great satisfaction to me to have went to see him but I couldnot [.] I never saw him after he was wounded [.] Levi saw him and helped to put him aboard the boat [.] he says he was cheerful [.] the boys seem to miss him more than any one we have lost yet [.] he was liked by all in the company  - -

with this I close and you wil have to excuse the bunglesome manner Inwhich I write for I feel considerable [off?] and [stif?] but am thankful that I and still enjoy good health [.] write often to your Sun [.]

Sam

We burnt two locomotives and several cars on our rade for the rebs.