On May 1, 1862, writing from a Union camp in Mississippi, John Boyd sends gratitude to his father, mother and brother back home near Jeromesville, Ohio.
“I got my boots and the rest you sent me. The boots fits very well. I am very glad that you sent them for it is very swampy here. James, I will remember you for your trip to Ashland that night.”
The eldest of the seven brothers serving in the Civil War, John describes, “There is lots of rebels leaving and giving themselves up. There is only 70,000 rebels down there” within 10 miles of John’s current encampment as he wrote this “and they are most starved. They only get one cracker a day…. if we gain this battle the war will be over. There is no doubt but we will. Well, this may be the last letter that I will ever write to you, but I hope and pray it won’t. If we never meet on earth again, I hope that we will all meet in Heaven,” John writes in closing.
Stephen writes home often from his post near Nashville and lets it be known that letters from home are very important to him. This subject causes a dust-up between the two brothers. Stephen writes to a young brother at home, “I want you to tell Mrs. Akins if she wants to hear from me she must answer my letter, and tell James Brian the same thing. I am aware of the fact that you have half the time to write that we have, but then I think you might find time. You and Scott are doing very well at writing. I want you to continue on for I do love getting letters from home. Write me long letters and tell me a little about everybody,” he asks.
Brother John writes, “I had a letter from cousin Susan. Stephen is a little spunky about me not wanting him to write to so many. He said he thought it well enough to take advice, but that he didn’t mind all that it lost. He may do as he pleases now, I guess. I shan’t say anything more about it to him.”
Stephen writes of boys from home coming to Nashville “to work on the wharf at unloading boats, thinking by that they will escape the draft. They own that is why they came, but they have found that to their sorrow it will not exempt them at all. They will be drafted just as ready as if they was at home. And they are just sick of their bargain. They did not know what it is to unload boats or they would never have come. I heard some of them say that if they had money enough to go home, they would go, but then they come to find it out they can’t go till their three months are up unless they are drafted. Well, they will learn a lesson. But it’s good for the home cowards.”
A happy Stephen writes home later in November, 1863. “My box has come to hand and everything was as nice as one could wish, everything was just the fit to a T. The boots has plenty of room at the toes but the instep is a perfect fit. There was nothing broke, but all as nice as a pin. I tell you a piece of bread spread with butter and applebutter goes good. It makes me think of home again.
“Now I am prepared for weather and think if I have no bad luck, I have what will answer if I live till my time is up.
“The news is good from the front. They have been giving the rebs gas ever since last Saturday. They were expecting ten thousand prisoners at the penitentiary yesterday.”
Next week: James joins the war
