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155 years ago, someone wrote a letter to his parents from the battlefield.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Landing, Tenn.<\/p>\n
April 10th<\/sup>, 1862<\/p>\n My Dear Father and Mother: —<\/p>\n This is the first time since the battle that I could find time to write you.\u00a0 I ought to have written before, knowing what anxiety you would feel respecting my safety, but I have had a great deal of work to do.\u00a0 Our Lieut. Col. and Major were both killed, and all the captains but one besides myself were killed or wounded.\u00a0 The colonel was home sick; the captain who was not killed does not amount to much, and all of the labor of taking care of the wounded, burying the dead, etc., has developed upon myself and Adjt. Chas. F. Barber and the surgeons.<\/p>\n I had been back from my visit to Barton and Charles about three weeks when the battle commenced.\u00a0 We had been expecting for some time to attack the enemy at Corinth, but they got the start of us and when we were little expecting them, attacked us with their whole force.\u00a0 I had just eaten breakfast, put on a new shirt, and was about to commence a letter to you, when heavy\u00a0 fighting was heard near our camp.\u00a0 In a few minutes we were ready in ranks and marching to the scene of action.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Hornet\u2019s Nest\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n We are in Hurlburt\u2019s Division. Our brigade composed of four regiments was attached to the division to support Gen. McClearnand\u2019s division. We were then placed in the hottest of the fight \u2013 the boys have called it the \u201cHornet\u2019s Nest.\u201d\u00a0 We were placed where several regiments had given away; all admit that our regiment was in the most dangerous position of any regiment in the fight.<\/p>\n We formed a line as ordered and commenced a heavy fire upon the enemy who was but a little distance from us.\u00a0 Several regiments to our right ran without firing a gun.\u00a0 They were not from Illinois regiments however.\u00a0 Several batteries not captured fell back on a run and ran through our lines \u2013 still did our regiment alone stand its ground.\u00a0 When the enemy saw the lines to our right broken and the men running, they pressed upon us.\u00a0 Several times did the balls from our muskets make them fall back, but again would they rally and charge upon us, but we mowed them down like grass.\u00a0 I saw hundreds of the poor devils bite the dust.\u00a0 Almost overpowered by numbers \u2013 probably six or seven regiments\u00a0 were pressing upon our regiment at once, we were compelled to fall back and form a new line.\u00a0 I looked for the Lieutenant Colonel to see\u00a0 what was to be done when I saw the enemy within a few rods of my company; could not see any field officers, the colores were gone and I had to bring my company back or we should (those not killed or wounded) have been taken prisoners.\u00a0 How proud I was of my company!\u00a0 I believe I have written you before \u2013 young men from my old home, Lake\u00a0County, Illinois, and most all under twenty years of age. \u00a0They fought like heroes and not one showed the white feather.<\/p>\n \u201cSwore to Win Fight\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n As soon as I found that the Lieutenant Col. and Major were both dead, and all the captains but two were killed or wounded, I then took command of the regiment and formed in line and went into battle again and fought where we could do the most good the rest of the day.\u00a0 We had many shots at the enemy and I tell you it was fun to see them tumble over.\u00a0 The enemy had, on Sunday morning, one hundred thousand men, we had 38,000. Several Ohio and other regiments ran, leaving the Illinois boys to breast the flower of the southern army.\u00a0 Had we not fought\u00a0 like bull dogs, they would have whipped us long before night.\u00a0 We swore by the Great Eternal we would die before we would be whipped by southern rebels.\u00a0 Although thousands of our men were killed and wounded they did not make us surrender; our regiment had 600 men Sunday morning and over 250 of them were either killed or wounded \u2013 we lost many of the wounded Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cReinforcements\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The enemy drove us inch by inch, outflanked us several times, and as night came on we had fallen back near the river, when, and thank God for it, Gen Buell with his army was seen approaching on the opposite side of the river.\u00a0 This cheered the boys and they charged the enemy several times, driving them back some distance, when darkness put an end to the first day\u2019s fight of death and carnage.<\/p>\n Then, for the first time, did I begin to think of myself.\u00a0 Early in the morning during the battle a piece of shell had hit my breast and right arm.\u00a0 I spit blood during the day and I must have bled inwardly but did not feel any pain.\u00a0 A large mini\u00e9 ball hit me in the left side \u2013 it must have struck the rib and went under the skin, as I picked it out with my fingers.<\/p>\n The enemy were in our camp sleeping in our tents and we had to lay down on the wet ground, but not to sleep with our blankets over us.\u00a0 Then it was that my breast and arm commenced to pain me very much, but I thought I should be able to go into battle in the morning without any trouble.\u00a0 In the night it rained very hard, and I was wet all over and took cold and could not speak out loud in the morning or use my right arm.\u00a0 I did not complain \u2013 there were so many worse off than I was.\u00a0 I moved the regiment \u2013 what there was left of it \u2013 to where the brigade was and stayed with the regiment all day.\u00a0 The fighting at times was very hard but not as severe as the day before.\u00a0 I stayed on the field all day and our regiment made the last charge Monday night led by General Grant in person. That night the Adjt. Chas. F. Barber, who had been wounded, and I\u00a0 worked until 12 o\u2019clock taking care of the wounded, then I went to my hut and found four dead rebels in it.\u00a0 They had been wounded the day before and crawled in out of the rain to die.\u00a0 I found some blankets and laid down to get the first sleep I had had since Saturday night. I pulled the dead rebels out of my tent by the heels.<\/p>\n My wounds do not trouble me much and I am pretty well now.\u00a0 I beg of you to not worry about me.\u00a0 Mother\u2019s good letter just received.\u00a0 Soldiering is no fun but I shall stay in the Army if I am able until the Union you\u00a0 taught me to love is restored.\u00a0 I will write you again soon.<\/p>\n With lots of love to all,<\/p>\n Affectionately your son,<\/p>\n George<\/p>\n He was one of my great-grandfather’s three brothers, in the 15th Illinois Regiment. \u00a0My great-grandfather was in the Supply Corps.<\/p>\n Family history is so very important. Without it, we don’t know where we really came from or who came before us.<\/p>\n Do not let it fade into nothing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"