#2 John Ryan Civil War Letters ~ August 19, 1862McMinville Koren Co. Tenn August 19, 1862
Dear John:
I Reed your letter A at Athens, Ala. By the hands of Sam Rowlet. I was sorry to hear that he ___ or not take the sword home to you. I was very glad to hear that you were all well. I Rec.d a letter Since that that was written By Kate we were tossed around so that I had no time to write you. Kates letter Says ye are all well and is going to rent the house and live in the Country perhaps it would do very well all I have to Say to do all you can to get along and I will help you as much as I can. I don't see how you get along as well as ye do; for I understand ye get but half the Relief money that was promised to you when I left there it must be by good management tell your mother to do the Best She Can to get along and I will be Satisfied I am now ell and in good health I have not been in Such good Health for the last six months and is Still getting better I do not perform so much duty as I have been doing I have been promoted higher than a Private for my good behavior in the Regiment and my Bravoury at the Battle of Shiloh we have been doing hard duty since we come South in the way of hard marches in the hot Sun Still our Regiment is in good health we are now in a dangerous part of the Country for every man with few exceptions are Violent Rebels we have to have a heavy guard out we have been hear about two weeks and the Place and Country around is now very quiet it is rich and healthy Country we have plenty of apples. Peaches and green corn and Black berrys in abundance but the berry Season is now over we hardly get a Paper hear and do not as much about the army as you do therefore I cannot tell you much about it there is one good thing I can tell you we make long marches to find the Rebels out and we can not get up to them I understand they boys are enlisted very fast about Richmond and Mr. Bickel is raising a Regiment and it is now full John I hope they wont induce you t join them at the age you are you never could endure the hardships of a Camp life I wish you were old enough to stand it but you must not attempt to join the army I know all about it and I besiege you not to even to think of it the were too many of your age in the army and they had to be discharged on account of inability to serve they went home with a broken Constitution perhaps never recover during their life I hope if you have a notion to go your mother will Prevent you.
36th INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY: SERVICE (Cont'd)
Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Occupation of Corinth May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 12. Buell's Campaign in Northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee June to August. Round Mountain, near Woodbury, August 28.
Letter #2 was written August 19; so it would have been during "Buell's Campaign."Letter #2 is the most straightforward and the easiest to interpret. It was directed to John's son, John Albert, but is constructed in such a way that John is actually using young John Albert as a "middle man" as John actually speaks to his entire family... mentioning several members in the third person. The family's chronic financial problems, particularly the issue of taxes on the house, come up again. There are charming passages regarding the surroundings which the regiment finds itself in, contrasted with the gravity of their mission. The letter gives the first hint that John is not well... but it will be 5 more months before his illness warrants any missed duty.
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