LETTERS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD FIRST AND FOREMOST it must be emphasized that these letters CANNOT be read or interpreted properly without an understanding of the "stormy marriage" and chaotic family life that John Ryan and his wife Sarah and their children had experienced during the years prior to the civil war. Even with an understanding of this background, and the tremendous "mystery" of why John decided to join a Union Regiment and "march off" to war, there are questions and "disagreements" about the correct interpretation of the letters.
~~ 1862 ~~
From John Ryan to his family
The following three letters were kept by the Greenen Family for 135 years. Mike Drew has had the originals for some time and has done a magnificent job of trying to restore them to readability. It is easy to see that it has been a struggle to decipher them
OVERVIEWOriginally, there were arguments and discussions about when and where John wrote these letters (especially letter #1) and also a question as to whom he intended to read them. Inasmuch as there is now a great desire by many to actually read the letters, I have attempted to resolve the "arguments" and varying interpretations as much as possible by using three simple rules:
1. We will take John's word for where he was... assuming that the headers on the letters are accurate. All the other header information (Unit designations, etc.) jive completely with all Civil War histories and reports of John's unit, the 36th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
2. I have chosen (in the case of letter 3) to use the text of the letter, rather than it's (apparently erroneous) salutation ("Dear father") to reveal whom John is writing to and whom he intends to read the letter.
3. After so much time, it is not likely that anyone will agree in detail with anyone else's "interpretation" of the letters; so my third rule is simply that the letters are being preserved for all decendants of John Ryan... and any other interested party... and those who want to make a study of them may do so and are at liberty to make their own interpretation... and are challenged to do the necessary study of history. This is, in fact, the charm and the power of the letters.It has taken years of pondering and study of John's history to come to the realization that the most striking content appears between the lines. Although we finally understand the answer; it was, for a long time, a mystery and oddity that John never once directs a sentence to his wife, Sarah, though she is mentioned in the third person. Every other family member (except his second daughter, Mary) is mentioned affectionately and/or positively; but, after careful study, it is clear that John is NOT SPEAKING to his wife during the time of his service... and, in fact, research as of August, 2001, reveals that John had been granted a divorce from Sarah, and ultimately died believing that divorce decree would "stick."
To help organize things, we will do the letters in chronological order; and I will preceed each letter with a well respected history of the 36th Indiana Volunteer Infantry (with blue background) up to the date of that letter. We begin, as follows with the formation of the unit in Richmond Indiana, where John Ryan was "mustered in:"
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36th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry Organized at Richmond, Ind., and mustered in September 16, 1861. Ordered to Kentucky and duty at Camp Wickliffe, Ky., till February, 1862. Attached to 10th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, October-November, 1861. 10th Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September, 1862. 10th Brigade, 4th Division, 2nd Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Left Wing 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 21st Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to June, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, to July, 1865.
SERVICE -- Expedition down Ohio River to reinforce General Grant at Fort Donelson, Tenn., thence to Nashville, Tenn., February 14-25, 1862. Occupation of Nashville February 25. March to Savannah, Tenn., March 17-April 6. Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Occupation of Corinth May 30.
Letter #1 was written May 18, so it would have been during the "Seige of Corinth."As we know, John was promoted for bravery at the battle of Shiloh. In fact, his regiment (36th Indiana) was the first to engage the enemy at Shiloh; and the official records show that the regiment's casualties at Shiloh were 10 dead, 4 wounded, and 1 missing. John does not speak of this till his August letter (#2) Cousin Andy has argued that letter #1 might have been written on the eve of Shiloh; but, if we take John's word for the date and header information, it had to be written more than a month after Shiloh. Everything about letter #1 is compatible with the "Seige of Corinth." John writes this letter while clearly "wearing two hats." It is obvious that he is writing as "father" to his eldest son, John Albert (age 16 at the time) but also as a soldier. Readers will be fascinated by his description of the Unior Army's deployment and tactical activities... all of which "check out" as historically accurate. Actually, at the time, it was thought by those on the scene that Corinth would be a bigger and more important battle than Shiloh; and that accounts for John's ecstatic proclamation (at the end of the letter) about the expectation of a glorious victory.
CLICK HERE to see Letter #1 and its interpretation
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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.
CLICK HERE to see letter #2 and its interpretation
March to Nashville, Tenn., thence to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg, August 21-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg to Wild Cat, Ky., October 1-20. Wild Cat, Ky., October 17.
Letter #3 was not dated; but had to be written before John's admission to the Louisville Hospital October 14. This would mean Letter #3 was written during the famous "Pursuit of Bragg."Letter #3 (because of the completely uninterpretable salutation of "dear father") has been the subject of much speculation and discussion which I feel is unnecessary. At the time of its writing, John was already a sick man. As the final sentences indicate, he was also pressed for time! As far as I am concerned, the final sentence clarifies ALL ambiguity which others have read into the letter. After clearly directing each sentence to various of his children and sending his respects to his wife (in third person again) John "signs off" with a hope that the letter will "find you all in good health." I believe these features of the text and this "closing passage" should put all speculation to rest. The salutation of "dear father" has to be an inadvertency; as there is no documentation or tradition of any kind that John Ryan's father ever came to the U.S. or lived at the same address as John's children.
The letter was written in Nashville, and is undated; but careful research (see the chronologies above) allows us to date the letter within a few days. John's regiment marched to Nashville the last week of August. There they would have been re-provisioned and probably allowed a day or two of rest... during which John wrote Letter #3. Allthough there is some "overlap" in the official chronology, we can be fairly certain the letter was written near the end of August. The regiment then marched "thence to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg." From Louisville, they continued the "pursuit of Bragg" on October 1 and during this "march" or maneuvers, John fell sick! He was admitted to General Hospital #3 in Louisville on October 14. The regimental roll call shows John "absent without remand" during October and November. He died (of Typhoid) November 25, 1862.
When read with the knowledge that John would be dead within a couple of months of writing this letter, John's messages to his family are no less than "tear jerkers" ...and probably brought tears to the eyes of his daughter Sarah many times over the years as we can imagine she would have occasionally brought it out from the collection of treasures where his great grandchildren found it 100 years later.
CLICK HERE to see letter #3 and its interpretation
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