Samuel H. Bassitt - Civil War letter

Original letter: page 1 page 2 page 3

                                Camp of the 27th Ohio Regiment
                                Chattahoochee River, Georgia
                                July the 14th A.D., 1864

Ever kind and affectionate Father & Mother it is with the greatest of pleasure that i take my pen in hand to answer your kind and most welcome letter which arrived at hand about half an hour ago and it found me well and hearty and i hope and trust that this may find you enjoying the same state of health. The weather is awfull hot and sultry down here and we have had some marching to do since i wrot to you last the first day we marched 15 miles and the was lots of the boys that Just fell down and could not go any further when we was marching along in ranks. But i stould it through both days but i tell you it was a hard task for me the dust was aflying and the sun was so hot that one could hardly get his breath. We have pretty good times here now for grub we have all the Blackberrys that we want to eat and we also have ripe apples to use. I tell you now the boys is run down considerable we only have 28 men able for duty in our company. And if they keep running us on much longer they wont have any in the company fit for duty we lossed 41 men kiled and wounded in that charge that we made on the fourth of July, 64. Corn is silked out and the wheat is cut down here and the rest of things is in perpotion. Our grub Concists of Crackers, Bacon, Coffee and Shugar and sometimes we draw Beaf and Beans. Although we forage considerably through the Country we go out and get Bread and milk and Honey and other things that we want. Well Father i saw the Captain about getting a discharge and he said when the Law was passed the was so many days appointed to get a discharge in and the number of days had expired before you sent the paper and therefore he could not get one. He said all the way that i could get one was to go to Provost Marshel in Lima and get him to fix out one. Well Father i have been out agethering Blackberrys today i got a big buckket full of the nicest kind of berrys i wish that you could enjoy the pleasure with me aeating them. You wrote that if i wanted any money or anything to write and let you know. Some money would come pretty handy to me just at the present time for i hant any money nor writing paper and unless i can get some money i will haft to quit awriting and if you will send me some i will make it all right with you when i get payed off. Tell Mother that i would like to have her send me too towels and too Hankerchieves and also send me your likness and hers for they would do me considderable good. A cotton Handkerchief one that is about one foot square cost from 60 to 75 cents down here. You can send them things by mail and i want you to get me a rubber inkstand you can get them at the Bookstore in Lima. But you must not forget to send your likeness to me dont fail in doing it.

Well Father i Suppose that you have a pretty hard task in getting your Harvest cut this summer i wish that i could ben at home so as to helped you i think things would went a great deal better. Tell Philo that i give him the prais of being a diligent boy this summer. I think if nothing happens and i live and have my health good I will be at home next summer to help you in doing your work on the farm. We have Retreat evry evening that is inspection of armes we haft to have our guns bright and clean as a dollar. We are camped in the woods on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and it is a pretty cool nice place for Soldiers to camp. But i dont know how long we will stay here the is a town on the other side of the river Called Bossville the was a large woollen and cotten factory in the edge of town but our Cavalry Burnt it down when we came here. The rebs burnt the bridge acrost the river and when we came here we had to ford the river. But they have got a bridge up in the place of that one the rebs burnt.

Well Father the time has come that i must bring my letter to a close. So i will close. Remaining your affectionate Son untill death

From Samuel Bassitt
To Father and Mother & Family

Excuse my leadpencil no ink here. Write soon.and give all the news both Home and abroad. Direct: Samuel Bassitt, Company I, 27th Ohio Regiment 1st Brigade, 4tn Division, 16th Army Corps

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[Transcripts from Civil War Letters binder in Allen County (Ohio) Museum library, c. 1975]
[Original letter in the Allen County (Ohio) Museum archives]