Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/franklin-elbridge/
Regiment: 5th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Camp Michigan
Dec 26th 1861
Dr Brother
I have nothing
to do today
but to write but the absence of any news
will make a dry letter of this I
think. The boys are all out drilling
Luther is to sleep on the bunk +
but a few are here to disturb me
+ I feel some what lonely + I
concluded to pass away time
by writing a few lines to you
If it will cause a response
I will be satisfied for now that
there is nothing stirring the mail
is the only thing we watch or wait
for. We received a letter from you
Dec 21
st dated the 6
th + have received
papers the last 2 weeks + expest
one to day. I must tell you
how we spent Christmas
We both were called on guard
which looked rather hard for a
Holliday but it was our turn +
we could not complain. neverthe-
less we had a “merry Christmas”
We were both detailed from the
guard for extra duty (being extra guards) should there
be any + we were not called on
during the day. At roll call in
the morning an address from the
capt to the members of Co “C” was
read by the 1
st Sergeant (or orderly)
wishing us a “Merry Christmas”
inviting us all to a Christmas
dinner. At noon we had a meal
compassed of Turkeys + Chickens
oysters. smoked ham, + pies.
luxuries indeed to us, who have
lived so long on course virtually
Our dinner cast our Com officers
resource to the “bottle” + I am sorry
to say many became intoxicated
Susan says in a letter we received
yesterday that you have last both
of you colts. This is quite a loss
+ this news made had some effect
on our otherwise merry Christmas
+ had hoped to see a nice team
from those colts when I returned
Susan did not state how you lost
them whether by accident or disease
we would like to know.
We would like to be kept informed
on the state of political affairs in
north Star if any of those “Seces-
sion Sympathizers” are aspirants
for township offices +c we write to
Father each week + these letters of
course are for all our relatives + as
I can write nothing now worthy of
publication you must excuse us
in not-writeing to you oftener.
H.T. Barnaley Yours Affectionately E. Franklin
