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Regiment: 3rd Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Ambrose E. Burnside
Camp of the Third Mich Calvary
Jackson Tenn
May 20 1863
Aunt Sophia:
Your letter of the 11th has come duly to hand last evening and with my usual
punctuality and unlike my most respected Aunt I hasten to send a speedy reply to it. Now
you need not take this as a rebuke for not answering my letters more promptly than you
did the last one for I dare say they are answered as soon as their contents merit and
circumstances will permit. I do not mean to find any fault for your letters are welcome
when they may be the same
[ ? ] or often. I mainly make these introductory remarks to
fill up the paper and as a kind of suggestion for you to write as often as you can for the
reception of letters from friends is without any exception the greatest pleasure of a
soldiers life. You do not realize the amount of satisfaction and enjoyment it is for us to
get those “white-wrapped messages of love” from the dear one we have left at home
while we are fighting our country’s battles and vanquishing our country’s foes. Well you
se I hve entirely filled one page and hav not yet begun my letter. I will begin it by
saying that the best thing I could wish for you is that you may be in the enjoyment of as
good as is “Yours Truly” at the present time. Our regiment never was more healthy than
it is at the present time. Indeed as far as my knowledge goes the whole of the army of the
South West is enjoying unusually good health. We are having just the finest kind of
weather down here in Dixie only the days are pretty warm but the nights are cool and
comfortable. My wife and parents and all the rest of the good people in Michigan were
well at the latest date which was May 12
th. Mary and May both attend school in
Leutonvillle. You see to distinguish between wife and sister I call the former Mary and
the latter May. I think Mary just the sweetest name in the world and May sounds meely?
for my sister she is so petite. You know it would not sound well if instead of being a wee
thing she weighed twice as much as she does. But I have written enough of this foolish
nonsense and as I can’t write any thing different to night I will delay finishing this letter
till tomorrow morning and got to bed.
Morning May 21
st. Just after breakfast.
Well Aunt I will try and finish this letter this morning. It seems rather lonesome here in
camp this morning. Our company have gone out on a scout and there are but few of them
here. I am left in camp in run the shebang until they return which will be when they get
back. I am most heartily rejoiced that
[ ? ] Burnside has nabbed the infamous traitor
Vallandigham. I would hold up both hands to have him hung by the neck until he is
dead. Dead. Dead. And that is one more death than the Scripture makes any mention of.
I tell you those northern copperheaded traitor those fire in the rear cowardly sneaking
villains of the
Vallandigham stripe meet with no sympathy from Uncle Sams patriotic
soldiers. They say if the soldiers knew the true state of affairs they would all lay down
their arms and refuse to fight any more. The blatant blockheads do they think they can
persuade the country that the army are a set of arrant fools who do not know what they
are fighting for. What a pity it is their sagacity and wisdom may not be permitted to rule
the affairs of the nation. If we are the set of ignoramuses that we must if we are foolish
enough to fight for we know not what, they never can educate us by sending us such
villainous sheets at the miserable Chicago Lines or
[ ? ]. We can plainly see,
little as we are supposed to know, we can plainly see the cloven foot which is more than
half disclosed in all of that class of
[ ? ] advocating news papers. I can plainly see what
will be the end of all these things. We will subdue this rebellion even if we have not yet
captured Richmond and restore peace and happiness to our now divided and distracted
country and when the brave men and patriots who compose our army return home there
will not be a solitary copperhead who will dare to peep. Not a man will dare to advocate
treason for I tell the soldiers wont stand it. They know by dear bought experience what
treason leads to and they will mush it in the bill or wipe out all the poor fools who have
[ ? ]hood to utter it in their presence.
Write soon and obligr
Your Nephew
O. M. Rowland
