Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/vanvalkenburgh-george-w/
Regiment: 23rd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Bowling Green, Ky.
Sunday Dec 21st 1862
Dear wife i have just taken
my pen in hand to inform you
that I am well and I hope that
this will find you the same it
has been a week sence I received a
letter from you I expected to get one
last night but it did not come
and I was disapointed but I thought
that I would rite a few lines to you so
that you would not think I had
forgoten you altogether if I do not
rite very often but you must excuse
me for that for you know it is a
hard job for me to get at but I rite
every week and that is prettey good for
me if you could see me now you
would hardley know me I am so
fleshy I weigh 175 lbs that is 17 pounds heavier than I ever was before
I came into the army so you can
judge weather it agreas with me or
notour duty is prettey snug just
now for we have been expecting
morgan here for the last two days
and we have been on duty day and
night I was on guard the last two days
and we have been on duty day
and night I was on guard fryday
and Friday night and then was
caled out ast night and was up
all night thear was 12 men guarding
the railroad bridge and last night
they called for 20 more men and
I was one of them we was kept
as a reserve and the other 12 had
to do the guarding but we had
to be up all night and be on the
lookout for the enemy but they
did not come we have got
a double guard out tonight we
heard to day that morgan was
only 15 miles from here and we
are on our
[ ? ] we are ready at a minutes
notice our guns are all loaded and where
we can put our hands on them at any
time of night the rebels want to
destroy the railroad bridge hear in
order to cut off our transportation they
have destroyed this bridge once and
they want to do it again and that
is what we are trying to prevent if
they could do that it would cut of
all the suplys for this whole western
division of the army and that
would be better than a great victory
this bridge that i speak of has
ben destroyed once by the rebels
and rebuilt again at the
of 2050 dollars it is in the road
from lewisville to nashvill where
we have a large armey there is a great many troops between lieuvill and
nashvill and there suplys all have
to come through this road this
bridge is about 75 feet high and
332 feet long that is the bridge
that reaches acrost the river and
then there is about the same distance
of trusel work that is only a
temporary consorn but the bridge
acrost the river is made of iron
I was there on guard Friday and
I drawed of the bridge so that I
could sent it home this is only
a side view of it and you cannot
get much of an idea of it but you
can form some kind of opinion of
the strength and beauty of the work
but I am not much of a hand for drawing
and it is not very well done
but it is the best I could do until
I get more practis this is from you affectionate husband
George Van
please write often and send that box
