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Tullahoma, Tenn.
Aug 12th 1862
Dear Wife.
I take my pen in hand to write once more. I have been sick for about a week but I am now getting better. I hope these few lines may find you & the children and all the balance of the folks well. Jo is about like he has been. He is going about all the time but he looks right puny. He is waiting for his discharge to come back from Gen. Buell where it was sent to be signed by the Gen’l. He will be at home as soon as his papers comes back. I have not received a letter from you since I come back. I can’t tell what is the matter. It cannot be that you have forgotten me as soon as I was out of sight. If so I will quit writing. The other boys here are getting letters all the time from the same neighborhood and it is strange that my letters can’t come as well as others. If you have not wrote yet I want you to write and tell me the reason and if you have wrote you must write again and keep writing until some of your letters gets through for I cannot endure the suspense. I have written four or five letters since I came back. I don’t know whether you have got them or not. Lieu’t Barrett and Sarg’t Shanks of our Company started to Louisville yesterday to recruit for our company. If Barrett comes out in Hardin I want you all not to notice him for he has got so proud he don’t notice his old friends down here. If he sees Jo or me since we have been sick he never stops to ask us how we are and I don’t want anybody that thinks anything of me to notice him at all. Meyers boys got letters today which state that all the Secesh candidates were arrested in Hardin except Eli Sheets. I am glad to hear it. I was in hopes they would be arrested. We also hear that there is strong talk of drafting men in Kentucky. I hope they will draft some of the Secesh and make them fight one way or the other. We see in the paper that congress has passed a confiscation bill to take the rebels property away from them. We first heard that the slaves of the rebels were to be set free which caused a good deal of confusion in camp. But we find they are to be sold to pay the expenses of the war and all the soldiers are in favor of that. One of our men died last week of the fevers. There is not much sickness in our regiment at present. We have been at this place most of the time for a month. It is on the same railroad 15 from Wartrace lower down toward Chattanooga or Huntsville. It is higher than Wartrace by 200 or 300 feet and is dry barren land and mostly well water although the water is very good, about like the water at Bloomington and limestone at that. I don’t know how long we will remain here but I don’t think we’ll ever go much further South. At least we will not go very much farther until there is some fighting done for it is only 40 miles from here to the enemy’s camp where they are said to be 40,000 strong. Our pickets and theirs are in sight of each other nearly all the time down there.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: A. A. apparently doesn’t know it but he is actually on his way home. He will be bedridden for weeks at a time off and on for years from the illness he contacted in the service. His letters from Susan didn’t come often enough to suit him. We don’t know the story on that. We do know she cared enough about the letters he wrote to hang on to them until her death on Dec. 30, 1920. She bore him 5 children up to this point plus an additional 8 children after he returned. Contrary to his concerns she stayed with him until his death on March 13, 1914. Maybe that is all we need to know about her side of the story.
As to Joel. He died in service & until recently all anyone knew was he went to the war and didn’t come back. His descendants are presently in Brandenburg, Kentucky. I’m sure there is a heck of a story about how their Great-Grandmother kept her family together in the midst of her ordeal. Maybe someday one of them will be able to tell us that story.
The Harrison’s remained in Lebanon, Indiana until 1871 when they returned to Hardin County, KY. Ten years later they removed to Sikeston, Missouri. A. A. died there March 13, 1914 and was followed in death by Susan on December 31, 1920.
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Absolom A. Harrison
Company D, 4th Regiment, Kentucky Calvary Volunteers (Union)
A. A. Harrison sent the following letters to his wife Susan Allstun Harrison. Susan’s grandmother was Nancy Lincoln Brumfield, Thomas Lincoln’s sister and President Abraham Lincoln’s aunt.
These letters were transcribed by A. A.’s great-grandson Ronald A. Harrison who introduces the letters with the following background:
“A. A. Harrison and his brother Jo (Joel) apparently got caught up in a recruiting drive and enlisted in the Fourth Kentucky Calvary, U.S.A., without even going home to tell their wives, Susan and Martha. The first letter appears to be letting Susan know what has become of her husband. The two brothers served honorably for roughly a year. At the end of that time A. A. was medically discharged. At roughly the same time Jo died in a military hospital in Nashville. Only recently has anyone in the family known Jo’s fate.”
Letters found on this web page January 2008.
Manchester
Coffee County
August 2nd, 1862
Dear Wife,
I take my pen in hand to write to you once more. I am well at present and hope these few lines may find you & the children and all the of the folks well. The boys from Hardin are all well but Jo & Patterson. They were right puny when I seen them last. They are at Tullahoma, 12 miles from here. We left them 10 days ago and came to this place and I have not seen Jo nor Patterson since. They were both going about they have got their discharge and they were sent on to Gen. Buell for his signature and as soon as they get back Jo & Hugh will be at home. This place and Tullahoma is on high dry hills and as cool and healthy as any part of Hardin and there is plenty of the best kind of spring water here. I wrote a letter while I was a Nashville that I was cut off from the regiment by the Rebels at Murfreesboro. I was at Nashville ? days when Jim Nelson started to Murfreesboro with his Brigade. I slipped on the train with them and came out to Murfreesboro and from there I rode part of the way in a country wagon and I walked the balance of way. I saw two or three bands of guerrillas on the way but I managed to dodge them and got to camp safe. I tell you I have been in dangerous places before but I never want to take such a trip as that anymore. This country is lined with bands of roving guerrillas and if a soldier pokes his head outside of the guards he is almost sure to be shot at if not killed. Nearly all of our regiment has been captured except the three companies here. Our pickets were fired on last Sunday and two men killed and fifteen taken prisoners all belonging to the 7th Penn Cavalry. I tell you our pickets don’t sleep much on duty here. I lost my office when I came back but I am company quartermaster now which is a much easier place and I get the same pay as in the other. It is the next highest office in company to Orderly Sergeant. I would have written sooner but we have had no chance to send any letters since we have been here until now. And we have only got one mail since we have been here. I saw Wm. Smit as I came out from Nashville. He was at Murfreesboro then but he is at Nashville now. He is getting well and will be at home soon. From what we can hear our men are rather getting the worst of it here lately and I don’t know how the war will terminate but I think peace will be made some way in a few months and I hope it may. We have not been paid off yet. It has been rather to dangerous for a paymaster to venture out here. But the officers say he will be here in a few days now. I will send some money home if I can find a safe way to send it as there’s not much safety in anything here now. This is the hardest place to buy anything I have ever found. Tobacco sells for $2.00 per lb. Whiskey 75 cts. to $1.00 per pint. Boarding $1.00 per meal and other things in proportion. And you cannot get a bill broken unless you take scrip in change and hardly then. There is still some talk of taking us back to Kentucky yet but I reckon there is not much hope of that. I would like to be there next Monday if I could. Nick Gabon has not got back yet and I reckon never will. He took about $3.00 of the boys money with him when he left to take home for them and kept it all. So nothing more at present but remaining your affectionate husband until death.
A. A. Harrison
Aug 2nd, 8 o’clock P.M.
Since writing the above we have moved back to Tullahoma. I have just seen Jo and talked with him. He looks better than he did some time ago but he will come home as soon as his papers comes back. I hear the Cesh in Ky. are going to raise and kill the Union men next Monday. But I hope it is all a mistake. Write as soon as the election is over and let me hear all about it.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: This letter is especially poignant as I know in 30 days Jo will be dead of pneumonia in a military in hospital hospital in Nashville and A.A. on his way home with a medical discharge.
A. A. Harrison
I have seen some papers here lately which state that Morgan is tearing up everything in Ky and I heard the other day that there was a band of 200 guerrillas at Garnetteville (?). I am afraid you are in danger there in Hardin and I have not heard a word from you since I left home. I watch for the mail every time we get mail for a letter but no letter as yet. I want to know what is the matter all the other boys have got letters since I came back but me. If you have not written yet write as soon as you get this and write often as you can and tell Father and Mother and all of the children to write and maybe I will get some of them at least. I will write again in a few days if nothing happens to prevent.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: The danger in Kentucky is either underrated or misunderstood by A. A. He will not be home long before the guerriallas chase him and his entire family to Lebanon, Indiana.
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Absolom A. Harrison
Company D, 4th Regiment, Kentucky Calvary Volunteers (Union)
A. A. Harrison sent the following letters to his wife Susan Allstun Harrison. Susan’s grandmother was Nancy Lincoln Brumfield, Thomas Lincoln’s sister and President Abraham Lincoln’s aunt.
These letters were transcribed by A. A.’s great-grandson Ronald A. Harrison who introduces the letters with the following background:
“A. A. Harrison and his brother Jo (Joel) apparently got caught up in a recruiting drive and enlisted in the Fourth Kentucky Calvary, U.S.A., without even going home to tell their wives, Susan and Martha. The first letter appears to be letting Susan know what has become of her husband. The two brothers served honorably for roughly a year. At the end of that time A. A. was medically discharged. At roughly the same time Jo died in a military hospital in Nashville. Only recently has anyone in the family known Jo’s fate.”
Letters found on this web page January 2008.
Manchester, Coffee County, Tenn.
August 2nd
Dear wife,
I want you to get along the best you can where you are until I can get home again and be content as you can. And if you should go anywhere else write and let me know immediately but you don’t know how it would grieve me to think you would go any place else after you promised me to stay where you was. Take good care of the children and kiss them all for me. I would be glad to see you all again for it appears like it has been 3 months since I left home. So nothing more at present but remaining your affectionate husband until death.
A. A. Harrison
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Absolom A. Harrison
Company D, 4th Regiment, Kentucky Calvary Volunteers (Union)
A. A. Harrison sent the following letters to his wife Susan Allstun Harrison. Susan’s grandmother was Nancy Lincoln Brumfield, Thomas Lincoln’s sister and President Abraham Lincoln’s aunt.
These letters were transcribed by A. A.’s great-grandson Ronald A. Harrison who introduces the letters with the following background:
“A. A. Harrison and his brother Jo (Joel) apparently got caught up in a recruiting drive and enlisted in the Fourth Kentucky Calvary, U.S.A., without even going home to tell their wives, Susan and Martha. The first letter appears to be letting Susan know what has become of her husband. The two brothers served honorably for roughly a year. At the end of that time A. A. was medically discharged. At roughly the same time Jo died in a military hospital in Nashville. Only recently has anyone in the family known Jo’s fate.”
Letters found on this web page January 2008.
