Bridgeport, Alabama March 10, 1864
Camp 147th
Bridgeport ALA
March 10th
Friend Sallie
Your very interesting and welcome letter was received and its contents were devoured with the greatest pleasure imaginable. You say you “think that I have made a poor selection in choosing a lady correspondent.” But let me assure you that I would rather receive a letter from you than any one I know of, for this reason, I know that you are a warm friend of the poor soldier, consequently I hope you are a friend of
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this poor soldier boy, so to the writing I can assure you it is no object to me, it is the tone in which the missive is written and as your motto is “to do your best” I can assure you that you cannot fail to make your letter interesting to me. Hoping to hear from you regularly I will pass to something else. You speak of the depressed looks of many of the soldiers who frequently surround your table, especially of the drafted men. I just wish you could see company “G” this minute, if you were to judge them from their looks and the noise they are making you would think that they
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were the happiest beings on the face of God’s footstool. But they are not always thus, at times they are pensive and sad our thoughts wander to our far off northern homes, to the beloved friends and companions of our childhood, ‘tis then we wish “this civil war was over” and peace and prosperity once more restored to our present distracted country. I trust the time is not far distant when our arms shall prove victorious and the supremacy of the Government admitted by the Rebel hordes now in arms again the best and freest Government the world has ever contained A soldier’s life is full of danger and exposure, he must
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suffer hunger, cold, heat and thirst. How many poor soldiers have I seen fall down dead or exhausted on the march from sheer fatigue. I have passed over the battlefield after the bloody struggle and have seen sights that my pen is not able to describe. I have seen thousands of dead men litterally covering the ground with dead men for acres. All of them were cut down in the prime of life. But as the mail closes I must halt for this time. I will write more next time. The boys are all well and hearty. With my best reguards for yourself and family I remain your soldier
Friend
J.A. Lumbard
[in corner]
To Sallie Sharf
Write soon
J Lumbard
Thanks to researcher Carol Tsang for sharing these letters with me!
Read an overview of JA's life and find his genealogy here:
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