1865 June 3, J. Edward James to Lizzie James Lamberson

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1865 June 3, Letter written by J. Edward James, 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, on June 3, 1865, at Camp Harker, Nashville, Tennessee, to his sister Lizzie James Lamberson, Galena, Illinois.

"Well Lizzie I suppose you are looking every day to see us uns roll in to town. Well we are looking just as much but we aint commenced to roll yet, though there is every reason to believe that we will before long. Our "Muster out rolls" were sent around last evening, it will take only a few days to make them out and we shall then make for Ills. where we will remain to settle up - (perhaps 10 or 14 days) so that by the time we are fairly out of this scrape and snugly at home June will well nigh done gone. As we are from the northern part of Ills. we will no doubt go to the northran rendesvous [sic] at Chicago and if we remain there long you will have a good chance of seeing the "Glorious 96". It is proposed by the officers that if we do stop at Chicago the Regt is to make Lake Co. a visit en masse, but we cant see it, and I think that when we get so near free as that we will let the officers go where they please and the men do likewise - unless I cant help myself. I shall be for making a streight [sic] bee line for west Galena up a few flight of stairs on a hill. - one thing certain these officers wont find it an easy job to run us around much." Notes the new recruits “want to go home they have been away so long and paid so little for their trouble” but they have received orders transferring them to veteran regiments. “…if I was one of them I would take this as a favor as I might get to feel the weight of a musket, for some of our recruits have never owned a gun yet.” He spends his time reading, writing letters and in outdoor exercise. Likes to go horseback riding and yesterday with five others “made a charge on a strawberry plantation which I assure you we took and having took all we wanted, left contented with the spoils.” He is still waiting for a letter from Lizzie's husband Harvey explaining his employment offer. He has also had one of a clerkship in a wholesale grocery store in Chicago to be part owned by one of his officers.

Identifier

sc.0069.001_004.005

Date

1865 June 3

Keywords

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Correspondents

Recommended Citation

"1865 June 3, J. Edward James to Lizzie James Lamberson" (2023). Documents. 11.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/speccoll-mss-jamesje1/11