Thomas B. Ballou Letter

I have not been able to locate the original letter, but the Wayne Museum has a copy of an anonymous transcription. Because I cannot be certain of the original orthography, I have chosen to edit the letter for clarity, inserting punctuation and breaking paragraphs where necessary.

Camp Haibaugh near Sharpsburg

Oct 1, 1862

Friend Alice,

As I have a little leisure time, I will write a few words to let you know how we all get along. We are all in very good health and in good spirits and in hopes these few lines will find you all the same. We are in as beautiful a place as ever was in the world. I saw your letter that you wrote to Minot he has not answered it yet for he has not got stamps and it is a hard matter to get them here. I was sorry to hear that it was so lonesome there all the young folk shave left. Well, I know that it must be if I had not enlisted I should have been so lonesome that I would go and join the army right of. I suppose that Jasper and Reuben (Brown) have gone long before this time. Well Alice, it is raining just as hard as it may poor down and we have nothing but a piece of thin factory cloth for to keep it off from us. We miss our house a good many times not let me tell you when we have to go get up in the night and travel fifteen or twenty miles and then lay down on the ground and take a little rock for a pillow.

Minot lies down in the tent asleep. I got a letter from Mary Mar___ today and I had one from from Blount's folks the other day. I got seven letters in one. I have more than I can answer them but I do the best I can toward it. There is lots to be learnt in the army Alice. I suppose you have good times going to so many paring bees out there. I hear that there is a good many there.

I wish I could be there to some of them. I heard that Parson Hartsough was going to teach our school. I wish I was there to go, for I think that Parson is a nice little fellow. Tell him for me to thrash all the girls. Tell Mary that I have got that flag that they gave me while I was at school and tell her that she must write to me for I love to hear from all the of the old school mates that used to go to school when I did for I may never see them again but I hope I shall. But no one can tell but the one that Dwells on high he knows whether we will meet again or not. It is some lonesome when we get to thinking of home and friends that we left behind. I suppose we will have to go in battle before long for we have marching orders now but we may not have to go in in two or three days and we may have to go before morning, but I hope not Alice.

Give best wishes to all. Tell Jasper that he had better come and join the army with some of the other boys that has left home and trust their lives with the Rebels. There is lots of them that are wounded here in every house and barn here is full of them that got shot at the Battle of Antietam where we are now. Well, I must close my scribbling . It is a very hard place to write to take paper on a port folio in thy hand then scratch away with the other hand. No more at present so goodby. Write as soon as you get this.

From Thomas B. Ballou

to

Alice Brown
(dau of Reuben J. Brown)

This Letter is Courtesy of the Wayne Historical Museum