CIVIL WAR LETTER 63rd Indiana Infantry STONEMAN's RAID & Jeff Davis Peace Talks!

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
CIVIL WAR SOLDIER LETTER - Soldier in Co. E of the 63rd Indiana Infantry.
These letters were written  by 31 year-old George Washington Stull (1831-1904) of Harveysburg, Fountain County, Indiana, who served in Co. E, 63rd Indiana Infantry. George’s company was on duty in Indianapolis during the fall of 1862 and the summer of 1863, serving as provost guards at Camp Morton and acting as the Governor’s “enforcers.”
George served on a detail that left Indianapolis in late February for a two-week excursion down the Mississippi River to Memphis during which time he had the opportunity to visit Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, Fort Madrid, and the Union fortifications around Memphis. It is speculation on my part, but I think Pvt. Stull may have been part of a detachment from the 63rd Indiana Infantry serving as an escort to some twenty nurses who answered Gov. Morton’s call to serve in the Union hospitals in Memphis. The nurses are known to have traveled to Memphis during this period.
George’s brothers Aquilla Stull (1833-1923) and Catlett Richardson Stull (1841-1922), also served in the 63rd Indiana Infantry — Aquilla in Company D and Catlett in Company I. All three survived the war. They were the sons of Jacob Stull (1803-1889) and Rachel Donahue (1812-1887).
George was married in 1853 to Frances Ann Blevins (1831-1905) and together they had at least ten children, seven of whom outlived their father. George died at his home 2.5 miles north of Harveysburg, Indiana, in 1904.
Transcriptions
Addressed to Mr. John Lewis, Sylvania, Park county, Indiana
Camp near Knoxville, Tennessee
February 3rd 1865
Respected friend at home,
I find myself seated today for the first time for some time to let you know that I am well and hearty and in the best of spirits hoping these few lines may find you the same. I just have got a paper which gives me the most encouraging news that I have read for some time and I thought that I would send it to you and let you read it for yourself. It is reported that Jeff Davis has consented to send three men to Washington for the purpose of making peace. He has got to think that his cause is a poor one and is now almost ready to acknowledge there Independence of our National flag. Jackson, God send how soon that will be the case. Jack, if he don’t come to terms soon, we will fetch him at the point of a bayonet before long. Jack, I have had several big raids after some of his [ ] hoist of devils and outrages of the earth since I seen you, but I don’t feel any the worst of the wear for it. I reckon the reason is that I feel so good is that we have been so successful in giving them
what Paddy gave the drum that was hell over the face and eyes. I believe those fine and large victories is some encourage, ents to me which you will see in the letters that I have written home and to my friends since I seen you. But I suppose you have seen accounts of them in your papers before.
Jack, I will give you a small sketch of the Stoneman Raid that I was in. After I got back to my command, General Gillam attacked the Rebs at the Strawberry Plains on the 15th of November with the 8th and 9th and 13th Tennessee Regiments and was repulsed by the Rebs. He was reinforced by Stoneman and General Almond and we drove the Rebs after we got reinforcements for six days. On the expedition we captured and brought away 900 prisoners, eight thousand hogs, 200 mules, [and] 900 Niggers. [We] destroyed eleven foundries and ninety flouring and saw mills together [with] thirty bridges, thirteen locomotives, and one hundred cars and twenty pieces of artillery, besides a large quantity of small arms. [We] burned the salt works and the town of Marion and the town of Abington. Besides thousands of other little things too tedious to mention and retreated in good order to Knoxville and went in winter quarters. So we have been here ever since—only when we got out on scouts to settle the scattered Rebs that is still left here. You will see by reading the paper that we have got several here yet to watch.
We had a little spat with the Rebs at Athens 40 miles below here on the road to Chattanooga. They attacked our force that was on duty there and took twenty of our Rebel prisoners and killed two. There was not but one company of the Second Ohio. They sent to Knoxville for help and Company I of the Second Ohio and the 13th Tennessee went to their relief and we only got halfway down there and the train run off the track and killed Lieutenant Smith of Co. I, and two privates, and wounded 23 and since that 4 of the boys that was wounded died from their wounds. But the balance went on and routed the Rebels. So no more at present.
Jack this is all the paper that I have and a long ways from home without much money. I have not been paid for eight months, Nor I don’t know how long it will be until I do get paid. Maybe not until I am mustered out. So no more at present but still remain your absent friend until death. — George W. Stull
to John J. Lewis at home.
Tell Fanny and the children howdy and tell them that I am well and wants to see them all very bad.
Address this, George W. Still, Knoxville, Tennesese
[Note: The following is a partial letter written from Indiana in the fall of 1863. It refers to Morgan’s Raid.]
The enemy but could see where the balls came from. They were in the woods a good ways off and after I got back I hadn’t been to camp but one day and I was picked out and forty-nine others to take a scout in Boone county, this state, some twenty or 30 miles from here. We had a good time in a little town called Whitestown. We was called for to take some men that would not give their names to the enrolling officers of the township and the news come that there was five or six hundred men there in the county armed and ready to clean us out. But the commander of the company was one of the boys that didn’t think so. We went there in the night and when we got there we went on through and stopped about two miles from the town and the train was stopped and there we got off and we wasn’t allowed to speak over our breaths when we got off. We slipped into a dark piece of woods and there we organized and laid the plan to make the [ ]. Me and ten others of the boys stood picket all night about half a mile from where [were camped]. The balance of the boys stayed to give the alarm if we was attacked. It was dark and in the woods and when I was put on my post, the Captain told me that if anybody come in [ ] to fire on them and retreat towards him and they all would reinforce me and the balance of the boys that stood picket at the same time was to retreat if there was a gun fired by the picket. It was a signal for the balance to get ready. But we stood all night or until 3 o’clock next morning [when] the pickets was called in and we marched back to that little town and surrounded it and arrested fifteen men and brought them to this city for trial.
Jackson, John [H.] Morgan is in the state now. The news come here for troops and the Seventy-first has gone down to meet him. He crossed not far from Evansville and I have not heard what was done yet. Jackson, I got a letter from Murphy and he wrote to me that he was not well.
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