CIVIL WAR LETTER - 7th Indiana Infantry - Writes of Losses at Battle Gettysburg!

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
Civil War Letter Written by Soldier in Co. E of the 7th Indiana Infantry.
This Civil War soldier letter was written by George Washington Sefton (1841-1918), the son of Henry Sefton (1808-1878) and Sarah Brown (1812-1843) of Decatur county, Indiana. George’s siblings included Preserve Oliver Sefton (1834-1907), William Sefton (1836-1900), Jane Sefton (1838-1850), Elizabeth Sefton (1839-1848), and John H. Sefton (1843-1862).
The following historical sketch comes from the “History of Decatur County, Indiana” by Lewis A. Harding, Published by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana in 1915.
“George W. Sefton, a retired farmer of Greensburg, Indiana, is one of those men, who, at the first call for volunteers at the breaking out of the Civil War, enlisted on 13 September 1861 in Co. E, Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, a reorganized regiment, and served for three years, mustering out 20 September 1864. In many hard fought battles of the war, the only discomfiture he suffered, excepting the privations and hardships in the military service, was an attack of the measles.  His younger brother, John, died of the measles on 5 February 1862 at Cumberland, Maryland, while serving in the same regiment.  Attached to the First Brigade of the First Division of the First and Fifth Army Corps, Mr. Sefton contracted rheumatism as early as January, 1862, and was confined in the hospital at Cumberland, Maryland, on account of measles.  After his recovery, he brought his brother’s body home and then rejoined his command at Winchester, Virginia.  He was discharged at Indianapolis on September 20, 1864.  During his services, he was engaged in the battles of Greenbrier, Winchester, Bull Run, Frederickburg, Gettysburg, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Mine Run, Wilderness Campaign of 1864, Port Republic, Siege of Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, Antietam, South Mountain, Chancellorsville and many others.”
George Sefton was “married three times, the first time on October 1, 1866 to Julia Lanham, who was born in 1843 and who was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Lanham. She died in 1869, leaving two children, Monnett O., born on September 5, 1867, who lives in Rush county, and Julia E., on June 27, 1869, who married John Frank Deem, of Adams township.  By his second marriage, April 25, 1871, to Elizabeth Brock, who died in 1875, there were two children, Mrs. Emma M. Brown, of Indianapolis, who was born on May 4, 1872, and Mrs. Mary E. Walker, of Newpoint, on October 7 1873. By his third marriage to Harriett Weed, September 19, 1876 one child, Mrs. Stella Waters, of Indianapolis, was born on September 18, 1878.”
TRANSCRIPTION
Camp near Culpeper, Virginia
August 13th 1863
Dear Brother,
Once more I take the present opportunity of informing you that I am well and hoping these few lines ay find you well. I received your letter the other day and was glad to hear from you and that you was well. I would be very glad to see you all once more but it seems as though it is a bad chance now. But I hope it won’t be this way always.
Well P., we have had a pretty smart fight [Gettysburg] since I last wrote to you but we have the best of it. I was not in it for my part and I ain’t sorry. But we will have the biggest fight some of these days that has been for some time. Our regiment’s loss was 47 wounded. There was none killed that I know of. I think that this will bring this along [to] a close pretty soon.
Well P., are they drafting any out there? That was the best thing that i have heard of since I have been out. Well Lucy, since you have commenced our correspondence, I shall have to write you a few lines in answer to yours which was gladly received and you said that you saw that letter I wrote to her. Yes, I expect you thought that I might write you and the children a few lines. Well, I think so too and therefore I will. But I suppose that Hattie was so glad to get a letter from her old friend that she had to show it to you. Well, that is alright. I have not wrote but two letters to her since I was there and ore than that, you say that Mag has a girl at her house. I say Bully for them or any other man.
Well Lucy, you must write again and I will do better next time. So no more this time. Your ever true friend, –[G. W. Sefton]
to Mr. and Mrs. Sefton
TERMS
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