An Alabama volunteer writes from one of the rebel camps:

“There’s a new disease broken out here – the “camp disease,” they call it.  The first symptom is a horror of gunpowder.  The patient can’t abide the smell of it, but is sieged with a nervous trembling of the knees, and a whiteness about the liver, and a longing inclination to advance backward.  That’s the way water serves mad dogs.  Then comes what our major calls home fever, and next the sufferer’s wife and nine children are taken sick; after which the poor fellow takes a collapse and then a relapse.  But it is mighty hard to get a discharge or even a furlough – awful hard.  Fact is you can’t do it without working the thing pretty low down.

“I tell you what, Bob, between you and me I’m afraid I’m taking the disease myself; I don’t like the reports we hear every day from the coast.  We hear cannon booming down there by the hour, and they say the Yankees are going to play the very devil with our ducks.  I think I can detect a faint smell of powder in the breeze, and feel a strange desire to go into some hole or other.  It may be the climate, I hope so, but don’t see how that should make me feel so cold about the haversack every time I see a bayonet.  If I had only some good spirits now, to take every morning, I think I could stand it very well.  Please send me some immediately upon receipt of this (N. B. – Mark the box “Drugs, care of Surgeon Second Batt. Ala. Vols’.)  Our Major is as sharp as a brier and down on brandy like a duck on a Junebug.”

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 1, 1862, p. 2

Frank R. Milton Letter: Jany 6th 1865

Head-Quarters Post of Nashville,
Nashville, Tenn. Jany 6th, 1865

Dear Father,

Your welcome letter of Jany 1st was received last night and I was pleased to hear from you No, I am not homesick, but of course I would like to be home a few days to see you all. I have no reason to be homesick for I am a great deal more comfortably situated than most soldiers and am very thankful of it. I am so much obliged to receive a box from home and thank you heartily for sending it. I met Mr. Caffat last night he is Sutler of the 12th. Iowa, and was very glad to see him or anybody from Dubuque.

I am very sorry indeed to hear of your being unwell and sincerely hope that you will be better. I don’t see why you should not succeed in your business. You have the best trade of any of them in Dubuque, and I am confident that you will prosper. So you have gone in to “mining” again. That is the most uncertain business of them all and it is my earnest wish that you will make a big strike. I wrote to you a few days ago and requested you to send me a few things. I would not have asked you but we do not get paid untill March and perhaps not then and I am entirely out of the things I asked for. The 5th were in a fight and Henry Saulsbury my old “partner”was wounded, but not dangerously. Capt. Moreing acted very disgracefully he got the boys in a tight place and then left them. Charley Weigel (Sergt, and a braver soldier never rode a horse) led them out. Willie Andrew is all right, but is not here he is “front” with Gene Thomas Army Moving is not thought much of in fact very few of the officers in the regiment have a good standing. I am so glad I am not with the regiment. I think my getting a commission is not very favorable just now. But if I could get an appointment in some regiment from the state that will be raised under this new call 300.00 I would take it. I will send recommends from the Staff and if you could get some influential man with the Governor to put this thing through I would be greatly obliged, one of the clerks has just received our appointment in the 14th U.S.C.T. I would never accept a commission in a nigger regiment. You know a great deal more of the news than we do only what goes on the Past command Kiss the girls and Mother and Fred. with love to all and many wishes for your speedy recovery I remain

Your Affectionate Son
Frank R. Milton

From the 112th

We are premitted [sic] to copy the following extracts from a letter from George Maxfield, of Co. F 112th Illinois regiment, now at Camp Wolford, near Somerset, Kentucky to his father in this place. The later is dated June 5, 1863.

“I received your kind letter last evening and was glad to hear from you. You can hardly imagine how much pleasure it gives a soldier to hear from the loved ones at home and I think if parents and friends would write oftener to their friends in the army, it would save a great amount of sickness. I know of cases of sickness that were caused by “homesickness.” I don’t write this because I think you have been delinquent in that respect, but because you may see some who have friends in the army, and even in the 112th, who might write more and oftener and by doing so do a vast amount of good – tell them a little town talk, or fireside talk, – what the little ones say about the war, or anything; it will do no harm; but tell them to write.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the 2nd of June we had orders to pack up all clothing not drawn, and all extra clothing of the men, box it up and have it distinctly marked and sent to the rear. Officers would not be allowed to take but thirty pounds; the men, but one change of underclothing. So we went to work and had everything in readiness at ten o’clock according to orders. We were all ready to march, and are still ready, but I think we are elected to stay in Kentucky all summer. I am willing to stay anywhere, or do any thing to help put down this rebellion.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was talking with an old man a few days since, about Vallandigham’s arrest. He said “that is the way to do it. They have begun in the right place, and I believe if they would keep on at the good work, the war would not last longer than this summer. The only thing that keeps it up now, is the copperheads at the north. It inspires the rebels with the idea that they may yet see a divided north against a united south.” This from an old man who has stood as a Union man through all the troubles in Kentucky. The “rebs” have robbed him of all the horses and cattle he had.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Co. A went out on a scout a few days ago, on the other side of the river. I think they crossed at Mill Springs. They captured nine horses and five men, drove in the rebel pickets and came back. There were 150 of our men and about a regiment of the rebels; but the “rebs” were afraid to follow our men up, and our men knew enough to keep out of shooting distance.

We have just got [illegible] [illegible] Co. F got very good ones, but they are [illegible] [illegible].

– Published in the Stark County News, Toulon, Illinois, Thursday June 18, 1863

Note: The microfilm print of this page varied from light on the lower left hand corner to darker in the upper right hand corner. The last two paragraphs of this letter were in the upper right corner of the page & consequently the last sentence was extreemly hard to read. I will need to check this transcription againt the microfilm to verify the exact wording of the last couple of sentences. Yet another thing to add to my ever growing “To Do” list.