Letter from Milon H. Merritt to his sister Katie

Date: 4 Oct 1862 to 4 Oct 1862
Location: Camp Dennison, Symmes Township, Hamilton, Ohio, United States
Surnames/tags: MERRITT 105TH_OVI

Letter from Milon H. Merritt to his sister Katie

Thank you to family member H. Malaby, Jr. for sharing this document.

Private Milon H. Merritt

The 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was mustered in on August 20, 1862 at Cleveland, Ohio. From there they were ordered to Covington, Kentucky, August 21, 1862; thence to Lexington, Kentucky on August 25. They then marched to relief of Nelson, August 30 and then retreated to Louisville, Kentucky, September 1–15.

During this time Milon H. Milton became disabled and ended up at the hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio. This letter was written on October 4, 1862 from that hospital to his sister Katie.

A transcription of the letter and notes follows below.

Letter to sister Katie, page 1

Camp Dennison, O.

Oct the 4/62

My dear Sister

Katie it is with

Much pleasure that I take this opportunity this

morning to try to answer your

letter which I received last night

I was so glad to hear from you

that I did not no what to do

I do not feel quite so well this

morning some days I feel a

little better and then again I feel

worse you wanted to know whether

I was able to walk as now I can

walk a little in the hospital but I

Letter to sister Katie, page 2

don’t get out of doors any

but I get around the home a little

by having a crutch and cane I

think that I am gaining in strength

a little Katie. I am so pale you

would not hardly know me. I have had

the fever and my hair is all coming

out of my head but I think of William

and will write some time if I keep

up good corage. O my dear sister

Katie, I do truly feel thankful that

I am as well off as I am. I have had

I feel a hard time of it, but I trust God

that I shall come out all wright some

time. I am thankful that I am …

… if I …

… south in dixey I trust that

I should been a grate deal worse

off than I am now for that is a

bad place for a felow when he is

sick. Katie write. Tell me where my

… is if you know where it is.

Notes for page 2:

a. The William mentioned has not been identified. Can anyone help?

b. Can anyone help with the missing parts … in the transcription?

Letter to sister Katie, page 3

for I do not know where thay are.

I want to know for I have got to

have my descriptive. Still I sent

a letter to my Captain yesterday to

Luisvill, but I don’t know whether

thay are there or not. They told me

that my letter would go wherever

they ware. You said Emily opened

my last letter. I don’t thank her

for it. I shan’t send my best

respects to her this time if she

don’t know any better than that.

If she opens another of my letters

you let me know it and I will

rite her a few lins that will

not set quite so well. She

need not to think that she is

had a right to everything because

she has got Earl. Katie you

wanted to know what I done

for postage stamps. I hapen

to know some good friends here

that gave me

Notes for page 3:

a. The Captain referenced here is Captain Leander Dwight Kee of Company I. The Captain was killed four days after the date of this letter at the Battle of Perryville on 8 Oct 1862.

b. Emily (Roberts) Merritt is Milon’s new sister-in-law. Emily married Milon’s brother 4 Sep 1862. This was two weeks after Milon was mustered into the 105th and one month before this letter.

c. Erland Merritt, nicknamed Earl, is Emily’s husband and Milon’s brother.

Letter to sister Katie, page 4

some stamps perhaps you

would like to know who thay

were one Henry Cols, Mr. Baker,

Mr. Rennels. They are from

old Mesopotamia. The first

womman that I have seen that

I knew was yesterday. It was Margret

sister-in-law Anson Peabody’s

widow. She came here the other

day and I tell you I was glad to

see her. She did not no me she

sed I was so pail that she did not

know me. She is here yet I had

a good visit with her. I was

so glad to see some one that I

new. It is raining like for sixty

hear this morning. It is so dark

that I can’t hardly wright. Tell E. C.

that he may expect a letter in a few

days. Nite before last I got 3 letters

one from …, one from …,

and one from Margaret Peabody.

Milon H. Merritt

Notes for page 4:

a. Henry Cols is likely Henry H. Cowles. He is married to Julia Peabody, sister of Anson Peabody. He served with Anson in the 14th independent Battery, Ohio, Light Artillery.

b. Mr. Baker is likely Cassius N. Baker. His military record would need to be examined to see if he was in Camp Dennison at this time. He served in the 14th independent Battery, Ohio, Light Artillery.

c. Mr. Rennels of Mesopotamia. There were 4 men named Reynolds in the 1860 Mesopotamia census of age to serve in the Civil War. One of them seems to be the Mr. Rennels of the letter. Here they are:

c1. There was a Harold C. Reynolds in Mesopotamia b. 1842, who served in 171st Ohio, but that unit was not organized until 1864. He would have been at Camp Dennison at this time.

c2. Job Reynolds enlisted in the 2d Ohio Cavalry in October 1861. Given an enlistment of October 1862, it is unlikely Mr. Rennels.

c3. Phillip Reynolds was of Mesopotamia and served in Co. I of the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in active service and not in the hospital. He is not Mr. Rennels.

c4. His brother, Warren S. Reynolds is the most likely Mr. Rennels. His military record would need to be examined to see if he was in Camp Dennison at this time. He served in the 14th independent Battery, Ohio, Light Artillery.

d. Margret Peabody.

e. Anson Peabody served, was wounded in action and died in military service in the 14th independent Battery, Ohio, Light Artillery.

f. E. C. is likely Milon’s brother Eckford.

g. Can anyone help with the missing parts … in the transcription?