Letters from the Civil War

from the moving Ken Burns documentary

July 18
Dear Lulu,
We seen some heavy fighting here today, but I don't think I ain't ever seen fighting worse than that six-forty-eight hours, say, weeks. We were up there on that hill, and we were looking down, and out came those damned Yanks, all swarming around us like flies on a shoo-fly pie.

Well, Stonewall, our commander, gave the lead. "GO BOYS!!" he said and charge we did, and damned if we didn't shoot every single one of them Yanks but they still kept a-comin'. We (??) forty-five to them four, you know, and the hours went back five-to-five, (??), therefore. So we gave 'em what for, I got my ol' personal Beauregard, and he helped come up there and up on him I shot the Yanks down with my .45 rifle-thing-goin' on-now.

That's the end of the story for now, i gotta go eat. we got some succotash comin out with (??) and a (?????????????) Love,
Bo.

Dear Martha:

They tell me now that we're going into a big battle, something-burg, I don't remember which, and it's very likely that we're not going home, and there's some things that I've been wanting to tell you. For one, you can stop trying to feed the dog, he's been dead for several weeks. For another, your father has also passed away, he had the same thing as the dog, I don't know how they contracted the same thing, but I think you wouldn't really want to get into that.

Also, me, I've found a new kind of love here on the battlefield, it's love for my rifle. And, well, you know they always called me Skinny for more reasons than one, and I've found the pit of the rifle is just as inviting as you or practically anyone. It's not that I don't love you, it's that I feel I can get more of, if you'll pardon the expression, a bang out of the rifle.

Yours truly, and with undying fondness,
Bo Jackson.

Dear John,

It's hard feeding the troops out here. Every day we have to make something new to keep their spirits up. But I manage to survive somehow, keep on looking through the recipe book, trying to make something interesting to spice their lives up. Oh, by the way, I'm pregnant. Don't ask.

Today we leave Jacksonville and we come to a new town. We came to Atlanta. Sherman told us to go burn everything, but damned if my Zippo wouldn't light. I turn to Corporal Johnson, I said, Johnson, can I have one of yours? But Johnson wouldn't dare. He said, do it your damn self. So instead of burning down Atlanta, I peed on it.

Corporal Alan Franklin
1863

Dearest Fredrick,

Life here on the battlefield is difficult. I hate seeing all the death around me, the smell... Yesterday a man contracted a splinter and we had to amputate. I don't know how much longer I can take of this. Perhaps i'll see you in a few months.

Lily.

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