Fuller, Franklin W. (fl. 1861-1865) to Mary
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03523.42.28 Author/Creator: Fuller, Franklin W. (fl. 1861-1865) Place Written: Stevenson, Alabama Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 August 1863 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 20.3 x 25.1 cm. Order a Copy
Written at camp near Stevenson, Alabama. When the mail came he was busy cutting up some green corn-on-the-cob for dinner. He explains that he has been unable to write because of the constant marching and change of locations. Writes that they had to ascend a road into the mountains which took them quite a while. The troops had to help the wagons and artillery climb the mountain. At night after climbing the mountain they camped on an abandoned plantation called Peach Orchard. The next day they marched through 24 miles of "wilderness destitute of inhabitants." The heat was intense and the 24 miles was also "destitute of water." The descent from the mountain was extremely difficult as the road was rough and rocky. The troops had to lower the wagons and artillery by rope. Writes that many of the men were so exhausted from all the work, marching, and lack of water that they "fell out" even before camp was made. The camp is not as pleasant as the in Winchester, Tennessee but there is water nearby. He cannot tell much about this new place but only that it is of some military importance. The railroads to Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina all pass through the town. The entire division is camped here.
Franklin W. Fuller from Howard, Illinois enlisted on 14 August 1862 as a Sergeant. He mustered into the I Company of the Illinois 74th Infantry on 4 September 1862. He was mustered out on 10 June 1865 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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