Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his uncle and aunt from Elk River, Tennessee, January 15, 1864

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PAGE IMAGE Elk River Tenn. (Tennessee) (Elk River, Tennessee)   Jan. 15th 1864 Dear Uncle (Tanner, Franklin) and Aunt (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin Tanner)) ,

Your ever welcome letter has come to hand
and this evening I will spend in
answering it. I need not tell you how glad
I am to hear from you for you already know
that nothing gives me more pleasure than
to read your letters. I always like to hear how
you and the rest of the folks are getting along
up there on the old hill, its a grand old
place, and I never enjoyed myself better
than I did the few day's that I spent up
there, but those time's are all past now and
I find myself a great many miles from
the scenes of my younger life, and
no one knows save him who rules above
whether I shall ever return alive or not
but we know that he doeth all things well
and in him we must all place our trust
still hopeing (hoping) for the best. I am in the best
of health and myself as well as the rest
of the boys are all in fine spirits and
all getting along most finely. we have
left Bridgeport (Bridgeport) at last and now we are
seventy miles from Nashville (Nashville, Tennessee) guarding
the railroad bridge that crosses the river
at this place, we have got good quarters
and every thing is pleasant here
Elk  River (Elk River, Tennessee) is the finest looking stream

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PAGE IMAGE that I ever saw the water is very clear we are
trying to get some boats if we get some we will
have great time's, there is a good many wild
ducks and geese about the river. I have
been out hunting them twice but have not
killed any yet, I am going to try them in
ernest (earnest) one of these days and then game must
come in. the bushwhacker's its reported are pretty
plenty about here this winter. Lieut. Col Rogers (Rogers (Lieutenant Colonel))
went out with about a hundred men to rout
some guerillas that were said to be five
miles from here prowling about the neighborhood,
they took a few men and at night
posted pickets Nathan Lanphere (Lanphere, Nathan) of Co A (Company A)
had been on his post but a short time
when he was shot dead the ball passing
through his heart the man that shot
him run off as soon as he fired, he fell
over something and droped (dropped) his gun and
hat his gun had his name on the
stock of it, he has not been captured
yet but scouts are still sent out to
hunt him out. I was on guard the
day they went out and so missed
the chance of going, I should have liked
to gone out with them. yesterday Andy
Harris (Harris, Andy) and myself went out four
miles looking about the country but
we did not see any gurrillas (guerillas) nor hardly

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PAGE IMAGE anything else we went into one old building
and found five men they said that they
were citizen's they were rough looking customer's
and eyed our gun's pretty sharp but they
did not meddle with us nor did we with
them we got back to camp just dark but
brought nothing with us. the citizen's are most
all strong sucesh (secess(ionist)) but they are very kind to
us and use us very well. the girls are all
sucesh (secess(ionist)) and we have some pretty strong
and lively arguments with them, but I
must own that we cannot get much the
start of them and say what we will we
can't convince them that the South has done
wrong. the women here do not use tobacco
as freely as the women did down to Bridgeport (Bridgeport)
hardly any of them here use tobacco. I don't
think you done the fair thing letting Ora (Ora)
get married when you knew I wanted
her so, and had my heart so set upon it
you cant begin to imagine how bad I fealt (felt)
when I heard that she was lost to me
I realy (really) had a good mind to jump into the
river and drown myself or go out in the
woods and bump my head against a tree
but finely (finally) I came to the conclusion
that Ora (Ora) was not the only woman in the
world and I began to think better of it
I have just heard that Philo (Philo) has got his

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PAGE IMAGE his furlough renewed, wont he have a
grand time, I would like to be with
him a few day's I think I might
enjoy myself for a while methinks that
Isaac (Isaac) is making some bold strokes for a
boy I guess that he has given up the idea
of going to sea without it is to see some
fair maiden that is the see that takes
my eye. I think by what I that (thought) they are
having pretty good times at the Academy
this winter. Oh when will this cruel war
be over and we at home again. well one
year more and I am confident that our
sojourn will be over. if not in that time
then we will willingly stay longer
for we are bound to see this rebelion (rebellion)
cleaned out. but for fear you will
get tired of reading this ill written
letter I will close and wait an answer
to it my respects to all

from your
Nephew Henry Welch (Welch, Henry)