Item Description: Letter, dated 27 June 1864, from George Hovey Cadman to his wife Esther. Cadman (fl. 1862-1864) was a soldier in the 39th Ohio Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.
[Item transcription available below images.]
Item Citation: From the George Hovey Cadman Papers, #122, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Item Transcription:
In the field, foot of Kennesaw Range, Ga., Monday, June 27, 1864. My dear Wife: With a heavy heart I begin this letter. In the one I sent you yesterday I told you that our company was then on the skirmish line but none of our boys had been brought in, and I supposed they were all safe. Alas, it was not so. We lost one of our best men, Corporal McFarland. He had moved from the rifle pit his squad was defending and was not missed particularly till the company was relieved last night, when he did not answer to his name. His body was discovered this morning not more than five paces from his post. We could not get him then as the rebel rifles covered the spot, but tonight we shall try to get his body and give him a soldier’s burial. We also had a man wounded in the company, Ben Smith, he is a young fellow about 19, living near the California bridge over the Little Miami. He is single, but poor McFarland leaves a wife and I believe 7 children to lament his loss.