”Take the world easy” Battle of Chickamauga
”Take the world easy” Battle of Chickamauga
Name: John Andrews
Date: September 18th-22nd, 1863
Unit: 4th Indiana Cavalry
Location: Battle of Chickamauga (South of Chattanooga)
In Wildt’s Valley about
55 miles from Chattanooga
Friday September 18th, 1863
My Dear Sister,
It is with the greatest of my pleasure that I make use of the present time in addressing you a few lines to let you know how I am getting along. But do not know when I will get a chance to send it as we have had no chance to send mail for some time and have received but few letters. I am well at present truly hope that this letter may find all the same. We recrossed the mountain and are in camp about twelve miles above where we were before. There is plenty of good corn where we are now. Jacob Gibson, Martin Prather, and John Lutz are not with us, they are in the hospital sick.
Wiley Bennett has came back to the company again, he does not look very well. I believe if I were in your place I would not go to Sis Lewn wedding even if I got an invitation. Were I in your place I would not pay much attention to Jim Lewman. Always do the best you can and take the world easy. I have got so I don’t care much about writing to girls anymore. I got a letter from Lucy Denny in June, and have not answered it yet. I will ask you how Ed Bollorff gets along now, if you know tell me. If Will Prather does marry Anna Lewman I don’t think she is the only girl there is. From what I hear I guess nearly all the young people are going to get married around there.
The next time you write tell me how you are all getting along, what Joseph and Jacob do to pass off the time. Tell my dear father and mother to do the best they can at all times. We came down Lookout Mountain between eleven and twelve o’clock at night. When I got down I was about as tired as I have been for some time, we walked and led our horses. It is about a half a mile long. Tell father he can do what ever he wants to with the money when he gets it. I sent Nancy a ring in my other letter. Tell mother not to think about me much. I trust God that I will be with you all some time again. Your letter was dated 6th, Write soon. Write often
Your Brother until death
John Andrews
1863
Crawfish Springs (?)
13 Miles South of Chattanooga
September Sunday 20th
We left camp yesterday morning at daylight and moved eastward about three miles and halted in the woods in line of battle. While the artillery was thundering on our left about seven miles off. About 9 o’clock we moved towards where the firing was. (???) artillery that a many times you could not see the fate before you. Until we came to a small stream where we again halted a short time. When the column all got across the stream but the 2nd Ind. Who were behind us. Our regiment was fired upon wounding a few men. The 2nd Indiana was left behind with the 39th to protect our train and pack mules. They had a pretty hard skirmish. We went double quick a few miles, then about marched to the same place when they opened two pieces of artillery, I think wounding two men. Counter marched again until we came to the spring where we went in camp about three miles from the battle ground. About four in the evening cannoning ceased a little but only for a short time. It did not cease until about seven o’clock at night. Near this spring is a large brick house and other buildings, where now are a great many wounded. It looks hard, pretty hard. All is quiet this morning with the exception of (?) war. Our horses have been saddled nearly all the time since day before yesterday morning.
Sept. 22nd
We forded the river at Chattanooga yesterday it is about 500 yards wide not very deep. Roxy’s army is on the other side firing over. Kept up all day yesterday and today. I am well and I hope you are the same.
_____________________________________
Biography:
John Andrews was born on December 16th, 1838 in Melsheim, Departement du Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France to John and Margaret Andrews, who when their son John was 18 months old, decided to move to the United States, particularly Charlestown, Indiana. The records show that John Andrews was a farmer before the war; he would also take up this profession after the war. A little over a year after the Civil War started, John Andrews went down the enlistment office and joined up with Co. D of the 4th Indiana Cavalry, and his journey began.
Early on, the 4th Indiana Cavalry provided scouting missions throughout the south and western Kentucky area and got into a number of small skirmishes, which John talks about in other letters. Then, the unit moved through Gallatin to Murfreesboro after the Battle of Stones River where they stayed for a long period of time and saw some action in the second Battle of Murfreesboro. The unit then followed the procession of the war and ended up pushing towards Chattanooga, continuing the fairly normal scouting missions into enemy occupied territory. The Battle of Chickamauga, which is where this letter was written, was the largest battle they were a part of. In the letter, you can hear the talk of continuous artillery and gunfire throughout the three days of writing.
John survived the Battle of Chickamauga as well as the rest of the war as the 4th Indiana Cavalry pushed on to Atlanta and helped bring the war to an end. After the war, John married Elisa and had three kids. This letter does a great job of bringing the reality and scale of that battle to life. I will have a number of different letters from John Andrews that I will be posting in the coming weeks.
