CIVIL WAR LETTER - 38th Ohio Infantry - Guarding General George Henry Thomas !

Description

Civil War Letter
Civil War letter written by a young soldier, Addis Smith, while serving in Company A of the 38th Ohio Infantry.  He writes his sisters from Lebanon, Kentucky where he is on guard detail for a Union general (George Henry Thomas).  He describes their nice living quarters in a house, and says the General is well pleased with their work.
These letters were written by 19 year Addis E. Smith who enlisted as a private on 26 August 1861 to serve three years in
Co. A, 38th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI)
. He died of typhoid fever on 9 April 1862 in the general hospital at Bardstown, Kentucky. His remains now lie buried in the Lebanon (KY) National Cemetery, Grave No. 26.
Addis was the son of Irish emigrant Peter Smith (1816-1861) and his wife, Eleanor Smith (1821-1871), of Salt Creek township, Wayne county, Ohio. It appears the couple were married in Wayne county in 1840 and Addis was their oldest child. The family was enumerated in Wayne county in the 1850 US Census where Peter appears to have been running a boarding house. His children at that time were Addis (age 8) and Mary Ellen. (less than a year old). He had six boarders at the time. Eleanor’s maiden name was also Smith; she was the daughter of Nicholas Smith (1789-1839) and Abigail Teaff (1791-1871) of Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio.
After Addis’ death, Eleanor attempted to obtain a pension for her son’s service but apparently was unsuccessful for some reason. She was still trying in 1866. She died in 1871 while living in Milford township, Defiance county, Ohio. She willed the farm they were living on to her three surviving children at that time—Mary Ellen, Elizabeth Emma, and Henry Lee. The farm was identified as eighty acres in the east half of the northwest quarter of section no. 3 in Milford township.
TRANSCRIPTION
Lebanon, Kentucky
December 23rd 1861
Mary Ellen, and Elizabeth Smith
Dear sisters,
It is with pleasure that I now seat myself to write you a few lines to inform you that I am well at present and hope these few lines may find you the same. I received your letter in due time and was glad to hear that you was well and had a good visit back East.
We are staying at Lebanon, Marion County, Kentucky. When we got to Danville, Boyle county, our company was promoted to the position of body guard for Gen. Thomas. We had to leave the regiment then and have not been with it since. Col. [Edwin D.] Bradley wrote to Capt. [Charles] Greenwood to have us come back to the regiment. He said that he could not get along without us but the General thinks too much of us to let us go back. He seems to be very proud of us and calls us his company of regulars.
We have good times for soldiers and instead of staying out in the tents, we have a nice story and a half house with one room above and three below. I expect we will stay here all winter but there is no telling. We may have to move when we least expect it.
But I must close. Write soon. No more at present but remain your brother, — Addis. E. Smith
Image of General George Henry Thomas - referenced in this letter.   Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
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