This long letter written from Savannah, Tennessee April 12th, 1862 was written by Sgt. Samuel H. Putnam, Company L of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry.  The letter is written on legal size paper in nice clear pencil.  It is signed “Sam”, but Putnam’s mother, who he was writing to, has written in ink at the top left of the letter, “Samuel H. Putnam April 12th, 1862”.

The letter gives graphic descriptions of the horrible conditions the 1st Ohio Cavalry had to go through in order to get to Shiloh.  Putnam’s description of pulling the mules out of the mud paints a very interesting picture. 

#L334OH - Price $195



                Transcription:
                                                                                                                                                          Savannah, Tenn.
                                                                                                                                                           April 12th, 1862

Dear Mother,

           We have been traveling every day since I wrote you the next day after Bro. Ben
left me for home. 

          We arrived at Waynesboro last Sunday evening & expected to remain there three
or four days until the whole of Gen. Thomas’s division arrived, but we had not been in
camp but a few minutes until we received orders to hurry on as fast as possible (we
could hear the report of the cannons plain for all we was thirty eight miles away from
 the fight).  Our men wanted to start immediately but we rested our horses & teams
until three o’clock the next morning when the whole of our regiment pressed on &
arrived here Monday night leaving no guard with our train & we had to work it along
 as best we could.  I thought we saw some mud in Ky. but we did not delay at all to
 what we have passed through this week as it had rained nearly every day & the roads
 is lined with wagons & nine batteries of artillery which have cut the road all up made
 it misery & the wheels sink down to the axel tree.  Some teams had five mules out of
six, wired & down & we had to hitch on other mules to them & pull them out by the
neck.  We have been ever since Monday morning until last night at dark coming
thirty miles.  & some nights we did not stop to camp until ten o’clock & we started
out mornings as early as possible.  Our teams & teamsters are all worked down &
discouraged some pieces we had to unload some of the wagons twice within a
hundred yards & then it took ten mules to pull out the empty wagon from where it
was stuck.  I took it very cool as I was not strong enough to render any assistance
but I am gaining my strength every day.  I now feel as though (Richard was nearly
 himself again) so when any of our teams was stalled, I would lay myself down upon
a pile of rails or a log & go to sleep or if it was too cold I would ride on to the first
house & sit by the fire until all of the teams came up.  The Tenn.’s are all together
 different from the Ky. people, here we go right into a man’s house without knocking
take a chair or bench whatever they have to sit on & draw up to the fire & commence
 to give them hark about this rebellion.  If you was to knock & ask them to let you
warm, they would tell you there wife & daughter was sick in the only room where
 there was a fire & you could not warm.  We are now awaiting transportation to
take us up to the battlefield where our men are & we are promised barges & a boat
 to tow us up.  Tomorrow morning I reckon they will be glad to see us as they have
 been sleeping in the rain for a week & nothing but their blankets over them.  This
town puts me in mind of Lowell. Oh as it looks just like it nearly every house in it
is now used for a hospital for the wounded soldiers. 

              Our regiment was not in the fight as they did not arrive until dark.  Gen.
Halleck passed up fast here last night in the night with quite a lot of fresh troops.

            Gen. Beauregard sent word to Gen. Buell that he would water his horse at
Pittsburgh Landing, Tenn. next Tuesday evening.  I reckon if he does, he will have a
good warm time wading through our troops.

            I hear that the Ohio 77th Regt. was very badly cut up.  They have two hundred
& eighteen missing but I expect you have the names of the killed before this will reach
you and all of the particulars.  I saw R. P. Hill today.  He says Major Ben (Major
Benjamin Fearing, 77th Ohio) was not hurt any but he fought like a tiger since he
was surrounded by fifteen rebels but he cut his way out.

            This battle has been named Shiloah (interpreted), the beginning of peace.

            Enclosed find a Secesh postage stamp which Col. Smith got at the Columbia
Hospital when he went in there & took possession of the town.

            I have not seen a paper since we started on this march until today nor I have
not received a letter from anyone since Bro. Ben left me. 

                                                                                                            From your Son,

                                                                                                                                            Sam
                        Samuel H. Putnam 
                        April 12, 1862

(Letter too large to fit on scanner. So we scanned top and bottom of each page)






Bottom of 1st Page: