These seven letters were written by Corporal Aaron Eley of the 5^th Independent Battery of the Wisconsin Light Artillery. 

·         “There was a man died in the hospital yesterday, he was sent home to his friend in the north part of the State, today, he was a young man about 19 years of age and a member of the 10^th battery.  We had a very nice banner presented to us today by the ladies of Monroe, one side of it bears the motto which is the union and constitution, the other side has this inscription, Presented to Battery No. 5. By the ladies of Monroe.  Lieut. Humphreys wife attempted to make the presentation speech but she broke down before she said more than half a dozen words.  It is as nice a banner as I ever saw.”

·         “Now we will go right into a rebel’s nest that is warm yet the guns that were taken there will probably be handed over to us.  It is reported that there was fighting there today.” 

·         “This is a great camp here.  See the men going and coming all the time.  The great preparation made for war.  There is a very strong Guard around the camp and there is pickets out 3 miles.  One of them was shot on his post a few nights ago.”

·         “…there was about 300 prisoners taken this trip, the next time we went to Triune, 15 miles from here.”

·         “…a few days ago we met a woman & three small children in the road they had come from Shelbyville by a circuitous route traveling about 40 miles on foot.  The children were bare footed the woman said her house & furniture had all been burnt by the rebels on account of their Union sentiment & her & the children ordered to leave.”

·         “It would be a quite a curiosity to you to see the different specimens of humanity, that fill the streets of Murfreesboro.  They are filled at all times in the day, with paroled prisoners, refugees, deserters, from the rebel army some citizens, and officers and soldiers of the federal army.  Among the refugees, may be found the American citizens of African descent in almost countless numbers, but these last named beings are principally kept at the depot, where they are fed at the expense of the government, these American citizens of African descent come into our lines by dozens, old and young…”

·         “Election in the loyal states has done much to discourage them, they can no longer look with satisfaction, for assistance from a divided north, while in the field, they are defeated here with a heavy loss in men & artillery, Bragg & Longstreet were forced to fall back, leaving the very centre of the Confederacy almost unprotected, & open to an invasion by Grants whole army.” 

·         “I have talked with some rebel citizens of this vicinity; some of them admit that slavery is dead.  They have got their eyes open wide enough to see that the President has the physical force at his disposal to carry out the emancipation proclamation, & slavery; which was the only disturbing element in our government, will be settled forever.”

·         “Wm. K. Eley is in the hospital with the fever… poor boy is quite childish since Erastus died.”

·         “I guess we will have to stay our three years… you can tell mother that I have seen the time that I would be glad to eat at her table as she used to tell me…”

·         “I never denied it: It is awful the way we have to live here; I tell you there is lots of swearing and hurt feelings about it (Our Captain)…”

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