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Re: Bummers Staff Official Report
Somewheres in Georgia
Nov. the 14th, 1864
My dear wife
I take pencil in hand to let you know that I aint been kilt by the seesesh bushwacker Georgia militia, nor fell oft the clif, nor drownt in the Flint river, nor starved to death on short rations, nor lost in the wilderness of this God forsaken place. Me & your cusin Bobby & your other cusin Bobby is all right so far but much the worst for ware. I’m a wonderen what derned fool dreamt up this most recent expeedition & if Uncle Billy maybe is tetched in the head agin like he wuz a couple yeers ago or if Grant is back to usen hard licker up to the captal city with all the Big Chiefs for whoever planed this wuz ether crazy or drunk—mebby both.
We struck out Friday night to forage from the local seesesh with orders to burn or trample what we could not eat or carry away. I never seen one of them nor burnt nothin tho I got issied a torch for that purpose. It com in handy later to scratch my back & I used the rag to wipe my arse but it wuz soked in lamp oil & the result wus most uncomfortible Afore long we wuz popped at by the militia from the hillside & deployed up the hill but found nary a one so we wus ordered to make camp. Next mornin we struk out on a road what run along the river at flood from all the rains. Now this here road wus warshed out & we soon had to take to the steepe & rocky hill side to make ar way forward. Now why we could not of found a nuther root is a puzzle to me fer we had two darkys who wuz a giding us along. Up & down the side of that mountain we went till I could not take anuther step but heer the boys from the compny helped me along. After enuf of this as eny man could do we com to a spot were the darkys said we could go no futher. Now we could nary go down as the river wuz a ragen so all we could do wuz go up & up we went. The clime wuz steep, almost strate up a rocky place & nuthin between me & the Flint river but a hunderd foot of thin air & I wuz a wunderen how I wuz a gonna make it a nuther step when this bully feller reached down & grab onto my hand & pulled me up from certain death in a watery grave. I hope to get the chance to shake that fellers hand agin so I can buy him a beer. He deserves a 30 day furlow in Nashville as he wuz jest about the only one I seen who knowd what he wuz about. The oficers wuz all befuddled as to where we wuz to go & then we run out of water & thar wuz none to be had. Now twood a made sense to me to stay put till some person could figger out where we wuz & what we wuz to do but no sir, we wuz ordered down the far side of the mountain we jest com up, down a steep & slipry road of that derned red clay folks round heer is allas goin on about. No sooner wuz we at the bottom when the capt. told us we wuz to march back up to the top. Then I heard a word I aint never heard in the Union army thru three years of hard service & that word wuz Mutiny! The fellers had about enuf & they sed so. Me & Bobby decided we wuz a goin back as we could not go on. We wuzn’t skeedadlen nor goin to desert as we got the capts permission. We bid farwell to our compny & struck out cross the pine groves & hills till we com to a road which we started up. We give out part way up a hill when who should com along but a feller in a wagon what give us a ride back to camp. He wuz a friendly sort name of Williams but he sed everyone thar abouts calls him Bobo. At first I thought he might be a Georgia bushwaker meanen to do us harm so I kept my rifle cocked & pointed in his general direction but Mr. Williiams brought us in safe & sound for which we wuz truly grateful. So heer we ar me & your cousin Bobby recruiten up so we can see what the Big Chiefs can think of next. I surely hope they smarten up cause except for the darkys & a few of us Ohio boys, nobody else round these parts seems to know what the h--- they be doin.
Remember me to all enquiring friends. Your loving husband
Pvt. Charles LaRocca
Compny F 54th Ohio Volunteers
Somewheres in Georgia
Nov. the 14th, 1864
My dear wife
I take pencil in hand to let you know that I aint been kilt by the seesesh bushwacker Georgia militia, nor fell oft the clif, nor drownt in the Flint river, nor starved to death on short rations, nor lost in the wilderness of this God forsaken place. Me & your cusin Bobby & your other cusin Bobby is all right so far but much the worst for ware. I’m a wonderen what derned fool dreamt up this most recent expeedition & if Uncle Billy maybe is tetched in the head agin like he wuz a couple yeers ago or if Grant is back to usen hard licker up to the captal city with all the Big Chiefs for whoever planed this wuz ether crazy or drunk—mebby both.
We struck out Friday night to forage from the local seesesh with orders to burn or trample what we could not eat or carry away. I never seen one of them nor burnt nothin tho I got issied a torch for that purpose. It com in handy later to scratch my back & I used the rag to wipe my arse but it wuz soked in lamp oil & the result wus most uncomfortible Afore long we wuz popped at by the militia from the hillside & deployed up the hill but found nary a one so we wus ordered to make camp. Next mornin we struk out on a road what run along the river at flood from all the rains. Now this here road wus warshed out & we soon had to take to the steepe & rocky hill side to make ar way forward. Now why we could not of found a nuther root is a puzzle to me fer we had two darkys who wuz a giding us along. Up & down the side of that mountain we went till I could not take anuther step but heer the boys from the compny helped me along. After enuf of this as eny man could do we com to a spot were the darkys said we could go no futher. Now we could nary go down as the river wuz a ragen so all we could do wuz go up & up we went. The clime wuz steep, almost strate up a rocky place & nuthin between me & the Flint river but a hunderd foot of thin air & I wuz a wunderen how I wuz a gonna make it a nuther step when this bully feller reached down & grab onto my hand & pulled me up from certain death in a watery grave. I hope to get the chance to shake that fellers hand agin so I can buy him a beer. He deserves a 30 day furlow in Nashville as he wuz jest about the only one I seen who knowd what he wuz about. The oficers wuz all befuddled as to where we wuz to go & then we run out of water & thar wuz none to be had. Now twood a made sense to me to stay put till some person could figger out where we wuz & what we wuz to do but no sir, we wuz ordered down the far side of the mountain we jest com up, down a steep & slipry road of that derned red clay folks round heer is allas goin on about. No sooner wuz we at the bottom when the capt. told us we wuz to march back up to the top. Then I heard a word I aint never heard in the Union army thru three years of hard service & that word wuz Mutiny! The fellers had about enuf & they sed so. Me & Bobby decided we wuz a goin back as we could not go on. We wuzn’t skeedadlen nor goin to desert as we got the capts permission. We bid farwell to our compny & struck out cross the pine groves & hills till we com to a road which we started up. We give out part way up a hill when who should com along but a feller in a wagon what give us a ride back to camp. He wuz a friendly sort name of Williams but he sed everyone thar abouts calls him Bobo. At first I thought he might be a Georgia bushwaker meanen to do us harm so I kept my rifle cocked & pointed in his general direction but Mr. Williiams brought us in safe & sound for which we wuz truly grateful. So heer we ar me & your cousin Bobby recruiten up so we can see what the Big Chiefs can think of next. I surely hope they smarten up cause except for the darkys & a few of us Ohio boys, nobody else round these parts seems to know what the h--- they be doin.
Remember me to all enquiring friends. Your loving husband
Pvt. Charles LaRocca
Compny F 54th Ohio Volunteers
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