John G. Scoville to Ruth C. Scoville et al., undated
Little Ogeachee river near
Savanna Ga.
 
Dear wife and children i will try to write a few lines to you informing you that i have a bad wound in my rite shoulder…it hurts my arm to write so i cannot write much i was verry happy to receive a letter from you yesterday it had been so long since i had herd from you the reson that i have not written nor got any mail is that we have ben on a long raid yes a large one from Atlanta to Savanna Shermans whole army / moved down throw Georga on different roads we took a broad wide and swept everything before us (but a rebble bullet stopt me) but i am verry thankful that my life was spaired yes if it had went an inch lower i would not be writeing this letter i was wounded the 22 of Nov at the battle of Sugar Hill near Macon our brigade concisting of 6 regt had a hard fight with 5 brigades of rebs and one of our reg was not there so they had over 5 to 1 of us well the battle lasted 4 hours by that time they ware glad to give up and retreat leaveing the battle field and the dead and wounded in our hands / our loss killed and wounded was only 62 while theirs was between fifteen hundred and 2 thousand. we had brest works made in a hurry by pile up a roe of rails and they had to come acrost an old field in front of us so we could pepper it to them nicely
 
            i will tell you all about it when i get home well the wounded could not be left there in a house that they took us to as fast as we was hurt so we was put into amblences and hauled 2 hundred miles and one fourth of that was cordaroy through the dismal swamps of Southern Georga. you can form some / idea of the jolting and suffering of our wounds, but communication is now open with the army of the gulf so we will be sent North soon i think we will get furloes home home we will be sent round by the way of New York. you will be allmost shure to get that money 1,40 dollars it will be expressed from Indianoplis to Marion. O i wish i ware at home now. Phy save a few of those apples.
 
i am doing well. the ball lodged under my shoulder blade i will be apt to allways carry it there. kiss the children for me, yours forever
                                                            John G Scoville
7006
DATABASE CONTENT
(7006)DL1314.14791Letters

Tags: Children, Death (Military), Destruction of Land/Property, Fighting, Furloughs, Injuries, Love, March to the Sea, Nature, Railroads, William T. Sherman

People - Records: 6

  • (2292) [writer] ~ Scoville, John G.
  • (2294) [recipient] ~ Scoville, Ruth C. ~ Chapman, Ruth
  • (2296) [recipient] ~ Scoville, Philander S.
  • (2297) [recipient] ~ Scoville, Princess
  • (2299) [recipient] ~ Scoville, Ruth ~ Thew, Ruth
  • (2308) [recipient] ~ Scoville, Sylvia ~ Kindle, Sylvia

Places - Records: 1

  • (1578) [origination] ~ Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee

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SOURCES

John G. Scoville to Ruth C. Scoville et al., undated, DL1314.147, Nau Collection