50th Ohio Infantry Letter Group

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005

Letter group of twenty (20) letters by Asa M. Weston, 50th Ohio Infantry, most multipaged from 1862-1865, and read in part: “...[Cincinnati, Ohio 9/1/62] We have excellent company officers though our colonel in my opinion don’t know much about his business. But our Lieut. Colonel has been in service at Pittsburgh landing & is a competant officer...I was appointed Sergeant in our Company but don’t think I shall retain the office. It is harder than a private and then the pay is but little more & the responsibility much greater...[Crat Orchard, Kentucky 10/16/1862] I have lost paper & everything in the battle of Perryville in which I was engaged but escaped....We are following Bragg towards Cumberland Gap marching every day. I am well but am about starved...[New Haven, Ky, 1/9/1863]You will probably read in teh newspapers of the way John Morgan was driven out of Kentucky. Our division started after him on New Year’s Eve & followed him forty of fifty just on his heels. Or artillery firing a few shots just as he was crossing Green River bridge which he burned down thus choking our pursuit. He never left Ky. in such a hurry before....Though some might think a soldier would be loth to go into battle, when the time comes the reverse is the case. All are then anxious to be foremost. At any rate so it is with the 50th. We have just received some of the particulars of the great battle at Murphreesboro Tenn. In which Rosecranz gained a great victory. The old Ohio Regiments did nobly. I was well acquainted with Col. Fred C. Jones & Major Russel who were killed...The prospect of Emancipation in Missiouri is now good I think. The same in Western Virginia...[Big Run Trestle, Louisville & Nashville Rail Road, Ky, 3/29/63] There have been reports taht the Rebels are making an inroad into Ky. and we have been looking out for them...The Colonel has issued an order that if any non-commissioned officer or private be caught asleep on picket they shall be punished with death. This all buncombe however.. One of our Sergeants was caught asleep at his post which troubled him considerable...[Supher Fork Trestle, Kentucky, 7/12/63]For several days we had news taht led us to apprehend an attack hourly & as Morgan had 4 or 5 thousand men & the four companies of our battalion not over 160 we of course had to be watchful...we heard at once of the capture of Vicksburg & the defeat of Lee at Gettysburg on teh fourth of July...Thomas was in the rear of Vicksburg some time ago & hiss regiment had a severe fight with the enemy in which they were driven back by an overwhelming force and a large number killed...I am in hopes to hear soon that John Morgan committed as fatal an error by his raid into Indiana as Lee did in Pennsylvania...[Sulpher Fork Trestle, Ky, 7/24/63]The capture of John Morgan near New Lisbon O. was welcome news to us. Kentucky is now out of danger & will be little exposed to raids in future. Morgan is the only man that ever did much harm in this state yet & they have taken him all the officer & men under him...How the rebels can hold out against their manifest fate it is impossible for me to tell. Still I suppose the leaders are desperate & would rather fight than be hung...I know that the 4th Iowa cavalry were in a pretty severe fight in rear of Vicksburg a little while before its capture & quite a number were killed...I hate to go into the extreme south...[Perryville, Ky, 10/12/63] We had been following the Rebels under Bragg on long marches from Louisville for about a week...In short time we heard the cannons roar in the distance when we pushed rapidly forward...reached the scene of action when a general engagement with musketry ensued. We were first placed in rear of a battery and lay flat on the ground while shells, cannon balls, and bullets whistled over our heads. They came thick & fast and many of them appeared to come within six inches of my head. Had we been standing I doubt not half of us would have been killed. In about 15 minutes we were ordered to rise & move rapidly to the right where the rebels were endeavoring to turn our flank we fired at them in teh woods for several hours & finally when the battle closed at dark the field wa wours...We lost all the leading officersof our Division. Major General Jackson, Brigadier Gen. Websster, Gen. Lytte, wounded in action & taken prisoner. Gen. Terrel killed. Our Colonel ran the first fire & left us & has not appeared sine though the battle was two days ago. I was cool as a cucumber & fired with good aim...Came nearer getting shot by our own men than by bullets whislted constantly all around me...The wounded, missing , were being removed yesterday afternoon yet we saw hundreds of horrible looking bodies on the field...[Glasgo, Kentucky, 10/22/63]Slaves are quite numerous here & I think Kentucky does not lose so many by this war as Tennessee, Misssissippi, Alabama, etc. ...Many of the young men have joined the Union army. A regiment the 37th Ky. made up in this place consists of about half boys & 150 of them were cpatured by not over 85 Rebel guerillas a day or two before we came here. The boys were extremely green & cowardly......They can never after boast of being so much braver than Buckeyes...” Much more. Most VG.

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