This is the 2nd Civil War letter home from Pvt Henry Allen Butts, my great-grandfather and Union Army soldier, to his wife in Ohio. I have added some punctuations and paragraph breaks, but otherwise present the transcription as I received it. Note: I believe he is confused about the dates, because the troops would still have been engaged in battle on March 21 and not reached Goldsboro yet. And in his next letter, dated March 23, he refers to the letter he wrote “yesterday”

Henry definitely plays down the fighting he is involved in. Following is a documentary showing what the 43rd Ohio, and Henry Allen Butts’ Company K were doing in addition to marching. After the Sherman march to the sea, they turned north and marched across South Carolina toward North Carolina. To get there, they had to take a crossing called River Bridges on February 23. You can see a documentary on YouTube explaining the River Bridges defense and showing you what the area looks like today.

On the three days preceding this letter, fierce fighting had taken place around Bentonville, as the troops moved toward Goldsboro, N.C. After Sherman’s Army had completed their march across Georgia, capture of Savannah, and battled their way north across South Carolina, you can imagine how relieved Henry Allen was to finally hear from his wife and get that tobacco he had requested in his previous letter.

On the three days preceding this letter, fierce fighting had taken place around  as the troops moved toward Goldsboro, N.C.  The men in Company K, the Ohio 43rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment were friends and neighbors from Knox County, Ohio.

“Allen” referred to in the first paragraph is his infant son Giles Allen who was born just before he left for the war. I believe the transcriber mistakenly says “Larry” Stall, when it should be Jerry, for Jeremiah Stahl, who is a member of the company.  Henry Allen’s mother’s maiden name was Stahl, so they may be cousins.

I am imagining that he needs a “fine comb” to get lice out of his beard by this time. All this marching and fighting (December through March), with probably no changes of clothing have turned the soldiers pretty grungy.  But you don’t hear any routine soldierly griping from Henry Allen. Indeed, he makes it sound like he’s been on a little vacation and he is going to share with his wife “our travels through South Carolina and North Carolina.”

I am also imagining what has been going through Anna’s mind back home since she has not heard from him since the end of 1864.  Particularly, if she has been getting word about deaths of men and boys from other families. Henry Allen, by the way, is no boy.  He was thirty when he re-enlisted, and since his birthday is late November, he is now 31.

The roster of the 43rd Ohio can be seen here.

Some anecdotes and interesting stories plus the calendar of actions of the Ohio 43rd can be found at this web site. That site is also the source of the following picture, taken around 1900 at a reunion of Henry Allen’s old company K.  Wonder if he was there?

From the Lybargers Civil War site. Four old soldiers from Company K, 43rd Ohio, photographed in 1900. The one on the far right is a Blubaugh, a family that marries into the Butts family.

Photograph taken @ 1900. From left: EDWIN L. LYBARGER (enlisted 11/25/61 at age 21), JAMES DIAL (enlisted 11/4/61 at age 26), FRANCIS LOGSDON (enlisted 11/1/61, age 20), LEO BLUBAUGH (enlisted 12/12/61 at age 18). These Ohio veterans enlisted together at Camp Andrews (near Mount Vernon, Ohio) in late 1861, in a Knox County company being raised by William Walker, who served as captain until spring 1862. Company K joined the 43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and left Ohio in Feb. 1862. With 3 other Ohio regiments, they formed the “Ohio Brigade,” commanded by Col. John Fuller. They served for the duration of the war, mustering out together on July 13, 1865.PHOTO from LybargersCivil War

See Henry’s first letter “Dear Wif”, here. See Henry’s Letter #3: “Water up to Our Nees,” here.