McClelland Letters

Web Author's Notes:
Images of the following letter were provided by Bob and Judi Hill. They were found in a box of papers owned by Judi's mother. The letter is from Judi's ancestor, John F McClelland, a private in Company B of the 16th OVI, to his wife, Rachel Lockhart of Millersburg, Ohio. The letter was written from an encampment on the Cumberland River, just west of the Cumberland Gap, where the 16th OVI, along with other Union forces, were staged, ready to assault and take The Gap.

Additional history tells us the letter's author, sadly, was later captured during subsequent action at Cumberland Gap and died of disease on September 20, 1862, probably as a Confederate prisoner.

Below the images of the letter is my attempt at transcription to the best of my ability.

Thanks to Bob and Judi Hill for sharing these precious artifacts from the colorful and poignant history of the 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the American Civil War.

Please note the contrast of the letter images has been enhanced to make them more readable. Spelling is transcribed as near as possible to match the original author's and end of sentence periods were added, when necessary, to make reading easier.

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General Carters Brigade No 12 Cumberland Ford April 19, 1862 Dear wife i seat myself this sabbath morning to write you a few lines to let you know that i received your letter. i am glad to here that you was all well. i am well preisant and able to state that i am as full of fight as i am of crackers. you may judge by these words how much fight there is about me. i wrote to you about the fight at the gap and gave you the full particulars. i do not know whether you received it or not. you did not say any thing about it. there is nothing worth.	mentioning occurred since i last wrote to you except hearing about the battles which has went off in our favor. about the [frigh?] you will haft to do the best you can. i expect you had better keep four and sell the rest. the reinforcements have came up and i think it will not be long before we pay the gap a visit a gain. i sent a dollar to Albert for stamps and told him to send me a half dollars worth and give you the balance. while i am getting along so well i am very anxious for you to get along too. if we have nothing harder to
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endure than what we have exepierence we are the boys i think can go through it. tell Gorsuch girls that nute is as fat as a china pig. i think if lucy went to school to school to him he is so near bald that she would take him for paps. i wander where Ally is her and Jose i suppose are out under the locust tree a building play houses. write how much oats you are a putting in and ears and every thing else and tell me every thing that would be interesting to me. well i had the pleasure of eating dinner	with the major. he gave me a cordinal invitation or i should not have went. tell Jane that major Cushner [Kershner] a splendid husband. but i must stop a writing for i want to write a few lines to sam. i have not writen to him for some time. the roads are so bad that we cannot get provisions as we should have them so we have to go it on half rations. so i bid you good bye hoping that god will spare us to together at some future day. i remain your affectionate husband. J. F. McCleland
This is the original envelope which contained the above letter sent by John McClelland to his wife, Rachel:
Flat Lick Ky Apr 19 Mrs Rachel McCleland Millersburg Holmes Co Ohio