Gettysburg Regiment Ohio 25th Cpl - Rebs Waiting For Us, Grant Near Richmond

He was promoted to Corporal on Feb. 1, 1865, and mustered out on July 15, 1865. Suffered heavy losses at Gettysburg and was engaged at Second Bull Run and Chancellorsville. The regiment also served in West Virginia, fighting at Cheat Mountain, Bull Pasture Mountain and Cross Keys. The regiment transferred to the coast of South Carolina, participating in operations at Hilton Head, Folly Island and the Battle of Honey Hill.

3 pp, 6 ½ x 8, King writes from Seabrook Landing, South Carolina, Hilton Head Island, June 28. 1864 To my unknown Friend. I shall in the first place have to give you my reasons for not writing to you sooner. I have your kind & welcome letter yet that I received several weeks since & I must confess that I have done wrong in neglecting to answer sooner...

I have had a great many letters to write since I have been at home & in fact I have not wrote to all... Of course we will take as good care of him as possible when he comes back. We have been trying to enjoy the pleasures of camp life since we left the state of Ohio... We are in a very lonesome place down here but it is as nice a place as we could find in South Carolina.

There is no inhabitants living here with the exception of a few young ladies that is teaching the little darkeys to have them prepared, I suppose, for their freedom. Well what does the people up north think about the war being over. There is some down here thinks its about over & so do I... Grant is very close to Richmond from all accounts but he may have it in possession & the war still not be over.

We do not get the news very often, only every ten or twelve days. So we do not know much about how the war is going on. There is a young man in our company from your town that claims to be acquainted with you. By the name of Hoyt, came out with us when we was at home.

We are expecting to take an expedition every day up to Savannah, Ga. It may prove successful to us or it may not as there is plenty of rebs up there waiting for us. I believe I will have to close this time by hoping to hear from you soon as this leaves me. Well I can only hope that it may find you in good health & enjoying yourself hugely... One 1 ½ vertical spilt, affecting four words.

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