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Camp
Seneca B. Thrall is moving to meet up with his regiment. When he gets there, there are about 100 men there who are unfit for battle and soldiers that were sick but walking around, ready for battle. He assumes he will be “initiated into the mysteries and miseries of war." He wrote to his wife from Corinth, Mississippi on September 19, 1862. -
Seneca has no money
Seneca B. Thrall tells his wife to borrow money to pay someone and get home because he cannot send her any. He feels bad that he is short on money. He wrote to his wife from Corinth, Mississippi. Many people in the war were short on money and could not afford to support their families. -
Discouraging Scott
Seneca disgorges his son Scott from joining the army, saying that he is enough of the family. He doesn't think that Scott can endure it. There were a lot of people in the war that were too young to be there but enlisted anyway. Seneca wrote this letter to his wife on September 19, 1862, from Corinth, Mississippi. -
Regiment
Seneca B. Thrall is in a camp 2 miles south of Corinth. His regiment isn’t there yet. He left to go to them on Sunday but was told to stay put because the regiment would be where he was that day, but he later learned they were at Luka. He was ordered to stay there and doesn’t plan to leave -
Battle
There was a battle last Friday and about 400 men were killed, wounded, or missing. The 17th Iowa was engaged, and the 16th, 5th, 13th, 15th, and others did not become engaged in the fight. He heard that they brought about 80 wounded to where he was. He wrote the letter to his wife on September 22, 1862, from Corinth, Mississippi. -
Abortion
Seneca B. Thrall writes a letter to his son Scott about an abortion. The letter is written on September 22, 1862, from Corinth Mississippi. Someone named Mary needs an abortion and he is telling Scott what to do. -
Marching
Seneca B. Thrall marched back to Corinth. He has been “initiated into the art of war." He is marching all the time. It rains a lot and it's cold, but the soldiers get through it. He had to put two men in an ambulance. Despite the harsh conditions, he feels happy. The letter was sent to his wife on Sunday eve, October 12, 1862, from camp near Corinth, Mississippi. -
Surgeons call pt 2
After surgeons call, Seneca eats breakfast. After he's done with breakfast, he visits and prescribes for people who are sick in the hospital, and then visits people who were sick but could not come to surgeons call. He is usually done with work by 10:00 am and then has the day to read, write, and visit with people before going to bed at 9:00 pm. He wrote the letter about this to his wife on October 19, 1862, in camp near Corinth, Mississippi. -
Surgeon's call
Seneca wakes up at 5:00 am for surgeon's call. He gets a list of names of people who are "sick" and decides whether they should be off duty or on duty based on their condition. Some people fake being sick to get off duty. A clerk watches him and records every case and his prescription. About 45 people report at surgeon's call and an average of 24 people are marked off duty each day. -
Discharge
During the past week, Seneca has been trying to get several sick people discharged from the hospital. He has examined and made out the discharge papers of 32 men. This letter was written to his wife on October 19, 1862, from Corinth, Mississippi. -
Letters
Seneca writes to his wife about not receiving any letters from her since October 5th, even though he wrote to her on the 9th and the 12th. During the civil war, it was hard to get letters to their destinations. Even though Seneca B. Thrall was in the Union, which had an easier time getting letters through, he still had trouble. This letter was written on October 19, 1862, from Corinth, Mississippi. -
A nice time at camp
Seneca describes the camp he is at as pleasant. He says he has enjoyed staying there. He has a tent near the hospital for convenience. The Colonel has told him to move his tent, but he hasn't and no one has talked about it. He wrote this letter to his wife on October 19, 1862, from Corinth Mississippi. -
Winter
It's getting cold at camp. Winter is starting and Seneca writes to his wife that it's very cold. There are people working to make a heat source in the hospital tent. This letter was sent to his wife on October 26, 1862, from Corinth, Mississippi. -
Marching again
Seneca's regiment is marching through Tennesee. They are mostly marching through plantation land. Some of the soldiers are stealing things but are being punished for it. This letter was sent to his wife on November 6, 1862, from a camp near Grand Junction, Tennessee. -
Pay
Seneca sends his wife a letter about the pay in the army. He says he hasn't been paid in about 3 months and only has $1 left. Most soldiers in the war were promised pay that they didn't receive. He sent this letter on November 15, 1862, from Grand Junction, Tennessee.