This may be to long for you to read, it is a letter written by my ggrandfather while he was in the civil war. He did not serve from Missouri but I believe from ILL. Camp near Roseville, Georgia March 21, 1864 Dear Brother, I embrace the present opportunity of writing to you to let you know that I am still in good health for which I thank God for his goodness towards me and hope that these lines may find you enjoying the same blessing. I am in the 3rd Division of the 14th Corps in a camp near Roseville, Georgia. I could not tell how long we will stay here. Some think we will leave before long and give the Rebels fight and some think that we will stay here for several months. This is a healthy country and the best of water, but it is a miserable poor country for farming. We are about 29 miles from the North Carolina line. I am as yet well satisfied with the service as I had any reason to expect. We have plenty to eat and not much to do but enough to keep us healthy. The boys exercise themselves in playing ball and other amusements. For my part I employ my time in reading, writing and walking around the camp and country as we have full privilege of walking every where we please inside of our picket lines; which is from 1 to 3 miles from camp. We were out on the old Chickamauga battle field yesterday. We saw many causalities there, the graves of the dead, and the scars on the trees of both cannons and muskets, which in places has literally mowed the underbrush while the ground is strown with bullets, pieces of shells, grape and canister shot. It is very cold here today. Please pay a little attention to my folks if you please and see that they do not get out of wood before the cold weather. Please give my respects to all the friends. Write as often as convenient and let me know how you are all doing. Give my compliments to my old mother. I would say to her to be faithful in the Christian cause, pray to God and trust to his goodness in all things. He is our strength and shield and our exceeding great reward, although fate may scatter you and your children far over this wide world if we are faithful we will all meet again never to part again and there Mother, those wrinkled cheeks of thine will bloom in immortal youth and those fond eyes that often weeps over your children will never shed a tear if we should never meet again on earth let us all try to meet in heaven. So fair well for the present. Francis P. Speck Note: Francis P. Speck was a Union soldier fighting for the North during the Civil War. He died at Lookout Mountain Hospital, Chattanooga, TN in Aug 1864. I do not know if he died in battle or from disease. In fact I know next to nothing about him. Diane

----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 2:07 PM Subject: [MO-CW] CW Great Grandfather > > > This may be to long for you to read, it is a letter written by my > ggrandfather while he was in the civil war. He did not serve from Missouri > but I believe from ILL. > > > Camp near Roseville, Georgia March 21, 1864 > > Dear Brother, > > I embrace the present opportunity of writing to you to let you know that I am > still in good health for which I thank God for his goodness towards me and > hope that these lines may find you enjoying the same blessing. > > I am in the 3rd Division of the 14th Corps in a camp near Roseville, Georgia. > I could not tell how long we will stay here. Some think we will leave > before long and give the Rebels fight and some think that we will stay here > for several months. This is a healthy country and the best of water, but it > is a miserable poor country for farming. We are about 29 miles from the > North Carolina line. > > I am as yet well satisfied with the service as I had any reason to expect. > We have plenty to eat and not much to do but enough to keep us healthy. The > boys exercise themselves in playing ball and other amusements. For my part I > employ my time in reading, writing and walking around the camp and country as > we have full privilege of walking every where we please inside of our picket > lines; which is from 1 to 3 miles from camp. > > We were out on the old Chickamauga battle field yesterday. We saw many > causalities there, the graves of the dead, and the scars on the trees of both > cannons and muskets, which in places has literally mowed the underbrush while > the ground is strown with bullets, pieces of shells, grape and canister shot. > > It is very cold here today. > > Please pay a little attention to my folks if you please and see that they do > not get out of wood before the cold weather. Please give my respects to all > the friends. Write as often as convenient and let me know how you are all > doing. Give my compliments to my old mother. I would say to her to be > faithful in the Christian cause, pray to God and trust to his goodness in all > things. He is our strength and shield and our exceeding great reward, > although fate may scatter you and your children far over this wide world if > we are faithful we will all meet again never to part again and there Mother, > those wrinkled cheeks of thine will bloom in immortal youth and those fond > eyes that often weeps over your children will never shed a tear if we should > never meet again on earth let us all try to meet in heaven. > > So fair well for the present. > > Francis P. Speck > > Note: Francis P. Speck was a Union soldier fighting for the North during the > Civil War. He died at Lookout Mountain Hospital, Chattanooga, TN in Aug > 1864. I do not know if he died in battle or from disease. In fact I know > next to nothing about him. > > Diane > SPECK, FRANCIS P REC (recruit) E (Company) 10 IL US INF (Unit) OQUAWKA ( RESIDENCE, when enlisted) 10th Regiment Infantry (3 years) (Illinois) Organized at Cairo, Ill., July 29, 1861. Attached to District of Cairo, Ill., to October, 1861. 1st Brigade, District of Cairo, to February, 1862. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, District of Cairo, February, 1862. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, Army of Mississippi, to April, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army Mississippi, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 13th Division, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, Centre 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 14th Army Corps, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Reserve Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 14th Army Corps, to August, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, 16th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to September, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to July, 1865. SERVICE.--Moved to Mound City, Ill., and duty there until January, 1862. Expedition into Kentucky January 16-21. At Bird's Point, Mo., until March. Skirmish at Sykestown, Mo., March 1 (Detachment). Operations against New Madrid and Island No. 10 March 3-April 8. Actions at New Madrid March 12-14. Capture of New Madrid March 14. Island No. 10 April 6. Action and capture at Tiptonville April 8. Expedition to Fort Pillow, Tenn., April 13-17. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., April 17-24. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Engagement at Farmington May 3. Pursuit to Booneville May 30-June 12. Tuscumbia Creek May 31-June 1. Reconnaissance toward Baldwyn June 3. At Clear Creek until July 21. Ordered to Tuscumbia, Ala., July 21, thence march to Nashville, Tenn., via Florence, Athens and Columbia August 28-September 15. Siege of Nashville September 15-November 6. Repulse of Morgan's attack on Edgefield November 5. Duty at Nashville and Edgefield until July, 1863. Moved to Murfreesboro July 20, 1863, thence to Bridgeport, Ala., August 24-September 12, and duty there until October. Pursuit of Wheeler up the Sequatchie Valley October 1-17. Action at Anderson's Cross Roads October 2. At Anderson's Cross Roads until October 24. Moved to Igo's Ferry October 24. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Tunnel Hill November 24-25. Mission Ridge November 25. Chickamauga Station November 26. March to relief of Knoxville November 28-December 8. March to Columbus, thence to Chattanooga and to Rossville, Ga. Regiment Veteranize December 27, 1863. Veterans on furlough January 11 to February 22, 1864. At Rossville until May 2. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 2-September 8. Demonstrations on Dalton May 5-13. Tunnel Hill May 6-7. Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8-9. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Rome, Ga., May 17-18. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11-14. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Utoy Creek August 5-7. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 1-26. Action at Resaca, Ga., October 12-13. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Monteith Swamp December 9. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Moved to Beaufort, S.C., January 3, thence to Pocotaligo. Reconnaissance to Salkehatchie River January 20. Salkehatchie Swamp February 2-5. Rivers' and Broxton's Bridges February 2. Rivers' Bridge February 3. Binnaker's Bridge, South Edisto River, February 9. Orangeburg, North Edisto River, February 11-12. Columbia February 15-17. Fayetteville, N. C., March 11. Cape Fear March 18. Cox's Bridge, Neuse River, March 19-20. Battle of Bentonville March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C, via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 19. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 4. Mustered out July 4, 1865, and discharged at Chicago, Ill., July 11, 1865. Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 48 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 136 Enlisted men by disease. Total 186. 10th Illinois Infantry Regiment History http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/history/010.htm SPECK, Francis P Recruit Oquawka Feb 25, 1864 Died July 30, 1864 Company "E" 10th Illinois Infantry (Three Year Service) http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/r050/010-e-in.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/reg_html/010_reg.htm Desoto Joe/The Record Man