CIVIL WAR LETTER - 84th Indiana Infantry - Train Wreck Kills Many Soldiers in TN

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
Co. H,
84th Indiana Infantry
This Civil War soldier letter was written by William Randolph Way (1843-1910), the son of Jesse W. Way (1803-1884) and Lucinda Turner (1810-1893) of Winchester, White River township, Randolph county, Indiana. Jesse Way was a merchant in Winchester—a native of North Carolina. According to a history of the county, Jesse set up his store in Winchester in 1833 and by 1845 had a thriving business trading in pork, but the rapidly varying price of the commodity caused him to go bankrupt.
In August 1862, William enlisted in Co. H,
84th Indiana Infantry
with his older brother, Henry T. Way (1837-1868). William remained with the regiment until 14 June 1865 when he mustered out at Camp Harker, Tennessee. A younger brother, Thomas J. Way (1846-1891) also served in the Civil War but in Co. G, 124th Indiana Infantry.
William wrote all of these letters to his cousin,
William Diggs Kizer
(1847-1921), the son of Thomas W. Kizer (1824-1901) and Susannah Way (1830-1875) of Winchester, Indiana. Thomas Kizer was also a merchant in Winchester.
Transcription
Headquarters 84th Indiana Vol. Infantry
Camp Strawberry Plains [Tennesee]
March 18, 1865
William,
Your kind letter was received and read with the greatest of pleasure. I was glad to hear that you all was well. Willie, you don’t know how glad I am always to hear from you and friends at home and hear how you are getting along at home and the news that is at home and what transpired for everything is new with me.
Willie, I received your letter the day we left Huntsville, Alabama, so I hadn’t time to answer it till now and this is Sunday morning and all quiet on the Potomac.
We are laying in the woods and surrounded by good land and waiting for orders to move all the time, but we will lay here till our wagon trains get up and then we will move on in the Sunny South on the railroad that leads from here to Lynchburg. But I can’t say whether we will go further than Bull’s Gap but I think we will for all the officers thinks we will.
William, we had a very fine trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, but we had a bad accident happen on the trip. About 30 miles from Huntsville, two cars run off of the track and killed two passengers and wounded several out of our regiment. There was two out of Co. H—James Mace & John A. Clevenger. I saw a great many men killed but it was the hardest sight I ever saw. She was mashed all up so. There was one killed at Knoxville. He was cut in two. He was out of the 31st Indiana but we had to foot it from Knoxville and that raining all the time. You better believe the overcoats and blankets went falling out of the knapsacks.
Willie, I was in Knoxville half a day and I had a gay time there. It is a very nice place and a larger place than I thought it was. It is full of Union people. They think the world of a soldier that is fighting for the Stars and Stripes and the women will do everything that is in their power to do. I had several talks with some of them. I would like to have spent three hours with one of them but I hadn’t time. Will, keep this to yourself if you please and don’t tell anyone. And if I live to get home, I will tell you of the sport I had there.
Well Willie, this letter leaves me well and hearty and enjoying the same and I hope you are the same. Co. H. is all okay. The weather is fine and pleasant today. I will close hoping to hear from you soon. Love to all.
Yours truly, — William Way
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