Letter from Rufus Dawes to his wife, Mary, July 13, 1864

Before Petersburg

July 13^th, 1864

We are busy making the papers for the muster out of our men, whose terms of service expire, and they are nearly wild at the prospect of seeing once more their long separated families and their homes.  The men who go now were not on the veteran furlough, and few of them have seen their homes for more than three years.  Some have passed through twenty battles and nearly all have marks of wounds received in battle.  I am myself the only man who as passed unharmed through every battle and skirmish of the regiment. 


Peggy's comments:
Tomorrow, the entries in Julia Cutler's journal resume.

Despite his promotion to Colonel, Rufus expected to be mustered out within the month.  His brother, Ephraim, continued to stay at the Old Stone House with the Cutlers while he recovered from the wound to his jaw.

Letters from Ephraim Cutler Dawes, June 11, 1864

Peggy's notes:
Rufus Dawes's brother, Ephraim Cutler Dawes was serving with the 53rd Ohio on Sherman's march in 1864.  On May 28 he was severely wounded in the jaw.  He made his way by train to Nashville, and then to the Old Stone House in Warren Ohio where his aunt Julia and uncle William lived.  He recovered from his injury under their care and the care of his sister Lucy.  

On June 11, he wrote letters to his father in Wisconsin and his brother Rufus who was near Petersburg.
These letters are now at the Newberry in Evanston, Illinois.

June 11, 1864, Marietta

Father,

At the battle of Dallas Ga my Regiment was hotly engaged and I was severely wounded.  A minnie ball entered the left side of my lower jaw -- out the right carrying away the bones of my chin and most of my lower teeth and badly tearing the flesh and lip.



Warren, June 11, 1864
Dear Rufe, 
My last news from you thru your wife, is up to June 1”.  I trust you are still safe.
The Johnnies picked me at Dallas Ga two weeks ago today -- the ball went in the left side of my lower jaw, took out the chin bone, the whole of the part of the face -- lower teeth from double to double -- leaving I guess maybe 3 on each side.  It makes a horrible looking wound and will disfigure me considerably I think -- tho the doctors seem to think they can easily fix it.  It will be slow healing.  Our Regt has been doing some splendid fighting and made for itself as good a reputation as anybodys Regt.  We lost 50 men at Resacca and I suppose about the same at Dallas.  I haven’t heard from the Regt since I left -- I am able to be up and around the house, go to walk out doors all day -- sleep tolerably well and take things as philosophically as I can.  Have concluded to quit smoking and singing and whistling and all such frivolous amusements.
Came pretty near concluding to quit talking and eating the first few days.  I nearly died -- couldn’t scarcely swallow.  Then the trip up to Nashville was awful hard.
I am going up to Marietta Monday and will then see Mary.  She will give you all the particulars.
Eph

Reckon I’ll leave the Army but they’ve got to discharge me, I won’t resign.

Ephraim Cutler Dawes, prior to being wounded

Excerpt of letter from Rufus Dawes to his wife, Mary on July 8, 1864

Before Petersburg

July 8^th, 1864

General Cutler’s plan is to consolidate the second, fifth and sixth regiments, which he wishes me to command as Colonel.

Letter from Rufus Dawes to Mary Dawes, July 7, 1864

Before Petersburg

July 7^th, 1864, 8 P. M.

We are back again in the woods, where we are exposed only to rebel shell, which occasionally come howling over.  There is a battery of thirty-two pounders, which fires directly over us, and that draws the enemy’s fire.  

I was detailed to-day by order of General Meade as President of the commission to investigate the ‘capacity, qualification, propriety of conduct and efficiency of such officers of the fifth army corps as may be brought before it.’  This is the highest honor of my military service.

Letter from Rufus Dawes to Mary Dawes, July 5, 1865

In the Trenches before Petersburg

July 5^th, 1864

We have entered into a treaty of peace with the ‘Johnnies’ and men on both sides stand up in fearless confidence in each other’s good faith.  To the right of us Burnside’s negroes occupy the trenches.  Master and slave meet on equal terms and the hostility is implacable.  They fire night and day on both sides.  

A lady came up to our front line this morning.  About a thousand rebels got up on their works to stare at her, and at least two thousand of our men.  The quiet is very pleasant, and I hope that the continual whizzing of bullets will not again be heard.

Letter from Rufus Dawes to Mary Dawes, July 4, 1864

Before Petersburg

July 4^th, 1864

General Cutler is anxious to make up a Colonel’s command of eight hundred and forty men for me, and have me muster in for three years, on my commission as Colonel, which will be issued by the Governor.

Our chaplain was sick and some where in the rear of the army he found a cow.  Now that he has gone to the general hospital, the cow has reverted to me.  I draw rations for the cow as a mule.  Dr. Hall and I have plenty of fresh milk and we unite in gratitude to the Chaplain.

We are to go up to-night for two days’ duty in the trenches.

The boys who go out of the service on the fifteenth of this month are becoming anxious.  The Pennsylvania Reserves were in battle the day after their tie had expired.  Twelve days is a short time, but much history can be made here within that period.

Letter from Rufus Dawes to Mary Dawes, July 2 1864

Before Petersburg, VA.

July 2^nd, 1864

We are again out of those hot trenches and back in the woods.  If the army remains here, in six days we will go out again for a tour of duty in the trenches.  There is not so much shooting now, although every few moments a huge mortar shell fired by the rebels, comes straight down from the clouds and bursts with a terrific explosion in our lines.  The weather is very hot, but I get ice every day and plenty of it.  There is an ice house on our skirmish line.  I have some boys who have the nerve to go out and get the ice at night, in spite of the fact that rebel sharpshooters keep a constant fire on the ice house.  There is one good thing, corps headquarters can’t put a guard over it and gobble it away from us, and appropriate it to their own use.  William wants very much to come home with me.