April 10th 1862
This war is hell. All we do is trudge all day through the mud and bugs. They bite at my neck and ankles. Occasionally we come across battlefields that have already been fought and blood stained. I was told that we are somewhere in Tennessee, Shiloh I think it is called. We finally got some action though yesterday- it was the most frightening and exhilarating thing I have ever experienced. I looked a reb right in the eye as I shot. Within minutes he was dead, I was so startled with fear and adrenaline that I froze for at least an hour, maybe less, I don’t know. The only thing that unfroze me was the piercing pain in my arm and the smell of burning flesh. I looked down and saw the blood start pouring from the hole in my arm. The fighting was over, the medic took me immediately to his tent to get my arm wrapped and the bullet out. I took a swig of whiskey and bit the letter as they pulled the metal out of my bicep. Luckily it wasn’t deep. But they told me that it earned me a trip home.
Home, it has been a long time since I’ve seen Rose’s sweet face. I wonder how she has been and if she has missed me. This bullet wound will probably scare her but it is something that I will wear with honor. I can’t wait to just be back in Pennsylvania and lay in the tall grass- taking in the sun and warm breeze. I can almost feel it now.