The following transcribed letters were graciously provided by cousin Peggie Rees Bastin of Owensboro Kentucky. Ebenezer the first born son of Joseph W. and Anna (Lineberger) Bartles/Bottles was born in Washington Co. Tenn. and at an early age moved with his family to Harrison Co. Indiana.�� Ebenezer joined the Union Army apparently sometime in 1864. In these letters we see he is writing his wife Abagail (Crecelius) Bartles/Bottles and his young children Medora aged 14, Frank 12, Charley 5, and finally Emma Lou (Luly) about 2 years old in 1864.
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Now as you read these lines I want you to place yourself in another time and place and see the terrible woes and stress's that such a time bestowed upon the fabric of society and family, see how forlorn one was to be away from the security of the homefires, and loved ones. See how simple things like postage stamps become a factor in being able to keep in touch with ones family. In these letters we get a true insight to a grave period in American
history. I ask, "Could any of us living today have borne up to those immense and tragic times?"
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LETTERS FROM EBENEZER TO ABILGAIL BARTLES AND CHILDREN DURING CIVIL WAR (Medora - 14, Frank - 12, Charley - 5 and Emma Lou about 2)
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������������������������������������������������� Taylor Barricks
������������������������������������������������� Louisville, Ky.
������������������������������������������������� Oct. 14, 1864
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Dear Wife and children,
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������ I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines. I am well except a bad
� cold but distressed in mind that I can scarcely write to think that I was
� taken from you so suden. If I could see you one time more, I would be
� better satisfied to give the children some instruction.
������ Dear wife, you will have to take care of the children and yourself the
� best you can for I cant be with you but do not grieve yourself for I hope
� to see you yet. I want the children to write to me and promise me that they
� will be good children to Ma and that will give me some comfort. I want to
� see you all and to kiss little Luly for you know I love you all. I want you
� all to kiss her for me; I want you all to� make yourselves as well
� satisfied as you can for I hope that time will surely come when we may meet
� again, if not on this earth where there will be no war. We had preaching in
� here last night. I sent some money home by express $ 60 so I have some more
� that I want to send home as soon as I can.
������ Write and let me know if you have sold any wood since I left home.
� Tell brother Joseph I want him to write to me and let me know he will sell
� my wood for me and take (care) of my things for me. My mind is so troubled
� I do not know what to write. I want (you to) write soon for I do not know
� how long we will stay here and I want to hear from you and if I stay here
� long I want you all to come and see me.
������� I hope that when these lines come to hand they may find you all well.
� If you get a stove, you had better put it in the fireplace as I can not be
� there to attend to it for you. Do the best you can.
������� I must come to a close with my letter for I am troubled, so I don't
� know what to say to you. Write to
��������������������������������������������� Taylor Barricks
��������������������������������������������� Louisville Ky. Co. D
�������������������������������������������� �E. M. Bartles
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EBWARLTR�������������������������������������������������� PAGE 2 OF 8
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������������������������������������������� North Carolina
������������������������������������������� March 15, 1865
������������������������ In camp three miles from Kingston the river News.
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Dear wife,
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I am in tolerable health at present hopeing these few lines may find you and
the children well.
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We left Wilmington the 6th of March and we arrived here yesterday, a distance
of some eighty or one hundred miles and it was a hard march through mud and
water.� March all day and part of the night.� They expected a battle here;
the battle was over before we got here and the Rebels retreated across the
river and I do not know whether they are in Kingston or not. They burnt they
brige and I do not know how long we will stay here, but I suppose we will
follow them in a few days.
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I received your wellcom leter dated Feb the 17th 1865 which I was glad to
receive tho I was sorrow to here that you was not well, tho I hope you will
be well when you get my letter.� You say you have sold your boat but you dont
say who you sold it nor how much you are to get for her.� Write to me and let
me know all about it.� You say you have been to church Sunday and my seat
looked so lonely. Dear wife, be of good cheer; I hope the Lord will spare my
life to fill that seat yet.� I would love to be at home to go to church with
you. I have written several times not to grieve for me for it will injure
your helth.� Take care of your helth the best you can and take care of your
money and dont let they guirilles get it.
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I do not know that I have anything of importance to write only to let you
know how I am geting along.� It taint worth while writing anything about
they war.� Write often, God bless you.� Good by dear wife.
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Your affectionate husband until death,
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��������������������������������������� E. M. Bartles
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EBWARLTR�� ������������������������������������������������PAGE 3 OF 8
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To Abigail Bartles
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Dear Medora,
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I am well as usul and I hop that when these few lines comes to hand they may
find you wel.
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I received yours and Ma's letter yesterday, I was glad to here that you was
well for I have been uneasy about you ever since I herd you was sick.� I have
but little room to write, I just want you to be a good girl. I am glad that
Charley is so fat but I am sorrow that Frank is complaining and my dear
little Luly has a gathering in her head. I want you children to be good to
your Ma and do all you can for her. I hope I will be at home some time to
take care of you all. I want you all to write to me often.� I am glad that
your Uncle John is so good to get wood for you. Tell him I thank him.
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I must come to a close with my letter.� I cant write today.� You must excuse
my bad writin letter.� I have made several mistakes in my letter.� Good by
dear children.� Write soon Medora.
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From your affectionate Pa,
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�� �����������������������������������������E. M. Bartles
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Medora I want you and Ma to put 1 or 2 stamps in all your letters you write
for there is non to be had in this country.� There is no chance to get
likenesses in this country.
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EBWARLTR�������������������������������������������������� PAGE 4 OF 8
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����������������������������������� Golds Borough North Carolina
����������������������������������� March 23, 1865
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Dear Wife,
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Thank God I am as well as usul and I hope that you and the children are well.
The last letter I wrote was the March the 19 1865.� Since that time we have
come to this place.� We was at Kingston on the river Nuce 23 miles from here.�
We are fortifying this place.� They expect they Rebs to come here for Sherman
is fighting them at Raleigh -- that is the capital of NC -- and looking on
the map you can tell all about it.� This is wher a mail(?) roads crosses and
has been a place of business. It tis thought that if Sherman whips them, they
will come this way.� But as I have wrote to you that I would write but little
about the war, I shal say but little.
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I just write to let you know how I am geting along. I think of home a grate
deal and it seems to me a long time to stay a man from a Dear wife and
children, but it tis now all most six months since I left home and I hope
that my life may be spared to serve out the other six months and get home.�
And I want you to cheer up and do the best you can.� My connections may think
that I am foolish for writing so mutch about home, but no one knows what it
tis to leave all they friend they have in they world but them that has tride
it. But I must come to a close. The wind blows so that I cant write. I have
no stamps. Send me some, write soon for I am anxious to here from you, to
here how your helth is and how you and the children is geting along. I shal
all ways think of you and they children in my prayers. God bless you and the
children. Good by from your affectionate husband until death.
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��������������������������� E. M. Bartles
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To Abigail Bartles
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EBWARLTR�������������������������������������������������� PAGE 5 OF 8
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����������������������������������������� Near Goldsborough NC
����������������������������������������� Mar. 27, 1865
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Dear Wife and children,
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I am in tolerable helth thank God and (I hope that when these few lines comes
to hand they may find you in good helth.
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We met Sherman's army at Goldsbourough. When we all got together there was
about one hundred and ten thousand, We staid there 2 or 3 days and fortifyed
they town, then our part of the army, the 23 corps left and marched one day
in the direction of Snow Hill. We are in camp and making prepartion for a
long march but I do not know where to, They wether is butiful here and
everything begins to grow. It is no chance for the citizens to make a crop
in this country. Sherman's army takes evrything they come across. It is a
curiosity to see his army on a march; he has negros, horses, mules, dogs, and
milck cows and some of the soldiers has fine buggies to ride in and
everything that the citizens had they had with them, but I shal not say
anything more about the army.
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I am axious to here from home. I want to know if you are all well and shal
not be satisfied til I here from you by some means or other. I feel uneasy
about home and shal not be satisfied til I here from home, I would love to be
at home this butiful day with you. I would love to kiss Little Luly. It
affects me very mutch that I cant be with you, but my prayer is that we may
all live to meet again dear wife and children. Dont forget to pray; there is
not a day passes but what I think of you all. All write soon and let me know
how you are geting along.
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Nothing more at present but remain your affectionate husband until death.
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������������������������������������������ E.M. Bartles
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To Abilgail Bartles
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EBWARLTR��������� �����������������������������������������PAGE 6 OF 8
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������������������������������������������������������� Salis Bury, NC
������������������������������������������������������� May 21, 1865
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Dear Wife,
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I am in usual helth this butiful sabath morn and I hope when these few lines
comes to hand they may find you in good helth.
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I received your kind letter last night dated May th 4, 1865 which I was
anxiously looking for but I am sorrow to hear that you are so distressed
about me. I have wrote one letter to Medora, one to Frank, and one to Charley
since Golson wrote to you that I was sick which you have not got, neither
have I received any answer from them. But I hope that you have received them
before this time. All the Rebles soldiers have come home, The rebels
hospitals and ours is in one hundred yards of each other and the town is full
of Union and Rebel soldiers, all friendly, but there is a grate difference in
their appearance. They dont look like soldiers to the side of ours. I could
write you a long letter about the war, but I dont think it worth while.
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You say you had a day of fasting and prayer in Ky, That is a good thing;
every person ought to thank God that this cruel war is over.
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You wrote to me in some of your letters some time ago that Medora was working
for Cary Crecelius and I wrote to you that I would rather she would stay at
home, but I suppose you never got the letter, and I say again that I want her
to stay at home and if I should never get home, then do the best you can, but
I hope to be home before long.
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We are in camp here yet and I do not know how long we will stay here nor wher
we will go to when we do leave, but I hope that we will go rite to Ky. We may
have to stay here all summer, If I could keep my helth, I would rather stay
my time out here than to march, for it gos mity hard for me to march. As the
war is over, I hope we will not have to march any more.
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I want you all to write soon. I am all very anxious to hear from you and the
children. Write all the particulars.
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So nothing more at presant, but remain yuour affectionate husband until
death,
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���������������������������������� E. M. Bartles
To Abigail Bartles
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I want to know what you (?) direct your letter to Richmond, Va. for I want to
know if they hear from Alex Swan or not.
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EBWARLTR�������������������������������������������������� PAGE 7 OF 8
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������������������������������������� ���������Salis Bury, NC
���������������������������������������������� June th 22 1865
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Dear Wife and Children
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I received your affectionate and kind letter dated June the 10th 1865 which
found me in usual helth, thank God, and I hope that these few lines may find
you all in good helth.
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It fills my heart with joy to hear that you are all well.� I shal write you
but a short letter this morning.
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We are here in camp yet and all the talk is of going home.� They officers are
fixing up our papers for to muster us out and that we will be mustered out
about the 24th or 25th of June, and if that is the case, which I have not
doubt is so, we will soon be on our way home.� There is a grate many glad
hearts here and a grate many sad ones, for there is none but the one-year's
men gone out now, the balance will have to stay awhile longer.� I cant tel
when we will get home for certain, but I think we will be home soon.� But we
are a long way from home and (it) will take us some time to get to Louisville
for it tis said that we will have to go by the way of Richmond and Washington
City. But dont make yourself weary about fighting France; I shal not say for
certain when we will come home, but if God spares us, I think it wont be
long.� So be of good cheer and bare up awhile longer and if I should never
see you again, as I have said before, I want to meet you where there will be
no more parting.
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Medora, Frank, Mother, Charley and my sweet little Emma, I have nothing to
write to you of interest this morning.� I want you to be good children and
not misbehave because I cant be with you, remember me and obay your Ma.� I
want to, if I live, to find you as good children when I come home as when I
left.� I was glad to see that little sweet lock of hare. But I shal say not
more at present, but continue to write.� Give my love to all my connections
and friends.� God bless you all, good by.
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Your affectionate husband untill death,
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��������������������������������������� E. M. Bartles
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To Abigail Bartles and Children
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