Descendants of William C. EVERITT

Civil War Letters of Captain William Davis Everitt,

Co. I, 81st Indiana Inf. Vols.

Index of names mentioned in these letters

Example of original letter, letter number 48, April 14, 1865 (be patient, large file, takes time to load)

# Date of Letter	Contents of letter
1 November 18, 1862	Company is fortifying and digging in. Gives a sketch of various market prices there.
2 November 26, 1862	Speaks of his duties and responsibilities.
3 November 30, 1862	Date hard to read, location confirms the year 1862. Refers to a letter received from Ellen. Talks of foraging for food. Complains of not receiving letters from his brother and father.
4 December 10, 1862	Compares his company to the size of several others. Requests a box of goods to be sent.
5 January 13, 1863	This letter is misdated 1862. Mentions his wound received in the battle of Stone River. Says he has written two letters prior to this since the battle.
6 January 25, 1863	This letter appears to follow the previous in sequence as he says he has written three since the battle.
7 January 25, 1863	Second letter written on this date. Location not given but assumed to be the same as the first letter. Sends hat to Ellen.
8 April 12, 1863	Talks of death of John Buchanan. Sending photo home.
9 April 13, 1863	References the letter he wrote the day before. Photo was sent to Thomas Cole's sister instead.
10 April 30, 1863	Sending money home. Some officers resigning.
11 May 8, 1863	Sends Millie money at her request. Reminds her he may not make it home.
12 May 11, 1863	Battle of Buzzard Roost going on.
13 May 23, 1863	Gives prices of goods. Updates Ellen on his men.
14 June 8, 1863	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 5th. He is ill. Asks questions about things at home.
15 June 18, 1863	Mentions a letter he received that morning from Ellen. Tells Ellen of good report on his regiment.
16 July 9, 1863	Transcript only. No original found. Transcript from microfilm at Indiana State Library, Genealogy Section. Mentions downfall of "Vixburg", expects one more hard battle. Worries over Millie's eye problem.
17 July 28, 1863	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 23rd. Sending money. Replies to Ellen's report of having her fortune read.
18 August 8, 1863	Date unclear, appears to be the 8th. Discusses renting the farm at Charlestown next year. Chastises Millie for poor writing.
19 August 11, 1863	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 5th. Some "fuss" occurred at home and wants no more to do with Bybee.
20 August 13, 1863	Date unclear, appears to be the 13th. Anxious to hear from home. Drawing on back of letter.
21 August 15, 1863	He is ill and has lost weight. Appears to be answering a letter from Ellen but none specifically mentioned.
22 August 22, 1863	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter, no date given, along with photos of the children, including the first he has seen of his son "Rosey". Still worries about Millie's eye.
23 September 28, 1863	Has written to notify wives of two of his men of their deaths. Describes battle and their losses.
24 October 22, 1863	Mentions writing half a dozen lettersto Ellen since he received one from her. They are fortified with "Brag" nearby.
25 November 13, 1863	Indicates he was supposed to come home to recruit but has not gotten the order yet.
26 May 2, 1864	Has returned from furlough and is back with his company.
27 May 16, 1864	Did not loose any men in the recent battle.
28 June 10, 1864	Lets Ellen know where they are. Mentions writing last from Kingston.
29 July 1, 1864	Talks of the soldiers trading goods and words with the rebels. First mention of Lizzie Cole.
30 August 14, 1864	Discusses things going on in camp and promotions of officers.
31 September 22, 1864	Tells Ellen he may be allowed to come home to vote and makes plans for such. Gives results of a pre-election vote.
32 September 25, 1864	More discussion on the upcoming election. Describes how he looks as Brigade officer of the day.
33 October 17, 1864	The portion of the letter written by Millie appears to be dated 1863 but Ellen's portion is clearly dated 1864. Ellen tells of Rosey's illness. Talks of the election.
34 November 6, 1864	Millie's portion of the letter is dated the 7th. More talk of the election and family news.
35 November 13, 1864	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of October 27th. Answers her letter and asks questions about things at home.
36 November 20, 1864	Year not given in letter but November 20th fell on a "Sabbath" in 1864. Mentions receiving a letter from him the night before. Work on house not yet done. Talks of marriages.
37 December 7, 1864	General news about the status of the war.
38 December 18, 1864	Mentions writing a letter on the battlefield that he did not mail. Updates her on status of his officers.
39 January 11, 1865	Talks of Rosey's bad health and having a doctor look after him. Tells Ellen of his Christmas and New Years meals.
40 January 15, 1865	Millie tells her father what they received for Christmas. Ellen tells him how she spent the holidays.
41 January 26, 1865	Location from which letter was written not given but assumed to be Vienna, Scott County, Indiana. Millie tells her father they received his photographs and that she is sorry to hear of Ed Bower's death.
42 January 27, 1865	Tells Ellen of Ed Bower's death. Gets upset with her for not writing all the news.
43 February 4-5, 1865	Tells Ellen his resignation was disapproved. Wants financial information to decide what to do about buying the Jones farm.
44 February 12, 1865	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 7th of February. He is upset with her regarding how she conducts business at home.
45 March 12, 1865	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 5th. Details the offer he is willing to make on the Jones farm with his brother negotiating for him.
46 March 26th 1865	They are headed for Virginia.
47 April 12 1865	Location from which letter was written not given. Mentions receiving Millie's letter of the 2nd. He feels the end of the war is near and will see her soon.
48 April 14, 1865 (view original)	Location from which letter was written not given. Is glad they did not purchase the Jones farm. Speaks of an injury Rosey suffered.
49 April 23, 1865	Mentions the receipt of two letters from Ellen, no dates given. The war has ended and he is uncertain where they go next but wants to get home. Mentions death of Lincoln. Asks if Rosey will be scarred.
50 May 1, 1865	Looking forward to being mustered out and getting home to the "company" of his children.
51 May 7, 1865	Speaks of a grand review of the army to take place. Thinking of getting home.
52 May 10, 1865	Mentions receiving Ellen's letter of the 12th. Talks of his final pay-off and of furnishing the house.
53 May 24, 1865	General news of home, clearing a field. Talks of meeting him when he gets home.
54 May 27, 1865	Tells Ellen that they are to be mustered out on the 15th of June and what prepartaions to make.
55 May/June 1865	Location from which letter was written not given but assumed to be Vienna, Scott County, Indiana. No date on letter, time period taken from contents of the letter. This letter replies to the last from the Captain as determined by the reference to the June 15th muster out date.
56 June 1865	No date on letter, time period taken from contents of the letter. The Captains last letter from camp prior to being mustered out.
57 date unknown	This appears to be the second page of a letter and as such its date. and location of origin are missing. Sending some money home.