Thomas Cleland Rose
Content of the Letter
In the letter, Thomas C. Rose is writing to his brother and sister back at home on August 17, 1862. He tells his siblings that he and his brother Lewis are doing fine, and he describes the battle scene…and his horse.
Transcription
Camp of the 51st Reg Vol Ind
April the 17th 1862
Dear Brother and sis, I will now try and answer your welcome letter which came to hand today. It came by the way of Nashville and therefore was detained. We are both well
as usual. We are now encamped on the battleground at the Pittsburg landing. We have
been here some nine or ten days we have been without tents or any other camp equipage {misspelled} until today they came up about one hour ago and we are once more in our house. I suppose you have long since heard
April the 17th 1862
Dear Brother and sis, I will now try and answer your welcome letter which came to hand today. It came by the way of Nashville and therefore was detained. We are both well
as usual. We are now encamped on the battleground at the Pittsburg landing. We have
been here some nine or ten days we have been without tents or any other camp equipage {misspelled} until today they came up about one hour ago and we are once more in our house. I suppose you have long since heard
the particulars of the great battle which was fought here it is said to be the greatest battle that ever was fought in america. There was a great many lives lost on both sides. I suppose you have heard that the fifty first was in the fight but we was not. We got there the next day after the rebels retreated. I will not try to give you any account {misspelled} of battle you get the news more correct through the papers than I could give. It is said there was some five thousand of our men killed and ten thousand of the rebels. When we first went on the field we could see in some places eight or ten men in one place lying some with their
heads off some with their faces all off some one way some another. It was a sad scene but I soon got used to it. The men and horses almost covered the ground in places. Well you said you sent us some provisions I am sorry to say that we have never received them We never knew that you sent them until today Jim got the letter that was sent the same time today. We may possibly get them yet but it is very uncertain we left Nashville the 29th of March and I expect they came there in a few days afterward I would like to have got them they would have tasted more than good and would have been from home besides.
But it very uncertain sended such things for we never know how long we are going to stay at one place. As for selling my mare I dont know what to say you can do as you think best if you have any use for her I believe I would rather you would keep her until fall unless you could get a better place for her. But do what you think best and I will be satisfied I must bring my letter to a close I expect it would be a great show to you to be here it is said there is two hundred thousand troops here at this time we will probably leave here soon. Do no more at present. But ever remain your affectionate Brother T Rose
Personal Information
Thomas Rose was a Union Soldier in the Civil War, he was born on January 21st, 1840. He died on November 27th 1918. He was buried in Fairway Cemetery in North Salem where he retired for the rest of his life. Thomas Rose had two parents named Louis Rose and Flora (Vanhice) Rose. He had several other siblings named Louis, Sarah, Charles, James, Henry, and Rebecca. Thomas married a woman named Mary Catherine Clay and had 1 child named Webster Chase Rose. Mary Clay was born in Putnam County, Indiana, and was the daughter of James Henry and Susan (Fleece) Clay Webster was born in 1878 and died on July 3rd, 1952. He worked on his father’s farm for one year, then he moved to his own place in Eel River Township where he began his own farm of 170 acres. He continued to work on his farm until 1900, where he retired to North Salem after his rigorous work.
Military Career
Thomas Rose enrolled for the military on September 22, 1861 when he was 21 years old. He fought in the Battle of Shiloh (The Pittsburgh Landing). However, Thomas and his regiment arrived the next day that the rebels (confederates) retreated. He also fought in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. He was a part of the 51st Regiment, Company A, and ranked private. Thomas served for a year until he was discharged for Chronic Diarrhea, and then went back to his farm and lived there until he retired.
Sources
- "Page 4 Civil War." Fold3. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s." Newspapers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "History of Hendricks County, Indiana." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "Thomas Cleland Rose." Ancestry. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "Message Boards." Ancestry. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "Indiana Archives and Records Administration." IARA Digital Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry." 51st Regiment, Indiana Infantry Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.
- "History - Indiana Infantry (Part 4)." Civil War Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2017.