Dwight Henry Cory Letters and Diary

Yesterday we were paid off and voted. There were only 20 McLellan votes cast out of 220 votes, Trumbull Co cast 57, three of which were copperhead, all the rest were straight Union. I received a letter from Sylvia containing several tickets which were all used and one of them was the first one I ever put in. My pay for 6 months including the third installment of bounty amounted to $261.60. I send you a check by the hand of Daniel Winchel discharged which calls for $260.00 and will send more as soon as I can collect it.

Father if you should go to Orwell soon please see Orange Ball and he will give you for me $15.50 for money he borrowed from me. He would have paid it before he went home but could not get it. You may pay to Mortimer Bakers father for me $9.00 and take his receipt for it as it is money that Mort gave me for safe keeping just before he was captured.

Please "let" me know whether you have any trouble in collecting the money on this check and whether it is at discount or at a premium and etc. This makes $720.00 that I have sent home not counting the home bounty which I hope there will be no trouble about.

My eyes are so sore that I have to wear glasses but they are getting better. Tell Sylvia that her welcome letter shall be answered soon.

Give my love to all and kiss the babies for me as common and remember me as ever Your devoted Son and Brother

[In margin] I received of Baker 20 dollars. He owed me 6 dollars on a watch and he also owes A. W. Stiles 5 dollars. This I paid and took Stiles's receipt which I enclose. Please give it to Baker's father with the nine dollars mentioned in the letter.

Today is the first day of leisure I have had since the reception of your kind letter and now I have three to answer. It has been a beautiful day and it seems as though I ought to have been at meeting in Greene and as the moon is nearly full, this would be a good night to spend with some of my lady friends there about. Much better than that cold stormy night just before I left Greene last winter. I would almost re-enlist for another such a visit to the land of my birth and such another welcome by the good people of Greene, but when this can be again is more than we can tell. Our regiment has gone into camp and we are putting up winter quarters although we may not stay in them a week. There is a strong front close by with its guns pointing over our heads but they are not likely to be needed as the enemy which threatened us from our front are driven away across the Weldon R. R. and everything is now quiet except the firing before Petersburg which last night was very heavy. Hattie, I am glad to know that you are so true and kind a friend to me. It makes my heart beat quick to think that whom I esteem so highly and whom I have known so long still remembers me so kindly. When I come home we will talk over our likes and dislikes in that easy chair as we did last winter if nothing happens. You no doubt had a good visit with Liberty. Did he say anything about me? You must look out for those soldiers but you can hardly find a young man with whom I would rather see a friend of mine associate. I am anxious for this war to close for I feel the need of the society of just such good girls as my friend Hattie. But until peace is established and the government has no more need of soldiers I must remain as now a soldier and a single man. I believe it is a duty which I owe to my Country and I only ask that I may be permitted to read and answer your kind letters as well as others of my friends and schoolmates who were dear to me as such and with whom I used to delight to associate and would yet were it not for this accursed war waged by traitors for the overthrow of our own free government and may God hasten the time when we soldiers may return to the enjoyment of those privileges which we left to sustain it and may our friends at home receive us as free from bad habits as when we left them. Then will our last days be to us a golden harvest indeed and we will enjoy the blessings which were brought by the use of the sword and hand them unimpaired to our children. But I must close this letter. I am going to send all my letters home to Sylvia for safe keeping as I hate to burn them.

Tell Sue that had she given me a piece of her Punkin pie, I should have known whether she was "a smasher at making them" and give her my respects

I have concluded to occupy that easy chair and talk to my Soldier Friend for a time. I rec'd your welcome letter Friday evening. Sue and I went to the office again, we watch the office very closely. I wonder if "our boys" in the army like to get letters as well as we do. I went to church today expecting to hear a sermon from Mr. Young a "Bible Agent," but the day being very disagreeable he did not come and but very few people were out. They had prayer meeting then class meeting which I enjoyed very much although I did not take a fast as I ought to have done. I am sure you would have enjoyed it too if you had been permitted to be there.

We had quite a snow storm last night and it seems about like winter. I can hardly realize that winter is so near us again. Every year grows shorter I believe. Milton Irwin is still at home in a sick furl but he came up to Mr. Ross' yesterday and stayed until today. I was up there last evening and we had a very good visit. I think he is very much sobered from what he used to be. He said he voted for McClellan. I asked him if he was not a little ashamed of it and he said "not a bit." I suppose everyone has a legal right to vote for who they please. Milton is very far from being will yet and some think he never will be. Charles is going to Cleveland this week to the hospital. His furlough is about out and he is so much better that he is not allowed to remain at home. Write Latin is at home, an invalid too.

Mrs. Hubbard has been down to see Nathaniel. He is wounded very badly but not mortally but perhaps you know more about him than I do.

Yes, Dwight, I had a very good visit with Liberty. He has spoken of you several times most always asks me when I heard from you and wants to know how you're getting along and what you are doing. He seems to feel very envious toward you on account of that friction you have, he has spoken of that several times, wanted to know if I had any more like it but I had not, I can't say that I should let him have it if I had. You say I must look out for these soldiers, didn't you think I was "looking out for a soldier" in my last letter? You will have to lay the blame all to my pen for it would have its own way for once but I will see that it keeps within bounds. After this don't you think I had better? Well! I know it is the best way to be a little shy of some soldiers but you know that our Greene boys are all good of course. In this I do not include all classes but those of our associates you know. Now I will just tell you who I think can be trusted. A good sound principled man just like our best boys who are now defending our nation and who has said he "will be a soldier as long as his government needs him." A man can be honorable and manly in any place where duty calls if he chooses to be and a true Soldier will be too. That is my mind, isn't it yours too - I know it is without having you say so.

I can but honor your judgment as any other ones in the same circumstances in not taking upon yourself any more responsibility while duty calls as loudly as it does now for the helping hand of a soldier. How long this government will need them is beyond the knowledge of human beings. Some appears to think that because Lincoln is to be our president it will soon terminate but I am fearful it will last longer than people thing for, but I hope not. Many of our noble boys have already fallen but God forbid that we should lose any more.

It must be a great sacrifice to the Soldier to leave home kindred and associates and place themselves in the way of rebel bullets as marks to be shot at, the people at home would be worse than the savage nation if they would not do all in their power to encourage them and to let them know that they are remembered always and missed too from our homes. I sometimes build castles in the air by imagining our boys all at home. How strangely good it would look to go to church some Sabbath and see all our boys as of old. But I am living in hopes that we shall see a greater part of them one of these days. Yes, there is a better time coming. Now Dwight it is just 6 1/2 o'clock and I am eating an apple for you. Just tell me when you write if the apple tasted good and I have just drank a glass of cider for you too, isn't it good.

Now I have a favor to ask of you and that is that you will not send my letters back. Burn them, please do, for they will not pay the cost of sending them. I know my letters are very poor but I do not want you to send them home for I fear they will be criticized. I know they might be criticized a great deal. If you won't burn them, send them back to me and I will see that they are kept safely but if you have not sent them when you get this, don't for I don't want you to. Did you ever have the toothache. If you have you know what good company I have got. One cannot get lonesome with such company. Maybe I shall send you a newspaper occasionally. Do you ever get any to read there. Perhaps the Chronicle would not come amiss to you. There I think I have written quite a long letter this time and I shall expect one in return.

[In margin] Liberty said the next time I wrote to give you his respects. Please excuse the many blots and illshaped words in this.

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