← Back to Stories, Letters, & Documents
John Clark Esarey Civil War Letters
John Clark Esarey
March 31, 1865 Letter
From: John Clark Esarey (Camp of the 53rd Indiana Volunteers, Goldsboro, North Carolina)
To: Barbara Ewing Esarey (Oil Township, Perry County, Indiana)
"...when brave men was falling fast all around and nothing could be heard but the dreadful roar of battle and the groans and sighs of the wounded and dying. I would sooner fight four battles than take care of the dead..."
Letter Image
Other Civil War Letters
The John Clark Esarey Civil War letters document his service in the 53rd Regiment Indiana Volunteers during late 1864 and early 1865, including his participation in Sherman's March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign.
Letters from John Clark Esarey to Barbara Ewing Esarey:
- November 8, 1864 – From Marietta, GA
- December 20, 1864
- December 31, 1864
- January 11, 1865
- January 20, 1865
- March 26, 1865
- March 31, 1865 (this page)
- April 11, 1865
- April 1865 (undated)
- May 10, 1865
- May 26, 1865
- June 2, 1865
Letters from Barbara Ewing Esarey to John Clark Esarey:
Letters to/from Parents and Family:
- November 8, 1864 – JCE to Parents
- January 12, 1865 – JCE to Brother
- April 22, 1865 – JCE to Parents
- May 6, 1865 – JDE to JCE
- June 6, 1865 – JDE to JCE
Other Documents:
- May 31, 1865 – JCE Discharge Papers
Historical Context
These letters follow John Clark Esarey from his entry into the 53rd Regiment Indiana Volunteers (September 27, 1864), through his participation in the devastating campaigns of William Tecumseh Sherman known as The March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign, to his discharge the following summer in Washington, D.C.