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John Clark Esarey Civil War Letters
John Clark Esarey
May 19, 1865 Letter
From: Lieutenant George T. Jenkins (Perry County, Indiana)
To: John Clark Esarey (Camp of the 53rd Indiana Volunteers, Washington, D.C.)
"I had one dear good and noble brother that went with you... He fell far away from those most dear, far away from home."
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
- 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 Jonathan Davis Esarey
- April 22, 1865 – JCE to Parents
- May 6, 1865 – JDE to JCE
- June 6, 1865 – JDE to JCE
Letters from Other Relatives:
- April 18, 1865 – Brother to JCE
- April 18, 1865 – William Carmickle to JCE
- April 22, 1865 – John Ewing to JCE
- April 30, 1865 – Amira Ewing Colby to JCE
- May 7, 1865 – J. Carr to JCE
- May 19, 1865 – Lt. George Jenkins to JCE (this page)
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.
This poignant letter from Lt. Jenkins speaks to the human cost of the war. His brother had served alongside John Clark Esarey and died far from home. The letter captures the grief felt by families across the nation as the war ended and the full toll became clear.