Chaplain Kevin Hostettler

2. A Call to Arms – Letter 1

Jacob left home for war at the age of 29 in August of 1862 and reported to Camp Dennison (on the northeast side of Cincinnati, Ohio) from his family home in Frankfort, Ohio (near Chillicothe, Ohio). He joined in response to Confederate General Kirby Smith’s threatened attack on Cincinnati. The following is the first letter weContinue reading “2. A Call to Arms – Letter 1”

1. Note on the Transcriptions

For a semi-educated farmer, Jacob was an extraordinary writer. His writing skills improved through the war. As with any warrior, he lost his innocence in combat. If he lamented that loss, he did so later in life (and I do think he did – at some point and time he redacted some of his notesContinue reading “1. Note on the Transcriptions”