THE OTHER COLLECTION: Pat Medert published a fantastic spiral bound booklet on Jacob and the 89th in 2001 (available directly from the Ross County Historical Society in Chillicothe, Ohio). Here’s a link to their website – though they don’t have an online store: https://rosscountyhistorical.org. I’ll summarize the content of Jake’s letters published in her bookContinue reading “13. Letter to Mary – Published in Pat Medert’s “Dear Companion” – 21 Sept, 1862″
Category Archives: Jacob Shively
12. Letter to Mary from Camp Shailer, Covington, Ky – (Numbered 5) 18 Sept, 1862
OF NOTE: Colonel John H. Marshall of the 89th was not long to be in command. More on him later, but between few organizational leadership skills, a love for the bottle and a terrible temper (on evidence in this letter), he would face a petition to the Governor for his removal from his troops byContinue reading “12. Letter to Mary from Camp Shailer, Covington, Ky – (Numbered 5) 18 Sept, 1862”
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11. Letter to Mary from Licking Battery, KY – (Numbered 4), 14 Sept, 1862
OF MARTIN AND MARY WRIGHT Jacob married Mary Wright on 23 August 1855. I think, though I can’t prove it, that Jacob became friends with Martin Wright before he met his twin, Mary. Martin Van Buren Wright and Mary Wright moved from Illinios after the death of their mother, Elizabeth Beaver Wright, into the homeContinue reading “11. Letter to Mary from Licking Battery, KY – (Numbered 4), 14 Sept, 1862”
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10. Letter to Mary from Licking Battery, Kentucky – 13 Sept, 1862
OF NOTE Jacob has only been gone for a few weeks and he’s starting to feel the frustrations of separation from home. He’s not feeling well when he writes this letter – and it shows. He’s still eager to get into a scrap with the opposing Army. While his belief in the justice of theContinue reading “10. Letter to Mary from Licking Battery, Kentucky – 13 Sept, 1862”
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8. Letter to Mary from Camp King, Ky – 7 Sept, 1862
“…yet it is true we have comparatively seen nothing to what I expect to ere long.” Jacob to Mary, 7 Sept, 1862 MY NOTES: This letter, covering events of 7 – 9 September, displays some of the longing Jacob already felt for home after just a few weeks away. The hubris of the North (andContinue reading “8. Letter to Mary from Camp King, Ky – 7 Sept, 1862”
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7. Some Background – Jacob, the 89th and the letters
I still pinch myself at my good fortune – not just in having access to my ancestor’s relatively unfettered thoughts and feelings through years of deprivation and war, but for the wealth of supporting extant documentation. My family’s collection of unpublished letters (over 125) with supporting documentation staggers me. The letters are outstanding, but theyContinue reading “7. Some Background – Jacob, the 89th and the letters”
6. To the Defense of Cincinatti
This is Jacob’s first numbered letter, consisting of several sheets over several days. This letter includes a hand drawn map of the defensive fortifications they were building to secure Cincinnati against the impending Confederate invasion. Letter No. 1 Camp Tailor, KY Sept 4, 1862 Dear Mary, I am thankful yet toContinue reading “6. To the Defense of Cincinatti”
5. Letter 3 – Jacob to “Sir” and Mary
Jacob’s Regiment, the 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was officially mustered into service on 29 August, 1862 at Camp Dennison. They were surprised with marching orders on 1 Sept. Jacob had hoped to get home before marching off to war, but as you’ll read below, he missed his chance and had to scramble to make whatContinue reading “5. Letter 3 – Jacob to “Sir” and Mary”
3. Shively Presentation & Transcript – Recorded in March of 2021 on my most recent deployment
Meet Jacob. Jacob is my 5th Great Grandfather’s Nephew. This is a photograph he had taken in December of 1864 as a Christmas gift for his wife. Just a few weeks prior to this photo, he was charging with his fellow warriors up the ridge he’s sitting on in the Union Army’s breakout from theContinue reading “3. Shively Presentation & Transcript – Recorded in March of 2021 on my most recent deployment”
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”
A Thousand Thunders 