{"id":1133,"date":"2013-07-03T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/library.bowdoin.edu\/arch\/civil-war-blog\/?p=1133"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:17:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:17:41","slug":"july-3-1863","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/2013\/07\/03\/july-3-1863\/","title":{"rendered":"July 3, 1863"},"content":{"rendered":"

Camp 20th<\/sup> Me. near Warrenton Pa.<\/p>\n

My dear friends at Home\u2014<\/p>\n

Again have I recd a kind letter from home of the date [illeg. paragraph]<\/p>\n

We are leaving quite [illeg. word] now, but I expect that we shall move again [illeg. phrase].\u00a0 It is cloudy today [illeg. passage].\u00a0 \u2026 Corps lost so many horses.\u00a0 The army had to stop & rest a while [illeg. phrase] up its horses if nothing more & besides the men were getting raggedy everything needed rest, sweet rest.\u00a0 [illeg. passage]\u00a0 on the field of battle; I do not know but what you will think it is strange there can be a glimmer of peace[?] amidst such scenes but there nevertheless is; as only after a day of conflict & excitement as we lay ourselves down on the ground, with perhaps a stone for a pillow, & when all is still, & we look up to Heaven & thank our Heavenly Father that our lives have been spared; this then that a feeling of peace steals over us \u2026 when we are in camp for a few days \u2026 a neighboring Band strikes up in strains of sweet music, first some National Air, then some lively tune, & again some soft melodious strains, \u2018tis then that a feeling of peace steals over us \u2026 when the Cannon is booming, in the fierceness of battle we can look for peace, for peace can only come to our beni[gh]ted country through these, & these alone.<\/p>\n

If you could steal up to our camp fire some night unseen, & then watch & listen a while, you would not think that a soldier\u2019s life was so gloomy & sad;– After a time we became inured to the hardships, &\u00a0 privations of a Soldiers life so that things seem like home, we look upon our camp as our home.\u00a0 And we can sit in our little tent 5 feet square at the base, 4 feet from the ridge pole to the ground; & look forward to the time when we shall be free from all these things & be permitted to once more behold the faces of those that we love.\u00a0 I cannot see any other way than that we shall have to serve out our whole 3 years although I think that all the fighting will be done this fall.<\/p>\n

Did you get a letter in which I asked for a lead pencil, & 3$ in money? As you have not mentioned it in any of your letters I thought likely that you did not get the letter.<\/p>\n

Give my respects to all enquiring friends.\u00a0 Henry\u2019s health is good as ever, he got a letter last night too, in the same mail that I got mine.<\/p>\n

My health is good, as usual & I hope that it will continue so.\u00a0 I must now close now by sending much love to all, & remaining as ever your affectionate Son & Bro. \u2026<\/p>\n

Elisha Coan to family [Elisha Coan Collection] <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Camp 20th Me. near Warrenton Pa. My dear friends at Home\u2014 Again have I recd a kind letter from home of the date [illeg. paragraph] We are leaving quite [illeg. word] now, but I expect that we shall move again [illeg. phrase].\u00a0 It is cloudy today [illeg. passage].\u00a0 \u2026 Corps lost so many horses.\u00a0 The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31,124,130,191,197],"class_list":{"0":"post-1133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-elisha-coan-collection","7":"tag-20th-maine","8":"tag-elisha-coan","9":"tag-exeter","10":"tag-maine","11":"tag-medical-school-of-maine-class-of-1870","12":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2191,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions\/2191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}