Owl Creek

April 10, 1862

Dear Family,

         How are you doing?  Tomorrow we will battle.  Out here it is very different. I see peach fields, blossoms from the orchard trees. I feel happy about going to battle and then again I don’t.  I have no protection.  All I have is a drum, two sticks to beat it, and no shield.  How am I going to protect myself from the Minie balls?  I was thinking about that today as I sat crying thinking about my situation.

          Then somebody came by me. I didn’t know who it was. He smelled of tobacco,  boot polish, sweat, and leather. It was the general. He asked me, "Are you ready for the battle?"  I said, "I think so, sir." I felt scared at that point. He told me what I meant to the battle.  I’m not just the drummer boy.  I am the heart of the army.  When I beat slowly the men’s heart’s beat slow.  When I beat fast they march fast.  Tomorrow I will be participating in the battle.  I am proud of myself and I hope you are to.

Love,

Joby

A'shaunta Ford

Owl Creek 

April 19, 1862

Dear Gram,

          Tomorrow we head for battle, but I’m not too happy about it.  I’m very scared, more than I’ve ever been.  Gram, at first it seemed like a fun and exciting thing to do, then I realized the reality of the whole thing.  I’m going in with nothing but a drum and 2 sticks.  I know I’m just the drummer boy, but I need protection.  Not long ago I had a talk with the general, and he told me that I’m a big part of the army.  Gram he told me I’m the heart of the army, I keep every thing in order.

          Sometime I feel alone because I’m the youngest and everyone else is so much older. We have a lot of food like, corn, fish, deer, rice, potatoes and lots of fruit.  There is a really big orchard that I go to all the time.  It has the best peaches in the world.  I just wanted you to know that I love you and miss you and I’m ready to come home.

Love, Joby
Briauna White

Owl Creek

April 5, 1862

Dear Pa,

I’ve been missing you and the rest of the family. It’s the night before the battle and I’m feeling scared. I won’t have any protection;  just my drum and my two drumsticks. I feel left out because I’m just a boy and all of the men are talking about things like wives and their kids. I started crying. Then the general came and talked to me. He said that he cried the night before and it was okay. I guess when I joined the army I wasn’t ready for it. He also told me I was the heart of the army. I couldn’t believe it. Me, the heart of the army.

 The general told me when I beat fast, the soldier’s hearts beat fast, but when I play slow, the soldier’s hearts would beat slowly. At first I didn’t get it but now I understand perfectly clear.
          I’ve been eating fish, peaches, and bread. It’s not the best, but it’s something. I also tried tobacco, and it’s not so good.

Well, I think I’m going to catch some shut eye. I hope I get to write another letter back home. Tell everyone I love them, and not to worry about me.

Love,

Joby

Jason Otten

Owl Creek

April 9, 1862

Dear Mother,

           I’m so scared right now. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.  All that I have are my two sticks and my drum. No protection! Will things be okay? I hope so. I just want you to know that I really love you very much and I’m looking forward to seeing you very soon.                                                                                                              

           As I cried I heard a voice say “Well now”, so I closed my eyes and tried to hide. Thinking, “did he see me”? It was too late and he stood over me and said, “Well its better to get it over now than tomorrow”. When he finally started to walk away I accidentally tapped my drum. That’s when he stopped. Then he asked me if I was the drummer boy and I said yes, my name is Joby. He had told me that I had to play the drums so that the ones we are fighting against will march much slower. I feel a little better knowing that I have an important position. Still I am, worried about death, I have been here for three weeks and it’s like a horrible dream come true. Well ma, I need to get some sleep please, wish me good luck. Hopefully I will see you when everything is over.

Love,

Joby

Merissa Politte

Owl Creek

April 5, 1862

Dear Father,

        It’s been three weeks. How are you? The weather here is very chilly, and there may be frost later. You need to wear a lot more clothes. I’ve missed you very much. I worry about you  when you are alone at the house. Did Tammy come and take care of you? Tell her to wait for me until I come home.

Last week I went to the battle in Shiloh.  There were a hundred thousand men, give or take a few thousand out there that night. Not one can spit a sparrow off a tree or knows a horse clod from a Minie ball. We should turn tail and get in shape for four months. I have to go Father. Love you, Write back.

Love,

Joby  

Phuong Phung

Owls Creek

April 16, 1862

Dear family,

Two nights ago I was a wreck.  That night was a solemn night.  We slept in a peach field near Shiloh. Can you believe all I ate was peaches, fish, and bread? After I heard the sound of the other army I started to cry. I was really scared! I felt unprotected because I only had a drum and two sticks. I thought they could have given me a gun. Then someone started talking to me and called me soldier because he didn’t know who I was. We had a long talk about the war. He told me he cried too. Do you know I play an important part? The soldiers fight according to how I play. The man that I was talking to was the general.

      The day of the battle I didn’t think I would make it. It was hard for me to play while the soldiers where shooting at each other. I got distracted and started to play my drums wrong. I got back on the right track. This battle really frightened me when I saw five dead men in a row. I was in bad shape. Ma, you would have passed out. After the war we hunted for some deer. I miss you guys a lot. See you soon.

Love,

Joby

Robin Taylor

Owl Creek

April 16, 1892

Dear Mother,

I went into battle yesterday. Everywhere there was death and blood. All I saw were men being shot and killed. It was horrible! I cried all night. I’m afraid that I might die but the general says I should be all right. I don’t think so though, I’m really scared. I hope I’m all right.

Other than the battles everything else has been ok. We have fish and fruit for lunch, play games to keep us in shape, and some of the guys and me sit around the fire and share stories about our families. Which reminds me, I miss you ma! I love you and I hope to see you when I get home.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, the general came to my tent the other night. We talked for a while, but I was surprised he came to see me of all people, me! Do you know what he told me? He told me that when I drum, I shouldn’t beat too slowly because the hearts of the soldiers would be slow, lazy, and they would march too slowly and the enemy would get to us before we got to them. He also said don’t beat too fast because the soldiers who get off beat trying to keep up with the beat, then he said, “When you drum keep a nice steady beat, not too fast not too slow but just right, so the hearts of the soldiers would beat steady. You are the heart of the army and if I get killed out there you’ll take over. If it wasn’t for you there would be total confusion out there.” 

He also told me that it’s okay to cry the night before the battle because you’ll have it over with and out of your system, but the weird thing is, is that he told me he cried the other night. Can you believe it? The general himself crying! I was shocked when he told me. Then he said that the whole lot of us shouldn’t even be here, risking our lives and all, if we haven’t even shaved yet. I thought he was right but I didn’t tell him. I just sat there. Well, I have to be going. I’ll write to you as soon as I can, probably tomorrow. I love you. Good-bye.

  Love From,

Joby

Staci Haynes

Owl Creek

April 5, 1862

Dear Ma,

A few hours ago I was crying and the general came and helped me out. I really wanted to go home to see you, but the general held me back and told me how much I mean to the whole army. He told me that I am the heart of the army and that my drums would keep the army in pace. So I kindly told him “Yes” and stayed with the army.         

A couple of minutes later, the general told me to go inside and eat dinner with the army. It was the best meal I ever had in my entire life. We had delicious food like breads, chickens, fishes, and tasty fruits. After we ate, we packed up our guns and food for tomorrow’s war. I hope tomorrow’s war won't be so bloody and brutal, and I promise that I will come home in two or three days.

Love,

Joby

Vu Le

Owl Creek

April 6,1862

Dear Ma,

This feels like a terrible dream. The only difference is that I’m not watching but living it. I was just crying to myself when the general addressed me. It may have been kind of hard to see, but I knew it was the general, with his brass buttons staring at me. He asked me what my name was. I told him, Joby in a scared and shaky voice, almost whispering.

You may not believe it but it has been three weeks since I joined. He went on to ask me other questions. Then he finally shocked me, explaining about the war and how many won’t survive. Saying how I am the heart of this army. I didn’t know how to feel when he told me, I was the heart of this army. I was honored but frightened. Hopefully when I’m well rested and still alive I will write more. 

Love,

Joby

Chantal Brown

Owl Creek

April 22, 1862

Dear Mother,

            How are you doing? I’m doing fine. No worries. We have not yet battled, but it will be tomorrow. I talked to the general today. He told me there’s nothing to worry about. We had a long, talk. He told me I am the heart of the army.

            He said if I beat slowly tomorrow, the hearts would beat slowly in the men. They would lag by the wayside. They would drowse in the fields with their muskets, their hearts slowed by the drummer boy, stopped by enemy lead.

            He also said I am the General of the Army when the general is left behind. When people ask me what I did in this awful time I would say part humbly and proudly, “I was the drummer boy in the War.”

            Then the talk was finished. You should be very proud of me mother. I did it with a lot of help. I must get some sleep now, busy day tomorrow. See you very soon.

                                                                                      Your loving son,

                                                                                                    Joby

Breionna Davis

Owl Creek

April 11, 1862

Dear Family,

      This is the night before battle. I am having a terrible night. I just realized there is a big

possibility that I could die tomorrow because I have no protection. I talked to the general tonight. He saw me crying and he understood what I was going through. The general admitted he was crying too.

He said I play an important part in this army. I am the heart of the army. He said I am his left and right hand, he gives the orders and I set the pace. The words that came out of his mouth kind of made me feel better.

This has been a very difficult time for me but I am doing well. I have been eating fish and peaches. I have been sleeping well on a cot. Everyone has been treating me okay. I really miss all of you and I hope you are doing okay.

We are at Owl Creek by the Tennessee River. It is very close to the church named Shiloh. Tomorrow we will go into battle and I will play my heart out on that drum and signal the army to go into battle. I am sure that I will live another day and come home to you.

Love,

Joby

Angelina Taylor