A 4 page letter written in pencil on patriotic paper, with unstamped patriotic cover.  Cover has a nice patriotic engraving but shows wear and tear around its edges.  The stationary features a descending eagle at the top.  Some light staining and yellowing to the letter, otherwise in very good condition.

Charles L. Bonney was 29 years old when he enlisted as a private on 8/16/62; on that date he was mustered into Co. B, 103^rd OH Infantry.  Around 10/1/64 he was transferred into “120^th” Co. Veteran Reserve Corps 2^nd Battalion.  Mustered out on 6/29/65 at Evansville, IL.

The writer addresses his letter to his “Dear friend”, and indicates that he is at Camp Mitchell and that “the enemy area all around us”.  He notes that “our company and one more was sent out skirmishen the other night and was gone twenty four hours  Wee went within one mile of their camp the balls flew like thunder you better believe but wee want ____ any wee are now in the entrenchment waiting for them the woods are full of them our boys have drove them back five miles”.  “Wee are sent out on pickit wee bring in pigs turkeys and geese and chickins Wee are now on a farm belonging to a rebbel he is a Colnel in the rebbel army…”

At the end of his missive he asks that return mail be directed to him as “C. L. Ronney Covington Kentu[cky] Company B 103 Regiment in care of Captain (William W.) Hutchinson”.

This regiment was organized in Aug. and Sept., 1862 to serve for three years.  Having received arms in Cincinnati, it crossed over to Covington, where it was furnished with clothing and other necessaries for camp life and thus equipped it marched out to Fort Mitchell.  Its first year of service was spent in Kentucky, but in the fall of 1863 it was ordered to eastern Tennessee, where in its first engagement, at Blue Springs, it lost 3 killed, 4 wounded, and 6 taken prisoners. During the siege of Knoxville the regiment lost about 35 in killed and wounded.  In May, 1864, it formed part of Sherman's grand army and in the engagement at Resaca lost over one-third of its effective force.  The regiment lost heavily during the Atlanta campaign.  On May 1 its effective force numbered 450 men, but when Atlanta had fallen it could only muster 195.  It followed Hood to Tennessee and had another opportunity of showing its pluck at the battle of Spring Hill.  After Hood had been driven from Nashville the regiment went to North Carolina, thence to Ohio, and was mustered out on June 12, 1865.

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