For most of my life I lived in Idaho. A couple years ago, I decided to try a new locale and ended up in Kansas. You might wonder why I did that, but that's a whole nother story. One of the consequences of moving is you have to go through pretty much everything you've accumulated over the years and then try to decide what to do with it all. In addition to that, friends and family may give you small gifts to remember them by before you go. In the midst of all this, you might find something really special that you had forgotten about.
When he found out I was leaving for Kansas, my brother Steve gave me some papers he had received from our Grandmother many years ago. The papers consisted of letters from our Great Great Grandfather Abraham Tawney which he had written to his wife during the Civil War. There was also paperwork from the National Archives documenting Private Tawney's military service; he had served in the Indiana Volunteers.
I have decided that I don't need to carry these documents around with me anymore. They have been stuck in the envelope my grandmother used to give them to my brother in 2010 long enough. Before I contact the National Archives though, I thought I would share them in a way that would allow all of us to experience the history of the Civil War and the people involved in it and maybe take a moment to consider what we think about all that today.
First Letter (Four Pages):
Second Letter (Three Pages):
Third Letter (Four Pages):
