Do They Miss Me at Home?: The Civil War Letters of William McKnight, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry

5. The Final Months (April 1, 1864–June 21, 1864)

 167 5 The Final Months (April 1, 1864–June 21, 1864) Unlike the previous chapters, this chapter includes an array of letters from William’s family. McKnight may have been killed in action before the letters reached him, or he may not have had time to destroy the correspondence before his death. In the only known existing letter from William’s father, Thomas McKnight writes,“My Dear boy I cannot write my tears blind me to think of the sufering of our Dear soldiers and the desalation and suffring this cursed rebelion has caused since it comenced. God only knoes when the end will be. Oh my Dear boy all I can do for you is to put up my feble prayers to the throne of god for your safty and for the safty of our beloved land which is now steped in blood.”Thomas goes on to close with these words: “I must close. I want to send this with other in the morning. So good by Dear son. May god watch over you is the prayer of your Mother. Good by Dear boy but not for ever. I hope to see you again.” McKnight’s letters detail Company K’s return to central Kentucky from eastern Tennessee. The railroads transported both men and equipment back to Kentucky, and McKnight was pleased to write that the Seventh was “nearer the home we love so wel.” McKnight also made a brief visit home from April 25 to May 6, 1864.This was the first and only time McKnight would see his twin daughters before his death just a few weeks later. Ironically, You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. the final months  168 McKnight was killed in action at Cynthiana, Kentucky, facing the troops of Confederate general John Hunt Morgan—the same General Morgan who had stopped at McKnight’s home in Ohio nearly a year earlier during his failed raid across southern Indiana and Ohio. Three of the final four letters in the collection inform Samaria of William’s death. William Hartley, a member of Company K, writing from Maysville, Kentucky, on June 14, 1864, was the first to notify Samaria of William’s fatal wounds:“your Husband is Mortly Wounded.” Less than a week after Hartley’s correspondence, John McKnight sent Samaria two additional letters.The first states that William’s body had been sent home and that John intended to inquire about “Williams effects” at Nicholasville—the location of William McKnight’s last known letter to Samaria, which indicates where the Seventh had been camped before the battle at Cynthiana. John McKnight’s last letter reveals that William had initially survived his wounds at Cynthiana and that John had “paid the lady that took care of him fifteen Dollars.” Samaria McKnight received these letters only shortly after receivingWilliam’s penultimate letter, in which he signed off “Yours truly until Death.”  April 1st 1864 Salem1 Dearest Brother, I embrace the preasant opportunity to addreys you a few lines in answer to yours of the 20th which I received last evening. We were very hapy to hear from you. We also heard from you by John Wiseman who got home on the 26th. Father went up and seen him the next day. Sister Susan has improved some in health cince I last wrote to you and is in hopes that Brown can help if not cure her. Elliott has been very sick with his fitts for a few days. I heard from him about an hour ago and he was no better. If it was not that he has had just sutch spells before we would not have mutch hopes of his recovery. James Sandsburry has been very sick for about three weeks but is a little better today.2 Samaria and the children are well also all the rest of our friends and relations as far as I know at presant. John has up and payed us a vissit last sabath. He says You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. April 1, 1864 –June 21, 1864  169 Hannah...