July 2, 1863

Dear Jonah, 

It’s 5:30 pm on Thursday, July 2. It’s the second day of the Battle Of Gettysburg. It’s been hard without you, everything has changed now that you’re gone. Our home is a hospital and soldiers are staying with us now. We help them get better and send them back out to fight again. Although, some soldiers are so wounded that they need to stay here for a few days, sometimes even weeks. I would say we have about a dozen soldiers right now. Many have diseases and some have bullet wounds. We have another nurse staying with us, her name is Marianne and she is very nice. Mother, Marianne, and I are the main ones who help the soldiers, sometimes Johnny when he’s not at school. One of the soldiers staying with us had to have his leg amputated and we couldn’t provide him with anesthetics. Last week we had a soldier die, Mother told Johnny and me to bury him in the backyard. The soldier’s name was Lucas and he was around your age, seventeen. He told us what it was like out there fighting, feeling the guilt of killing so many innocent people. Lucas also explained how scary it was seeing so much death. I hope you are doing well, I have heard that this might be the bloodiest battle of the war.  

Mother is holding up fine, although she seems to be in a trance. She hasn’t been talking to Johnny and me as much as she used to, she’s just working and sleeping. Marianne is usually the one who makes Johnny and I breakfast and supper. Mother and Marianne talk a lot in their room after every supper. Johnny and I have tried eavesdropping but it hasn’t worked. He suspects they are talking about the soldiers and how we should help them but I think they are talking about the people they miss. Johnny isn’t as energetic as he usually is, I think he misses you the most. He still goes to school but he hasn’t been talking about his friends as much. Marianne has a husband and a son and they are both fighting for the Union. Jonny and I are sleeping in the attic, while Mother and Marianne are on the second floor, and all the soldiers are downstairs. There is barely any food for us now that there are so many people with us and the garden that we planted out front last March is now gone. I always have to take care of the soldiers and I feel selfish for wanting time with just my family. We miss you and hope all is well. Stay safe!

Love, Katherine