Dear Josie,                                  December 8th, 1864

(Savannah, Georgia,)

This must be the 6th letter I have sent to you. I don’t know if they are reaching you or if there has been interference. We are still on what the Yankees call “March to the sea” which will eventually lead us to somewhere near Savannah, Georgia. 

December 9th 1864 

I woke up this mornin to see the Yankees crossing the bridge. I found it strange that the refugees were still sleeping, not aware of the fact that we were movin on. Now I am yelling at them to get up cause we are moving. They are taking away the platoon bridges, but none of us have crossed yet…. Shells are starting to wiz by. Soldiers are shouting commands that don’t sound right. Something is coming Josie I can feel it, I think—

Dearest Ms. Josie,                           January 6th, 1865

My name is Caleb, I am writing to you to explain the rest of what happened the morning of December 9th 1864. 

I was awoken by sounds of gunshots, and cries that let out final breaths. By the time I had arrived at Ebenezer Creek it was too late. The engineers had opened fire and the massacre had taken place. My captain informed me that this was planned by General Rebs. He never cared for the newley freed slaves, and when the food started running out so did his patience. He devised a plan to get rid of the cumbersome fugitives. That morning he crossed the bridge along with the rest of his 14th Army Corps, once they had reached their mark he removed the platoon bridges leaving the rest stranded. He then instructed his Union engineers to open fire on the fugitive slaves leaving them in a deathly trap. Many jumped into the river but even the ones who could swim were no match for its strong currents and deep waters. Some saw Mariah and Zeke both jump, but Zeke’s young body wasn’t strong enough, the young boy slowly drowned and Mariah died along with him trying to help her brother find his freedom for the last time. 

I found this half written letter in the tent that she’d slept in and decided to finish it for her. I wish I could have finished this letter sooner but grief has swept me to dark and lonely places. This war has changed my life forever, and forever is how long the memories of those that I lost will last. 

My intentions of finishing this letter were to inform a good friend of Mariahs about the final events that lead to her death, but now I feel those intentions have changed. I’ve held onto the guilt that I could’ve saved Mariah for some time now and I feel now is the time to let those feelings go. 

So this is my goodbye to Mariah wherever she may be, and goodbye to you Ms. Josie, I hope that this letter finds you well. 

Sincerely,

Caleb