April 16, 1861

Dear Tom,

It was april 12 1861 at 9:05 am when the chaos started. The trains moving by made a loud ruckus and so was the yelling. I opened my door to hear kids running in the streets chasing after the soldiers and also other moms screaming for their kids to come back. I closed the door, keeping the kids inside and wishing for a short successful battle for the union. The reason there was such a ruckus this morning was the attack on Fort Sumter. But that was only the beginning. It was now July 23, 1861 I had opened a letter from the mail it read:

“You have our condolences, we are sorry but your husband didn’t make it. He was a courageous warrior but he has died in First Battle of Manassas” while clenching the letter in my hand. How do I go on?

Love,

Joane