March the 21st 1862, Pittsburg, Tennessee
Dear Mother,     It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to let you know that I am still in the land of the living and enjoying good health which a good lot of our boys cannot say. John Merllinger is pretty sick; I don't know if he will live through it or not. Well I suppose that you are very anxious to hear from me well the reason I did not write sooner was that I had no chance to send them home for there was no boats a going down the river but there is over too going down. Now in a few days there was 130 boats come in this expedition. We got on the boat at Ft. Henry and stayed on 14 days and we only went 175 miles. Our gun boats had a little fight here at Pittsburg with the Rebals. They killed 80 men and took 3 prisoner. I tell you they are afraid of our battle mud turtles as they call them. We have got quite a force up here for some cause or another there is some 40,090 of them Rebels up here in about 30 miles from here and we have over 100,000 here in the woods all in a pile. I don't think that they will make a stand up there at all. There men are most all going home. I suppose what we will start for Memphis in a few days now that is 10 (or 101 or 100???) miles here this place that they call Pittsburg is no place at all there is only to old buildings here and there is no body lives in them but our officers. Gen Grants Headquarters is in one of them we just got into our tents yesterday for the firt time since we left Camp Derment. The weather is fine here the fruit trees are all in blossom 2 weeks ago. It is raining a little here today. Uncle Sam and Ben are well and hearty. I don't know why I have not had any letters from home. I don't know whether you have wrote and they have not got here yet. Cuffy says that we will get the mail tomorrow and then I shall look for a letter. Well I would like very well to be at home to help put in the crop but I don't suppose that it can be possible but I think that I will be there to help harvest it. We have not been paid off yet nor I don't suppose that we will be until we get someplace where we can send it home. We had dress parade on a Secesh cotton field last night way down here in the south part of Tennessee a few miles from the Alabama line. Tell Mr Myreses folks that Andrew is here well and as fat as a pig. Pet Monday is here and William Wilfsong Henry Smith has been pretty sick but is getting better. Now I suppose that father has seen Licht (light) long before this time and he told you that (I) was alive yet. Well it is time to quit for I have a hard place to write. I have my knap sack for a desk and the ground for my chair and I am laying flat on my belly a writing.

Joseph R. Kennedy
Who would not be a soldier.

Direct your letter to Cairo Co. E. 40th Regt. of Ills Volt.

[A copy of the preceding letter was given to me by Rebecca Crom Bolton, daughter of Clara Lydia, sister of Joseph R Kennedy.]

A copy of the following letter was sent to me by Warren Peoples, son of Pearl Janvrin Peoples, grandaughter of Robert M Kennedy.

Bolivar, Tenn. Sept. the 17th 1862
Left Memphis on the 6th of Sept and arrived at Bolivar the 15th. Camped on the west side of town 1 day then moved to this camp where we still remain. On the 16th of Sept 1862 Col John A David came back to the regt. He had been home ever since the Battle of Shiloh. He got wounded in the right lung. He has not much use of his right arm nor never will I guess. I was on guard last night at the provost marshals office at the court house where I got this papper that I write on. Bolivar is the county seat of Hardeman Co., Tenn. and it is a mean dirty Secesh hole. We are camped about a half a mile north of the town on the ____ By R the first cars that I have seen since we lift Cairo. They make me think of home more than anything that I have seen yet. We have got one of the best men for Leiut. Col. that they can afford. His name is John J Jones of Fulton, Ills. He is here not in my tent talking to the boys just as though he was a private himself. He don't feel above anybody. He is not much of a military man but he is a man in every other respect. We have got no commissioned officers in our co. now at all. _____ has gone home. Recruiting ______ is in a bit. Plants has resigned. Our orderly acts as capt. Leiut. and Wilson Lenhart acts as orderly and every private is his own officer. Well it has not been but a few days since I wrote but I thought that I would write again and let you know that I am well. I think that we are agoing to stay here and garrison this place from what I can learn. I have had no letters from home since we left Memphis and some time before. I think that I will get some tomorrow. Our post master went up to Jackson this afternoon on the train to get the mail. He said that it had stopped there on some account. The boys are all wll since we left Memphis. We have had no soft bread. We had to eat hardtack, pork and coffee. Mighty little pork that I eat though they can't get that down me if I am in the army. I commenced this letter rather curious. I did not think of writing a letter when I commenced. I just set down to write then I thought that I would make a kind of letter of it. Well the nigger is going to getting supper and I will close I guess. I got a big ledger up in the court house and I don't do much but practice writing. It has been raining considerable to day. I just bought me a couple of loaves of bread. I am going to have bread and lasses and coffee for supper. I want you to send Harveys and Bubs pictures as soon as possible.

Yours very respectfully, Joseph R Kennedy, Bolivar, Tenn.

(Joseph R Kennedy died of disease at Natchez, Mississippi, 9 September 1863, and is buried in the National Cemetery there.)

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The following letter is copied from the ORIGINAL which I have in my possession. It was sent to me at Christmas, 1973, by my Aunt Flo (Florence Kennedy Brooks, my Dad's sister). She said she had had it appraised, and IF the original envelope had been with it, it would have been quite valuable. Frankly, I'm glad the envelope was missing, otherwise, I'd probably never inherited the original letter, which is one of my most prized possessions.

Vicksburg, Miss.
July 24th, /63

Dear Father, I take my pen in hand this morning to write you a few lines to let you know that I am still alive well fat and hearty.

We got back from Jackson yesterday. The Rebels evacuated as usuall. We burned this place and all the houses on the road between here and there. We did not have any fight out there at all. We marched back from Jackson in 2 days and a half. Pretty good for such hot weather. Drawed 2 days rations of hard tack out there which had to last 5 days. No coffee or sugar or meat, but as luck would have it we got lots of green corn and got along first rate. Never felt better in my life. I wrote you one letter which I was out at Jackson but I heard that the mail that it went out with got captured by gurillas between here and Jackson; if so you won't be apt to get it. I have had no letters from home since Vicksburg was taken. I can't tell yet when we will go yet from here. It is rumored that we are going to help Rosey as soon as we rest a few days and get some new clothes. The boys are all pretty well. We had one man died while we was at Jackson. His name was Charles Pecks. I saw George Drake the other day. He looks well. He has not forgot how to talk yet. He is orderly Seargeant. I did not get to see the Manchester boys but once. They have gone to New Orleans so I hear. They started last night. Well I guess that I will quit for this time.

Write often often. Give my respect to all inquiring friends.
J R Kennedy

I wil send you a list of names of men that have died out of our Co. since we came into the service:

1.Douglas Blodget	2. David McCloud	3. David Hays
4. Carlo Lathop/Sathop	5. Peter Welsh	6. Wm. Morton
7. John Frank	8. John Wilber	9. John McClintock
10. James Martin	11. Columbus Dodge	12. Jonathan Eads
13. Wesley Correll wounded,prisoner at Shiloh died at Libby	14. Porter Orner	15. Silas Lenhert/Senhert
16. Henry Chieghton	17. Joseph Pierl	18. Charles Pecks

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Post Hospital, Natchez, Miss
September 10, 1863
Mr. R. M. Kennedy:
Dear Sir: I have just returned from cemetery, where we committed to earth the remains of a soldier to whom his comrades universally gave testimony of high regard, and were sincerely grieved that they were called upon to commit him to what appeared an untimely grave. He was buried with the honors of a soldier, and the ceremonies only reflected the sincere feelings of the heart. "It seems" said one of his company, as we placed his body in the hearse, "that those we are called to lose, are those we can least spare". I sorrowfully traced on a board placed at the head of the grave, this inscription. "Joseph R. Kennedy, Co. E. 46th Reg, Ill Vol, died Sep. 9th 1863". Allow one who knew him only to esteem him, and who sustained the responsible position of Pastor to your son, to mingle his grief with yours, and your stricken family. Most gladly would I offer consolation—but what can I say to check the tide of sorrow. Though I tell you he lies awaiting the resurrection beside a member of Regs who was also a "soldier indeed", yet his place will ever be vacant in your family. There is time for weeping. But it is comfort to know, as I have said, and now report, that Joseph was not one of those whose death was unregretted by his companions. His memory is, and long will be, graven in our hearts. And, Oh! The highest wish I can express, the noblest prayer I can plead in the presence of the Most High is that this sad event may admonish us all to be prepared to stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Most Sincerely Yours in your Affliction
H. R. Servis
Chaplain 46 Reg.
P.S. His effects are secured and will be sent to you.

Bible Records Kennedy Family