of Co. E. Circa 100 items (approximately half from Browning, half from home front), 1862-1863. The 54th Ohio Infantry was raised near Cleveland and saw its first action at the Battle of Shiloh, where they sustained almost 200 casualties. After duty in Memphis, the regiment followed William T. Sherman into the Vicksburg Campaign, and later served both in the Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea and March through the Carolinas. During their service, six members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor. A staunch Democrat who was willing to fight for his country, George W. Browning left his wife, Cinderella (no kidding), and little son at Brooklyn Center, Cuyahoga Co., to enlist as a private in Co. E of the 54th. Within a few months, he was waiting on the field at Pittsburgh Landing, tending commissary stores: “the long Roll commenced Beating (I don’t know as you know what the long Roll is but if you had seen it you would soon learn) for when that Beats every soldier jumps to his feet -- Well in five minutes all that were able to March (unless it was some cowards were in line of March ordered to have one days rations in haversack. Well I was not obliged to go and in fact I am obliged to stay with my commissary stores unless the Colonel permits. I went and asked him to go and he said yes for he never denies me anything and I got ready... our course was principally through the woods through creeks mudholes Gullies occasionally crossing cotton fields and passing the enemies houses and was saluted by the Barking of the faithful watch dog who in this country is constantly on his duty and still we moved on noiselessly come to a thick swamp and woods which no one but a soldier could get through... We got there at 3 o clock formed in line of Battle to receive a charge of cavalry... we wated all night ready and they did not come…` A few days later, he tried to describe the scarred battlefield for his wife: “it is a beautiful clear morning down in Dixies land the Sun rises clear and Bears down on the many Rough and Rude graves which Dot this Battlefield. The ground hear is of a set surface and they have dug holes and threw them in By Dozens and by twenties as I ride over the field the sight is a terrible one. The thought of being thrown in a mudhole with a Blanket rapped round and not covered 6 inches deep is horrible to any one, But a Soldier Some times the Thought Shocks me.” Shiloh left Browning`s company depleted, and partly as a result, he earned two quick promotions, becoming 1st Lieutenant of his company by August 1862. Yet even this early in the war, Browning began to experience friction with his company commander Capt. Richardson, whom he seems to have thought a dunderhead. “We was talking of the strength of the South,` he wrote, revealing more about himself than about Richardson, `and how they fought and I gave him fits. I told him he was the damdest unreasonable man I ever saw said I you are the man that said they couldn’t rais a hundred thousand troops and that there wouldnt any other states secede and the war would be over in 6 months says I didn’t you say so and so and Didnt I tell you the truth he was talking about garding places with nigers and Dam the nigers that makes me madder than Ever. But all his freeing nigers stealing killing Higs & sheap and cattle chickens and all this thing that he doted and bragged so much about is all gone up and is strict the punishment is death so you see his fun of western Virginia is all plaid out. Colonel Smith is a good Democrat and looks at these things just as I do and He is smarter than a whip and always sides with me.” Whether it was these tensions that began to erode Browning`s willingness to serve, or his lack of zeal for the cause is hard to determine. Certainly, Browning was quick to complain -- sometimes justly -- but he was also inclined to dismiss Blacks as more an impediment to the cause than the cause itself. Near Memphis in September 1862, he complained bitterly about the contrabands whom he was forced to protect. “Yesterday was an exciting day,` he began, `General Sherman sent me out word to Double my Pickets and if they attacked me to fight them all the way in. He expected an attack for our men were comeing in with a lot of Prisoners and he expected them to make an attack to get them away. But before night they Began Comeing Back one attachment after another. Presently General Smith Came Riding up to me and said he had a Big train of Nigers following and I must halt and keep them 3 Quarters of an hour so that the men could get in camp and then let them come on and pretty soon on came the cussedest Lot of the Collored Population you ever heard of some hundred of men women and Children Rayed 1/2 naked Some wenches with children 3 weeks old and I assure you they were a hard sight. I will make no comments as you well no my opinion.” The Southern citizenry were little better and were cause for Browning to claim the moral high ground relative both to them and his fellow soldiers. In Memphis, he wrote of being offered a bribe by a young woman to let illegal goods pass through the lines: “I told her no madam I have gone into the army out of Pure love for my country and any thing I can do and not complicate my honor I will do but will not stoop to any mean act for millions. Am I not right -- others have tried to get me to go into the cotton speculation But if I should stoop to a thing of that kind I might make money But what is that to honor?” Browning seems to have held an almost universal contempt. His fellow married soldiers were a source of irritation: “I am glad that I have more respect and esteem,` he told his wife, `than some married men in this regiment have who are at the theater every night and in all kind of houses Drinking and carousing spending all they earn.” Tensions, too, began to split Browning from his former friend, Colonel Thomas Kilby Smith. Browning appears to have taken quite ill in the late summer 1862, and when he refused to report for duty, he was reported as a deserter. The letter ordering Browning to appear for trial as a deserter is included in the collection, as is the terse outcome: “Your ‘papers’ have been returned to this Office without comment. I suppose the Board regarded your absence as legal.” (August 1862). Browning continued to refuse to report for duty, claiming he was not fit. By February 1863, Browning was getting more and more adamant about leaving the service, having come to despise Sherman, Grant, and nearly everyone else below the Ohio River: “If I could get out of the Service deacently I would do so for I think there are plenty of men in the army who have not the charge that I have who have no family to care for, No Pratter at home calling for her Pa, no kind wife to Spend Sleepless nights on a Pillow Bedewed with many Tears. But there is no chance to Leave the army now Sherman has always been Worse to the Sick than an Iron man. Grant is hear now in Command and he is still worse. If either of them would swap places with the Devil Hell would Lose in sympathy what it Looses in Knowledge.” He resigned from the service on February 13, 1863. Among the highlights of the collection are two brilliant, long letters describing the succession of battles during Sherman’s Yazoo Expedition. One of these was written during the middle of the conflict is almost an hourly report of activities during six successive days of swampy battle -- the other was written during a later lull. On January 2, 1863, he wrote: “I improve the first opportunity to inform you that after One weeks hard fighting I am still alive while many have gone to their Long homes. I hope you injoyed a hapy new year! But I cannot say that I did -- you will not be surprised that I am very much fatigued, Sleepy and worn out when I tell you that we have been in the Battle field for 6 days fighting days and working nights in A Swamp in the ran without Blankets... Saturday we mov ed to the enemies Lines Drove in their Pickets Commenced the fight -- That night we Laid on our arms and at 4 oclock we opened a heavy fire on them with some 30 or 40 Pieces of artillery suported by out Brigade we pouring in musketry by the holesale and they replied fairly...the next day was the hardest fight we had in our ordered in line about noon. They had tried to cross the 6th Missourie Regiment and they crossed the Levy under a terrible fire Losing some 70 men they got on the Bank of the Levy the enemy on the other side not 10 feet off and we fought them to keep them from killing evry man that was a trying Scene. The enemy behind the Levy we in the timber so close we could hear them talk the 6 Missourie in our Brigdae Laying on our side Crying to us to shute high to not kill them, and the Rebels telling is to Shute Low -- They Poured terrible volles at us and in returned the same the 13 regulars wer with us and we fought till after dark the 6th came back and the fireing ceased.. [truce the next day] several of our men met theirs half way drank whiskey together exchange papers, Butons &c and talked of the fight Shook hands and parted soon to be in deadly combat again the news went like wildfire and Became so general A Rebel Colonel steped on the Bank and gave them five minutes to Leave or he would fire into them & they skedadled...” Much more. The 39 letters written to Browning come primarily from his family at home, but they include a few from family members of soldiers serving under Browning’s command, asking about pay or about their sons. Still other letters are from fellow soldiers, including one from A. Holcombe, Browning’s nephew serving in the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Peninsular Campaign, describing the Confederate defenses at Yorktown (all those canons!) and Union sharpshooters. An equally fine letter comes from an apparent friend in the regiment, Charles Trenk, describing the skirmish at Deer Creek during the Vicksburg Campaign a few months after Browning had resigned his commission. Having taken their boats up to Deer Creek to assist gunboats, Trenk wrote, `they found the Creek so obstructed with timber, that it was an impossibility to proceed, and were suddenly attacked by a large Rebel force, whose sharpshooters prevented our gunners entirely to handle their guns. Rear-Admiral Porter had given already orders to blow the steam-boat up, when our Division arrived in time to save our Gunboats. So for the first time in this War, the Army saved the Navy. This are facts. I was an eye-witness to it... I sincerely trust that You and Your Family will be in the best of health, and enjoy all the felicity you so richly deserve. You may be happy indeed, to be free from the chains of War; where hardships, danger, and injustice are the common fare of the Day. Desertions begin to be frequent again, inspite of severe laws, 5 of our Regt. have deserted...” Interestingly, Trenk was later reduced to ranks from sergeant. An odd mix of moralistic muttering and just plain griping, documenting the conflicting emotions of a northern soldier none too happy to fight, the Browning correspondence provides an excellent slice of Civil War life.