This letter was written by Nathan Hiatt (1843-1863), the son of Eli Hiatt (1801-1880) and Mary Conner (1805-1848) of Farmland, Randolph county, Indiana. He wrote the letter to his younger brother, Eli Hyatt, Jr. (1845-1924) who had recently enlisted in Co. 117th Indiana Infantry. The Hiatt family were Quakers which accounts for Nathan’s use of “thee” and “thou” in his letter.
At 19 years of age, Nathan enlisted on 2 August 1862 to serve in Co. A, 84th Indiana Infantry. He wrote this letter from a hospital in Nashville where we learn that he has been for some time. He was known to have written another letter some three weeks later from the same hospital so he probably wasn’t released to return to his regiment until about the 1st of September—just in time for the Battle of Chicakamauga where he was killed, possibly in the desperate combat on Snodgrass Hill on the afternoon of 20 September 1863.
In his letter, Nathan mentions Morgan’s Raid from Kentucky into Indiana and Ohio which, unbeknownst to him, had just ended with Morgan’s capture at Salineville, Ohio, on the same day he wrote.
[Acknowledgement: My thanks to Stacy Cookenour who provided me with an excellent draft of this transcription.]
Transcription
Nashville, Tennessee
Hospital No. 12
July 26th, 1863
I received thy letter yesterday and was glad to hear from thee. I was glad to hear thee was well. I am as well at present and hope this will find thee and all the rest enjoying the same blessing for if health is not a blessing, I don’t know what is. I am about as stout now as I was before I got sick, but I expect that I couldn’t stand as much hard work as I could then.
Thee said that the state troops had come back home. I am in hopes they won’t have any cause to go out any more for I do not want to hear of [Rebels] in the free states but I expect it was well enough that Morgan went in there for it will put the people on the watch a little better. But I guess he will find it will not be much fun before he gets out of Ohio. I am in hopes so at any rate. I think he will not have good times there as he has had in Kentucky. I think the state’s troops will not have much fighting to do for a while. I see in the papers that they turned out to a man nearly. There is some that will not like to go.
I expect that I have not got any letters from the boys yet. I would like to hear from them. I expect you will hear from them oftener than I will. I got a letter from Sarah Conner in the spring and answered it just before I left Franklin 1 and told her not to write till I wrote her another one. I have forgot the post office address. I wish thee would tell me in the next letter and if you hear from Eli and answered, let me know how and where they are for I would like to hear from them.
I have not started my money yet but will in a day or two, I think. I want thee to let me know whether you got that map or not that I signed for last summer. Tell the girls that I am alright for I expect thee speeds around with them right smart since thee has got to be a soldier. I will close hoping to hear from thee. I still remain thy brother,
Yours truly, — Nathan Hiatt
[to] Eli Hiatt
1 The 84th Indiana Infantry was encamped near Franklin, Tennessee, in March and 1863. [See letters of William Randolph Way]
Spared & Shared 22 
I am related to Hiatt family. I grew up Quaker in Randolph County but in a different era. Our family farm was homesteaded in 1862, but I didn’t know of anyone in my family who served in the Civil War. This is very interesting, thank you.
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