Co. A 20th Iowa, Oct 1862 - Personal Letter

[Dan Limb]

Hello Pards,

I thought I would share something that came to me out of nowhere, but has made an indelible mark on me. It is a letter written by my direct ancestor, James M. Hergesheimer, Co. A, 20th Iowa. Someone contacted me online about him and told me there was a museum in Bentonville Arkansas that had a letter written by him. I checked it out, and my jaw dropped when I saw it was indeed from him! He did not survive the war, so it was especially sobering to read this. I can;t find the museum link, so I am uploading some images of the original, and the transcript.

Some of the highlights:

• Talking about the long march the 20th made.
• some details of the aftermath.
• He was detailed as a cook, so he talks about rations.
• Names of comrades in the Regiment
• Talk of disease in camp
• A few other details that we love to get.

James M. Hergesheimer would die of disease in February 1863, and is buried in Springfield Missouri at the National Cemetary. The son he talks about would have been my gggrandfather John A Hergesheimer.

Anyway, enjoy a nice primary source from my family's history.

Regards,

Dan Limb

[lojafan]

Re: Co. A 20th Iowa, Oct 1862 - Personal Letter

This is great stuff! Which museum has this? I grew up in Bentonville and live in the area still and my parents are originally from Iowa. Thank you for sharing this.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Co. A 20th Iowa, Oct 1862 - Personal Letter

Thanks for sharing this. I had a relative in Company K of the 20th, so it's always nice to see a bit of their shared history.