A mock letter of someone in The Civil War

Dear Johnson,

Soldier life is quite severe. We don't have the quantity of soldiers you have. Your army has twice as much fighting power as we do. It's a completely different life than back in Virginia. The battle we just got back from was terrible. I can't see why we can't just live as a country and accept the differences between us. What is life for you like fighting for the western Union Army? It must be way different from Maryland. It will be hard getting this letter to you, but if you receive it, please write back to me.

Its so tough training down here in Atlanta. The other day, General Lee said, "If you won't put all you effort into this, you might as well fight for the other side!" I told him I would rather stand in the next battle unarmed. I didn't mean it.

[Unidentified young soldier in Union uniform and f...

English: The Dunker Church to the north of Sharpsb...

Battle of Alquiri (Final)

I would switch sides just to give the Union more power and finish this war faster. We were fighting in Sharpsburg, Maryland last week. So many men died. My other good friend died during the battle. I found him laying dead while we were walking back to camp. His blue overcoat was stained in blood. His red cap, the mark of an artillery soldier, was tucked under his dead body. My uniform is different since I am the artillery captain, but only slightly. I am required to wear gold epaulets and a triple stripe collar badge. Anyway, our 87,000 men, each in their assigned positions, marched to Maryland to lead the attack. I was one of the many artillery captains and controlled the cannons we used. I have worked with all three kinds of cannons, The parrot, the napolean, and the confederate cannon. I have become very experienced at my...