John Cowan to James F. Robinson

KYR-0002-024-0130.xml

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Accession Number

KYR-0002-024-0130

Document Genre

Correspondence

Repository

Kentucky Department of Military Affairs

Collection

1st - 20th Regiments Kentucky Infantry Primary Source Documents

Item Location

Box 8, Folder 19th Ky. Inf. - Misc

Place of Creation

Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Date of Creation

29 October 1862

Dates Mentioned

1862-10-29

--10-30

John Cowan to James F. Robinson, 29 October 1862, 1st - 20th Regiments Kentucky Infantry Primary Source Documents, Box 8, Folder 19th Ky. Inf. - Misc, Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, Frankfort, KY. Accessed via the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition, discovery.civilwargovernors.org/document/KYR-0002-024-0130, (accessed April 1, 2025).

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Lexington Ky
Oct 29^th 1862
Gov Jas. F. Robinson
D^r Sir

The Col of our the 19^th Ky Regt. having been assigned the command of the 2^d Brigade 1^st Div. Army of Ky under Gen A J. Smith. it devolves upon me (its Lt Col) to address you. Suggesting some important wants of the regiment as I conceive them.

Four of our companies are armed with Springfield & Enfield Rifles which are of the same calibre & a good gun -- The remaining Six are armed with Belgian muskets which are of a different caliber from the rifles. This produces great inconvenience in the regiment & the having ammunition of different caliber in an engagement might result in great confusion and serious & inepairable disaster

Besides the injury from having different calibres the Belgian Musket is an exceedingly inferior weapon is very heavy & clumsy & with its ammunition makes too great a burden upon the march & worst of all from the inferior construction of its Tube misses fire very often.

I feel that it is almost indespensable to the efficiency of our regiment that its remaining Six [col] should be armed with Springfield on Enfield rifles.

They have been promised us time & again until we almost feel discouraged at the prospect of getting them & we make this the first appeal to our State authorities for assistance in procuring them with a feeling that you will do all in your power for us --

We were hurried off nearly a year ago into the service with Muskets gathered in from home guards & have managed to gather up the rifles for 4 [...] We need to complete the
matter [...] Springfield on Enfield rifles. I made application & [engaging] at the ordinances office at Cin as we came through [...] poor encouragement & without the interposition of some of our state authorities I think we will not receive them until the new Free State regts are first Supplied with them to drill & stand guard with --

Ours is the most indifferently armed regt I have ever seen --

Another matter I conceive to be of high importance to the usefulnesss of our regt is that it should be thrown into a field of service sufficienctly remote from the homes of our men to prevent that restlessness to get home & consequent dissatisfaction in camp & frequent desertion which in such situations always render a regt. a source of great trouble & of discredit to its state -- We had a great deal of this sort of trouble for 3 or 4 months
& I am exceedingly anxious to avoid it in the future.

These two matters I feel are very worthy of the attentine & interposition of our State authorities -- Our regt comes from the counties of Mercer. Washington. Boyle Garrard. Lincoln. Pulaski. Perry & Letcher & to avoid the trouble I speak of I would suggest~~ion~~ sending it on the Nashville. on Miss route -- I am aware you have no controll in the latter matter but your suggestion to the proper persons might be of great service= We have been cut down in our allowance of tents- one bell tent being isssued to 18 men. (which (should they all be in camp) it is simply a cruelty & outrage to require them to occupy -- -- The act of Congress gives one such tent to 15 men & then they are crowded --

We have about 800 men & 48 tents were isssued to them. but on account of inequality in the size of our companies, there will
be in some [cos.] a fraction of men over 18. when they are all in without a tent -- the tents having been isssued dividing the whole no of men by 18 -- instead of calculating the wants of each company. To meet the probably wants of our regt. we ought to have ~~about~~ ^at least^ 15 more tents -- Gen Finnell promised us we should have 22. more -- No tin cups plates knives or spoons were isssued to our men. They had to destroy nearly every thing in leaving the gap -- About 500. of each of the above articles would supply our wants --

Them with two coffee mills to each company when first equipped by The State -- If they could be supplied again they would be of great service to our men. They are generally quite poor men & the State could well afford them small matters to them --

There is nearly Six months pay due us & this should be attended to very speedily -- I know many of our regts have wives & children at home almost destitute --

I hope you will pardon me for setting out such an array of wants -- & proposing so much trouble to you but I feel I owe it to the men & that they need badly what I have started -- & that we may expect more assistance & sympathy from our own state than elsewhere --

If you have the time to reply & say what you think can be done for us. I will feel greatly obliged to you.

In Very Resply &c
John. Cowan

We were not furnished flies for any of our 30 Wall Tents -- & would like very much to have them

30^th Oct -- We are past starting to Camp Dick Robinson Please write me there

~~Lt Col A. J. Cowan~~

Lexington Ky
Oct 29/62

Cowan John
Lt. Col. 19^th Infty (Ky.)

Regt^l affairs.

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