Gettysburg, July 19, 1863
Dear Sister, Anne
I received your letter of the 6 th on the 13 th inst, and was happy to hear from you. I am very thankful to Almighty God for his mercyfull goodness in protecting and bringing us all, safely through this terrible slaughter of human life. We have all escaped bodily injury. My property sustained very slight injury indeed, considering the heavy cannonading of boath armies. Our house was under fire of boath armies from Thursday morning until Saturday morning. An I hardly know whare to begin to tell you about our trials. When the battle commenced on Wensday morning (July 1) we took our children and went over to Mr. Welty’s celler. We stayed thair until Wensday evening. After the fire ceased, we came home and all slept on the floor that night, such sleep as it was. Thursday morning (July 2) when the battle again began we went to our own celler, (and) stayed thair that day. In the night of Thursday father came and took Caroline and the children up to his house. I was then in the celler by myself, that Thursday night (July 2) and all day Friday and Friday night until Saturday morning (July 4), when relief came by our troops coming into town on (the) double quick; happy moment Ann . The Rebs had my Tannery in thair possession for four days thay used the shop for a fort. It was full of Rebs firing on our pickets up at Welty’s fence. Now, Ann I will tell you about my warm and uncomfortable situation I was placed in after Caroline and the children had gone up to fathers. The Rebs occupied the whole of town out as far as the back end of my house. Our men, that part of town wich lays between our house and the Cemetary, wich is not much as you know, and the Cemetary and all the high ground for miles around. Our men ocupied My porch, and the Rebels the rear of the house, and I the celler. So you can see that I was on neutral ground. Our men knew I was in the celler, but the Rebs did not. I could hear the Rebs load thair guns, and fire. Thair was one of our men killed under my big oak tree in the lot, and one in Snyders meadow close to our house. The Rebs occupied Mr. McCreary’s house, from wich thay could pick off our men as thay pleased. Our sharpshooters found it out ,and kept a look out and finely shot one in Mr McCreary’s front room up stairs and killed him on the spot, and also killed two up in Mr. G. Schrivers house, next to Mr Pierces. I sustained no loss in Stock, but the Rebs broke all the glass and sash in the shop. I gathered up a double hand full of Minie Balls in my dwelling after the battle that ware shot into it from boath armies. If you could have heard the shells fly over our house from boath sides. It was awful. I cannot describe it to you, but you can judge from the number of cannon on our side. Genl. Steinweir told me we had 330 cannon in play, and you may know the Rebs had as many more, It was awful thunder. Virginia Wade was killed while neading up her bread for her sister up in the house that Ellen Frieberger used to live. Several others were hit on the shin with spent balls, ware if thay had stayed in thair houses, (it) would not have happened to them. I cant tell you all, it would take me a week to do so. Our house is prety well riddled, thay balls passing through our bed steads, no shell struck it. Father’s house was struck with Shell. Mr. Stuck’s house was struck with four shells, wich made large holes clear through it. Thair ware two shells passed through you old homestead, not doing much damage. I think we have given the Rebs a sample of Penn life in wich thay will remember Gettysburg, for even our beautiful cemetary has suffered very much. But I would go through it all again, the same fire again, if we had them back again, to repete the same woes to them again. But I think the fall of Vicksburg and all our recent victory will bring things to a focus. Grant is doing things up. We call our baby John Grant, fine little fellow he is too. We have had no Sunday for four weeks. Every church and hall is taken for Hospitals. I will tell you more when I see you. We are all well. Lile, Lou, Mat are well lickwise.
I remain your brother
John Rupp