Dear wife, I with pleasure take my pencil in hand to let you no that I am
well at this time and I dwo hope when you git these few lines tha will
find you all well and harty. I hante had no answer from my last letter I
sent you with ten dollars in it but I thout I wood right you a few lines
and send you ten moore in it and I want you to right me a answer as soon
as you git this if you git it a tall, for I will be uneasy about it tell I
her and Mima, I want you to send me a par of yourn gloves for I cant git
enny her and the best way to send it is to do it up in a nusepaper and put
it in a invelope and direct it jest like you do your letters. And send
some thread for I cant git a bit to sow my buttons on my pants when tha
brak of. If you send them, send them soon as you can for I nead them mity
bad Mima. I cant right much this time. I am two or three letters ahead
of you ennyhow. I hante no nuse only we ar looking for another fight ever
minit. If you git this money I want you to git little Jonny a par of
boots and all of the rest what tha neade and donte forgit yourself. So
Mima, let me no soon about it so I will close these few lines so farwell
my Dear wife untell Death.
Hillory Shifflet
This was the last letter Hillory wrote. He was killed in action in the Battle of Mission Ridge (near Chattanooga) three days later, on 25 November 1863. A cannonball shot away his left shoulder and he died within the hour.
Hillory Shifflet was born 9 January 1823 in Madison Co., KY; the son of Fountain and Rebecca Coyle Shiflet. He was the second of 12 children. Hillory married 27 June 1843 Jemima Cox. Jemima was born 8 November 1822, Madison County, KY; died 1881 in Dayton, OH. Jemima was the daughter of Jesse and Mary Wagle Cox, and grand-daughter of John and Jemima Todd Wagle; John Wagle was a Revolutionary War Veteran [R10996] from Rowan Co., NC who moved his family to Madison Co., KY after the Revolutionary War.
Hillory was the grandson of Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb Shiflett Jr., who married in Albemarle County, VA prior to moving to KY. Thomas was a Revolutionary War Veteran [W8718]. Great-grandparents were Thomas and Patience Shiflett of Albemarle County and Richard Lamb of Rockingham County.
Hillory served in the First Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, Infantry, Company C, under Captain James J. Jones, and is buried at:
Chattanooga National Cemetery, Section B, Grave 698, Hillory Shefflet,
Pvt.
Read a brief synopsis by the National Park Service of the Battle for Chattanooga. Or, for a more in depth account, with a photo of Missionary Ridge,
visit the Missionary Ridge page from the Blue and Gray Trail. (Both are outside links, please hit your BACK button to return.) The Battle for Chatanooga occurred November 23-25, 1863 and gave the Union control of Chattanooga.
