Soldier describes spends time exploring cave
Author
Recipient
Date Written
Feb. 13, 1865
Member of Series
Isaah Clutch Ware was 21 years old when this was written.
The recipient, Mary H. Gallion, was 18 when it was received.
Isaah Clutch Ware died 67 years, 6 months, 23 days after writing this.
It was written 158 years, 7 months, 20 days ago.
It was a Monday.
Pulaski Tenn
Feb 13th 1865
Dearest Mary,
We arrived here at this place on Sunday morning Feb. 12th after 3 ½ days marching from Nashville and now while I have time I will describe part of our journey and some curiosities that we saw on our march. I noticed nothing worthy of relating until we arrived at Cave City (9 miles from the Mammoth Cave) where some 3 or 4 of us went to visit a small cave 90 ft. under ground. This cave I had seen near 2 years before while camped near there. There is a stream running through it from which the people obtain all the water that is used by the villagers.
There being a force pump in it worked by steam which forces the water through cast iron pipes nearly ½ mile to a reservoir built upon a hill above the level of the town. The cave itself is very small and runs back as far as the stream runs I expect. I followed it down one day about a quarter of a mile but finding no larger openings and being in water 4 or 5 inches deep the whole time. I became discouraged and turned back. On our march after leaving that place while we were quietly marching along, my attention was suddenly drawn to a small squad of men standing a short distance from the roadside, apparently looking at something on the ground before them. I went to them and imagine my surprise to see a river running directly towards us and about 100 feet under the level of surface of the ground and after running about 200 yards from where it first made its appearance, disappeared immediately under us and not be seen any more. That is a river which is only seen in its onward course for about 200 yards. The country around it is generally level and I did not see the precipice until I was close to it. The banks are very steep. No one would imagine anything there whatever when 200 yds. from its very banks.
I had once before seen a stream that afforded as much water as the wild-cat does for common, come out of a hill the same as a spring and run across the road and into another hill after being in open air for the distance of probably 75 yds. but never before had I saw a river.
P. S. Please excuse bad writing for I being a poor scribe at best, can not write any too well when cold & wet as well as tired & sleepy after standing picket all night and working all day in fixing notions around camp. Write soon.
Ike
Scans of Letter
