Rather a pretty town
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The title of this column may seem a bit unusual for an article about the Civil War which was filled with carnage and destruction. However, officers and soldiers of both the "Blue" and the "Gray" often remarked in their letters about the beauty of some of the towns and countryside through which they marched. This was true of Surgeon A. J. Huntoon of the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiments he described Springfield, Mo. as "Rather a Pretty Town" in the following letter to his wife "Lizzie." This and the following letter are located in the Huntoon Collection in the Kansas Historical Society.