The Civil War Letters
of Private Jakob
Weiss (Jacob Wise)
107 Ohio Infantry, Co. D
Letters from soldiers paint the most honest picture of the real Civil War.
These letters provide a window to the past though which all can experience
the emotions of those who participated.
Jakob
Weiss entered service with the Union Army on August 15, 1862 in Georgetown,
Ohio for a term of 3 years. Company records tell us Jakob was 18 years old, stood 5’10
½ high, had a dark complexion, hazel eyes, dark hair and was a farmer.
He was assigned to the 107 Ohio Infantry, Co. D.
Company records give him the anglicized name "Jacob Wise".
He served until wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of
Chancellorsville, Virginia on May 2, 1863. He was kept on the company rolls until the end of the Civil
War and discharged on July 10, 1865. He was never heard from again after his capture and it was
assumed that he died of his wounds while a prisoner of war. Record keepers
for the unit presume that Jakob is buried in a mass grave somewhere near Chancellorsville.
The 107th Ohio Infantry was formed August 25, 1862 with 1,000 young men.
Casualties were heavy for this unit--after the battle of Gettysburg in July,
1863 only 111 men remained.
Young Jakob’s life was cut short before he could marry and have children, so
his letters were lovingly preserved by his sister, Meri Weiss Wefler (Mary).
She passed them down in the Wefler family and in 1998, John & Mona
Wefler had the letters translated from the original German and sent for his
service records. These documents
are now shared with you, that this young man’s story be preserved.
The translated letters are listed in chronological order below.
In addition, a letter from Jakob’s brother Johannes is included.
Remember that these translations were done in modern times, and much of
the period flavor of speech are missing. I have included images of some of
the more readable copies of Jakob's letters.
No pictures remain of Jakob, and only his letters speak for the hopes
and heart of a young man far from his family and home.
His earliest letters were short, terse, and inelegant.
As time progressed and Jakob was exposed to the realities of war, his
letters became lengthier, more honest and well written.
He seemed to have more time to form his thoughts, and his thoughts
generally were of home.
The images on these pages are
of Civil War reenactor John David Wefler III. John is the great, great,
grand nephew of Jakob Weiss and the grandson of John & Mona Wefler.
These photos were taken when John was 17, only one year younger than Jakob at
the time he enlisted. I hope these images will help you to picture this
young man of Swiss-German heritage, fighting a frightening war far from his
home and loved ones.
Some links to more information on Ohio residents in the Civil
War:
These letters and their content are the property of
the Wefler family and are shared to foster understanding of the life of Civil
War soldiers. Reproduction for commercial purposes is not only tacky, it is
a violation of copyright law.
This site updated February 21, 2004
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