While we grill out, relax and enjoy awesome fireworks displays, we should also take a few minutes to reflect on those who made it possible for us to enjoy today. The 4th of July is only possible, of course, because of our soldiers and the battles that they endured. One such battle, the Civil War, is carefully detailed and preserved through the Shapell Manuscript Foundation. On July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Private Ellis Strouss survived the heated and gruesome battle that took 50,000 casualties.
Having survived, Private Strouss penned a letter to his mother. In the letter he wrote,
"The Battle of Gettysburg is fought and thank God The Army of the Potomac has been victorious. I took part in the battle with my Regt on the 2nd inst and it has been my good fortune to escape unharmed. I am well and so are the rest of the boys in the Co. I cannot tell yet what the loss of our Regt is. We have many missing who may be either killed, wounded or taken prisoners…. The Loss in the Regt is (as far as I know) Killed 10 Wounded 53 Missing 68… Our Corps (the 3rd) has not started yet but we are expecting to go every minute. The Boys are all confident that we will whip Lee's Army so that he will not be fit to do anything more for some time to come."
Ellis C. Strouss enlisted in the Federal Army in 1861 as a private and was wounded twice in the course of the battle. He served until the Civil War ended and finished as a captain.
Let’s raise our cap today to soldiers like Capital Strouss and remember those who have given us the freedom to enjoy today’s fireworks.
