• Rebecca Pace email dated 23 Nov 2011:
  "Thomas J. Bloss was my great-great uncle. My Grandfather, was named for him. I believe a cousin, Glenna Porter, is still in the Springboro area. My cousin Bonnie Murray died January 25, 2008.
  "I have attached the copy of Thomas’ letter to his father. My mother hand-copied the letter to a legal pad in 1969. She noted at the top of page who kept the original letter. (We think the original is now with a cousin in Ft. Worth, Texas.) Mother’s original material was passed to another cousin, in Cleveland, Dick Bloss. He scanned this for us.
  "He died at Chickamauga September 20, 1863. He was in company F of the 35th."
• Dick Bloss email dated 30 Nov 2011:
  "Thomas was the son of John Adam Bloss (the younger) who came to Springboro from Elkton, Virginia in the September 1834 with his wife Mary and a sister, Sarah (Bloss) Scarff who later married Phillip Olinger of Red Lion. Another sister Eva who married John Miltenberger Jr. came in 1832 A third sister who married John Hess came in 1855.
  "He was captured 9 Nov 1862 at SouthTunnel, TN and exchanged 19 Nov 1862 at Gallatin, TN."

• Thomas J. Bloss Civil War Service
• photo of Thomas J. Bloss gravestone at Springboro Cemetery

• I believe the discussion in the letter about being exchanged suggests that T. J. Bloss had been captured and paroled sometime prior to 31 Jan 1863.

Dear Father,
Again I failed in my expectation of being at home. I began to grow weary of the lazy and monotomous duties of Camp Chase and was preparing to go home when I heard that the Commander of the place wanted to form a new Provost Guard and being told that I was exchanged I concluded to enlist as Provost Guard here rather than go back to the field. So I am now a Guard in the City of Columbus and I will remain here as long as I can if it is the remainder of my three years unless I have been deceived about being exchanged if I find that I have not been exchanged I will quit doing duty immediately and return to camp or home one or the other. I have not been paid year and see but little prospect of being paid soon. I would be willing to take a discount of 5 percent if I could get my pay for I am much in need of money.

If there is any letter there for me I wish you would put them in another envelope and send them to me for I do not expect to be at home soon again and all letters that come there for me have them directed to me at Columbus and I will get them, I have good quarters here and so far I am well satisfied but I can not say how long it will last the

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guard is poorly organized at present and when it is properly organized it will be quite different from what it is now and possibly not so pleasant and easy but I think that all that we will have to do will not be as hard as the duties of the field.

I am about out of writing material and Postage stamps and if I don’t write soon again you will know the reason but as soon as I get my pay I will write oftener. Please write soon and send all my letters that have come since I came away Direct to Columbus Ohio. No more at present but remain your Son
T. J. Bloss