General
Banks in Maryland
Much
of the following is gathered from "Battlecry
of Freedom" by James McPherson. Oxford
University Press; 1988.
Washington D,C.
is surrounded by Maryland on 3
sides and the loyalty of the state was questionable when hostilities
broke out
between the North and the South. Western Maryland was
generally pro–Union but many people in the east & south parts
of the state
sympathized with the secessionists, - the legislature also.
On April 19th Baltimore
mobs attacked the troops of the 6th Massachusetts Volunteers as they
crossed the city en-route to the rail station which would take them to
Washington. Four soldiers and twelve
citizens were killed with scores more wounded. A few days
later Secessionists including the Mayor and Police Chief
destroyed bridges and rail roads leading to and from Philadelphia
and Harrisburg cutting off Washington D.C.
from Northern troop movements. Things quieted
down May 13th with a declaration of martial law in the city of
Baltimore and a buildup of Union troops in the
state. Economic interests in the state, based on
transportation with the north
began to prevail. Unionists won seats to
the legislature in a special election June16th, but there was still
worry about Confederate
activities in Baltimore. Lincoln
suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus and arrested suspected
secessionists,
including some responsible for the April riots, setting off
some celebrated
civil rights cases.
Following the Union army's defeat at Bull Run,
July 21, Lincoln resolved to deal
with Maryland with a “firm and
certain hand.” A large military
presence occupied the state under the commanded of Major
General Nathaniel
Prentiss Banks.
Banks was a political general. He had a
successful
career serving as a Massachusetts congressman,1849-1858.
His election as Speaker of the House in 1856
helped solidify the new republican party, melding northerners of the
American (Know Nothing/Nativist) party into the new
republican fold, where
preventing the expansion of slavery was
the crucial party issue. Banks resigned
from the house of representatives in 1857 to serve as Governor of
Massachusetts, 1858 – 1861. His appointment as
Major-General bolstered
republican party support for the war effort. Banks
was a model soldier, courageous and
patriotic, but he lacked skill in military tactics. He had
little success in the field. Still,
he served faithfully until the end of the war. Maj. General
N. P. Banks was in command of the Department of the
Shenandoah when the 13th Mass arrived at Darnestown. Brigadier-General
Charles Smith Hamilton commanded a brigade.
Gen Hamilton (pictured below) had
served with distinction in the Mexican American War. He was
appointed Colonel of the 3rd Wisconsin Regiment, May 11,
1861, and Brigadier-General, May 17th, then given command of a brigade
in Banks’ Division of the Army
of the Potomac. In March, 1862 he commanded a division.
Company C of the 13th Mass fought
along side troops of the 3rd Wisconsin at
the battle of Bolivar heights, October 16th 1861. The
association with General Hamilton was short lived. When
Hamilton
was promoted Col. Styles took command of the brigade. The
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
list the 13th Mass. as part of Col. Styles (9th N.Y. Militia / 83rd
N.Y. Vols)
brigade from October 15th.
The
following passage is from the Regimental History; Three Years in the
Army, By Charles E. Davis, Jr., Boston; Estes & Lauriat, 1894.
Thursday Sept. 5, Darnestown, cold, wet and
hungry, we marched at 6 A.M in
a drizzling rain to Darnestown, seven miles, where we arrived at
noon. The wagons reached us at night, when we
proceeded to make ourselves comfortable by pitching tents and cooking
coffee. As three companies were detached
from the regiment on September 1st, Company C being sent to Monocacy
Junction, and Companies I and K to Harper’s Ferry, it follows that only
seven
companies were at Darnestown. We were now in close proximity to the
rest of the
division.
The brigade to which we were attached was
commanded by
Brig.- Gen. C. S. Hamilton, and was composed of the Third Wisconsin
Infantry,
the Eighty-third New York Infantry (Ninth New York), the Twenty-ninth
Pennsylvania Infantry, and Capt. Best’s Regular battery of twelve-pound
brass
guns. For a few days after our arrival
the wagons were kept loaded and rations were cooked, in readiness to
march at a
moment’s notice. The expectations to
move soon disappeared, and the men proceeded at once to adorn and
beautify the
camp. Before each tent were placed two evergreen trees, while the
entrance to
each company street was adorned with a large arch of evergreen
boughs. When the work was completed the effect was
very beautiful, and excited a large amount of praise from many who came
to see
it. A picture of it was published in one of the illustrated weekly
papers.
At this time of our service men were detailed in
turn, in
each company, to do its cooking, a place being set apart for that
purpose,
protected by rails and shaded by a roof of boughs. It was soon
discovered,
however, that too many cooks did, indeed, spoil the broth.
Rather than waste all the food that was
issued the companies soon settled down to one man, with an assistant,
and they
were relieved from other duties. This
system was pursued until the time when each man did his own cooking, as
will be
seen father on. It required the patience of Job to cook for
ninety-eight men,
as we know from experience. One week at it was convincing proof that a
good
cook was a “heap” bigger man than McClellan.
While at this camp the tents were struck twice
each week on
sunny days, that the ground might be
uncovered all day to the sun. A wise precaution, and no doubt had its
effect on
the health of the regiment, which is mentioned in a report of the
medical
director of the army, to Gen. McClellan, as being remarkable.
The March to Darnestown, via
Canal Boats
|
From
the Westborough Transcript, September 28, 1862
CAMP
HAMILTON, DARNESTOWN, MD.,
Sept. 16th, 1861.
‘Dear Unkle:’ You will notice
that we have moved: - we have
given up tavern keeping; not because we didn’t like the business, but
our
presence was required in another direction. Perhaps a few
incidents connected with our march to this place might be
interesting to some of your readers. In
a few words I will relate one or two. On
Tuesday, the third of this month, we started for Bank’s headquarters,
via. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. The weather was
propitious, and everything
looked fair for a safe and pleasant voyage. But ‘there’s many
a slip, etc.,’ though nothing alarmingly serious
occurred to vary the monotony of our voyage down the ‘raging canal,’
except a
slight accident to our boat at a bridge a few miles below Point of
Rocks. Imagine, if you please, a canal boat gliding
swiftly along; rate, three miles an hours: darkness profound: on the
quarter-deck of our vessel, anxiously peering into the darkness, stand
three or
four stalwart forms (your humble servant among the
number). Foremost in the group, with hands grasping
the helm, and every nerve strained to its utmost tension, with great
drops of
perspiration standing on his massive brow, stand Lieut. M. (I came near
giving
his name). With eyes fixed on the
darkness before, evidently vainly endeavoring to make out something
ahead, a
voice from the bows abon breaks the dreadful silence! ‘tis ‘breakers
ahead!’
steer to the right, - another voice, - ‘steer to the left,’ – another
voice
evidently from a wag, - ‘guide middle.’ Nervous individual
vociferously inquires ‘What’s the row: where’s the
fire? Etc.’ A man on the bridge bawls
out, ‘Who the d---l is steering that boat? You’ll knock down
the bridge!’ Crash ! the boat has struck the
side of a house standing just behind the bridge, barely scraping by the
pier; a
couple of feet to the right would have carried away pier, bridge, and
all. After curses both loud and deep had been
showered down on the head of the ‘lubber who steered that boat,’ by
those on
shore, our Lieutenant naively remarked to them that ‘if they didn’t
like that
style they had better sell out, and take their old bridge out of the
way;’ and
a the words ‘stern, all!’ we backed out and ‘went on our way rejoicing.’
Arriving
at Conrad’s Ferry, we were informed that it would
be unsafe to proceed further by canal, so we quietly disembarked, and
marching
a short distance back from the canal, bivouacked for the rest of the
night. It had been raining, and so
continued to rain at intervals through the night. The rebels
had shelled a house here a few
days before, and I took occasion to visit it. It is pretty
well riddled; several balls having passed entirely through
it. I also visited the entrenchments of
our pickets along the river bank, and found them busy in the laudable
practice
of shooting at pickets on the other
side, getting an occasional shot in return; a very interesting way of
wasting
ammunition.
We marched
to Poolsville Wednesday evening, arriving a
little after dark. Here we found the Mass.
15th Regiment, and here bivouacked, without supper, with the order
to be ready to march at 6 o’clock the
next morning, without breakfast. Perhaps
some of your readers may not understand the meaning of the word
Bivouac. I will endeavor to explain our ‘style’ on
several different occasions. The
regiment being on line, in two ranks, the rear rank takes open order,
marching
backward four paces, then, keeping their places, the men unsling
knapsacks,
unroll blankets, and prepare for sleep. Two men lay one
rubber blanket on the ground, lay themselves on that
with knapsacks or boots for a pillow, then cover themselves with their
woolen
blankets and the other rubber one over all. In about three
minutes, after you get your bones fitted to the uneven
ground, you are in the arms of Morpheus. As a general thing,
it rains when we bivouac; so after we have slept an
hour we feel a peculiar sensation about the head; we wake sufficiently
to find
that the rain is pouring into our ears and down our necks; we shift our
positions slightly, and find that we have got a ‘right smart’ of water
all
around us; so we conclude to lay still, and cover our heads with that
pretty
regulation hat. We wake up at reveille
in the morning feeling refreshed and anxious for breakfast, but no meal
awaits
us, but a march of six or eight miles instead. Arriving at
our destination, it doesn’t rain, but it pours, and our
tents are, we know not where; they arrive after we have been waiting
half a
day, and they are pitched in double quick time; we make up our coffee
as soon
as possible, and are all right once more.
I have
seen nothing in any of the numerous letters form this
regiment about our Band, -- the Marlboro Cornet Band, -now the 13th
Regiment Band; it consists of twenty members, besides the major
drummer, and is
in a ‘flourishing condition.’
‘Tom’ is
working with his usual energy, and he will make
this one of the best Bands in the army if it is not already.
They are getting a great deal of new music
into their horns, and if ever they visit old Marlboro, all together, as
I have
now doubt they will, as the most of them
belong there, you will hear such music as never yet echoed among her
old
hills. Their nightly serenades here at the
headquarters of the Colonel, bring down great applause; and not without
just
cause either.
I must
conclude this long letter, and will do so by stating
what, perhaps, a good many at home would like to hear, - that we are
getting
better rations than we did a short time ago, and more of them, or
rather a
larger quantity. We have but few sick;
and, taking everything into consideration, I think the Regiment is at
present
in a very good condition. We receive compliments daily from visitors
from other
camps, and Gen. Banks was heard to say, the other day, that this was
one of the
best Regiments he had in his Division. Company I,
still remains at Harper’s Ferry, at
last accounts in good condition.
UNION
(digital
transcription by Brad Forbush). |
Another
account:
|
Westboro Transcript
September 21, 1861
Headquarters Dep.
Of
Shenandoah,
Camp Hamilton, near
Darnestown,
M.D., Sept. 9, 1861.
Here you
have our address, by which you will see that we
have changed our location since I wrote you last, and are keeping up
our
reputation as the ‘marching regiment.’
We left
our old quarters near Harper’s Ferry, last Tuesday
morning, embarking on board canal boats at Sandy Hook
for this place. We traveled down the
Potomac Gorge mighty slowly, but quite pleasantly; for we had time to
enjoy the
magnificent scenery which abounds here in such profusion. We
left behind us Companies I and K, under
command of Major Gould, to do guard duty at the Ferry till relieved;
and when
we got to Point of Rocks, Company C, Capt. Kurtz, left us, to take the
railroad
for Frederic. The other seven companies
continued to travel during the night and reached Conrad’s Ferry the
next
morning at about four o’clock. Our destination was Senecca
Falls, about six
miles lower down; but when we got so far, we were obliged to leave the
‘raging
canawl’ to avoid being ‘shelled out’ by the rebels, who were said to be
in
force on the opposite bank of the river. We didn’t see any enemy, and
it will
take a big amount of talking to convince me that there are
any troops on the other side of the river, unless I get a
chance to look right at them; however, Leesburg is opposite here, and
only 2 1/2 miles distant, - so, perhaps, there was
danger. We disembarked in the gray of
the morning, and bivouacked on the ground till toward night, while our
rations
were being got ready for a two days’ march.
While here
we were visited by many of the members of the 15th
Regiment, which is encamped at Poolesville (six miles distant), four
companies
of which were doing guard duty along the river bank. It was
quite a treat to see our old Northboro
friends – members of the Clinton Company – and they seemed glad to see
us. During the day, many of us visited a deserted
dwelling house close to, which the rebels had made a target for shot
and shell
a few days before. They must be pretty
good marksmen, some of them, for they put a twelve pounder through the
walls
and two partitions, splitting in its course a feather bed, from which
the
occupants had just risen in great alarm. They had completely
riddled the house and outbuildings. I’m glad so many of our
boys went to see it,
for it has convinced them of the utter futility of attempting to stop a
cannon
ball of the rifled persuasion. While
here we received a visit from Gen. Stone, to whose brigade I had hoped
we might
be attached. He is a fine looking,
soldierly sort of a fellow, and he don’t allow his men to be kept on
short
commons, -- not a bit of it.
We left
the river at 5 o’clock, P.M., en route for Darnestown, the headquarters
of Gen. Banks. We had an easy march of six miles to
Poolesville, where we bivouacked for the night on the same field
occupied by
the 15th Mass. Regiment. The
next day (Thursday) we made the balance of the journey, seven miles,
reaching
our present quarters about noon, in a
disagreeable rainstorm, which had taken the trouble to follow us and
give us
fits every time we were obliged to camp in the open air. (And
here let me say, in parenthesis, that
the hot weather we were lead to expect in this region is all moonshine,
or
something else, - we don’t see it.’) You
can bet – if you have a chance – that it takes a ‘right smart’ chap to
keep
warm nights, with only one blanket over him, - sleeping twenty in a
tent at
that.
On our
march to this place, it happened to be my fortunate
to be in the rear guard, and as it was a rainy day, and we had no
immediate
expectation of a fight, the officer allowed us to loiter on the road,
stopping
at the houses to buy, beg, or steal, peaches, melon, etc, according as
the
inhabitants were seccesh or
otherwise. In this way we had some
chance glimpses at ‘slave life,’ which did not astonish us, but did
convince
me, at least, that the colored race, as a whole, were not the greatest
sufferers by the ‘institution’ in this vicinity. One group of
contrabands, which completely
floored me, consisted of five little animated pieces of ebony, about
eight
years old. They were perfect little
beauties – black as jet, and glossy as a crow’s wing. They
were bare-headed and almost naked, and
the water ran off of their black skins in great round globules, which
shone
like diamonds. They were so fat they
were almost as big one way as another. I
tried to get one of them to come with me, but he didn’t quite like to
trust
himself away from home. I asked one
smart looking negro man what his master would sell him for.
“Wall – dunno – ‘nordinary times orter bring
‘leven hundred dollars, but reckon now massa
s’pose an’t nuff noffin,’ he replied.
Major
General N. P. Banks commanding etc., paid us a visit
day before yesterday, and rather astonished some of us buy going
straight to
the Commissary’s quarters instead of visiting the officer’s
tents. He evidently thinks it rather important that
men who are expected to work should have wholesome food and plenty of
it, and I
guess we’ll get it hereafter. He has
given us orders to keep two day’s rations cooked, so that new may be in
readiness to start at a moment’s notice. So you see we are in
constant expectation of a chance to fulfill the
mission on which we came out, but whether we rare kept on the qui vive to keep up our spirits and
prevent our getting homesick, or whether a fight is imminent, I’m sure
I do not
know. My own opinion is that we shall
get but little fighting, for it looks as though this Division was
intended for
a reserved force. Do you believe Jeff. Davis
is dead? I don’t; though it seems well
authenticated; but then you know he is’nt (sic) apt to die, and it
seems as
though I could’nt (sic) forego the pleasure of seeing him pull hemp
some day.
We have
got Brigaded at last; under Gen. Hamilton, formerly
Colonel of the 3rd Wisconsin. The other companies comprising
our Brigade,
which is the third of this Division, are the 29th Penn.,
9th N.Y., and 3d Wisconsin. We hav’nt (sic) seen our General
yet, but
hear that he is a rough sort of a Westernish man, but a good soldier.
You perhaps know that we were expecting to be
Brigaded under Abercrombie with the 2d
and 12th Mass. Regiments;
such an arrangement would have suited us very well, but still, if we
have only
a good soldier in command we shall trouble ourselves but little about
who he
is.
Our camp
to day presents a curious aspect. At least one half of us are
either reading
letters or answering them. We have just
received a mail, in which were over a bushel of letters, many of them
old ones,
to be sure, yet welcome. Where they have
been delayed, nobody knows, but we presume at Washington.
If providence
smiles upon us, - and why not, to be sure? – we shall be home to eat
our
Thanksgiving dinner, or at farthest in season to get our Christmas
presents. The fact is, this war is about
played out. It’s back is broke; and the
rebellion will soon be squelched.
M.
(digital
transcription by Brad Forbush).
|
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Letter of John B. Noyes;
September 11th 1861.
The
following letter of Private John B. Noyes, Company B, (Harvard
University; Class of 1858) gives a good description of the
social standing of the men of
the 13th Mass; their liberality and their character.
|
MS Am 2332 (10) By Permission of the
Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Near Darnsville Md. Sept 11th 1861
Dear George,
I have
received only one letter from you, that which came through Wm Allen.
Another letter which father said was to be sent
about 3 weeks ago has not & probably will not come.
The letters of father which came at the same
time were over due; one of them did not have 13th Regt M.V. on the
envelope and accordingly went to Head quarters, where luckily
Fitzgerald saw it
and properly directed it. I haven’t seen
any Post. Sept 13th 61. You needn’t ask
leave to send well written editorials if their object is
a vigorous support of the administration. The enemies of our
country are now learning that there is a
constitution, a union, a law abiding people South, and a United North.
I do not like the attitude of a considerable
portion of the Democratic party North who appear as ever to be playing
with the
hands of the Demo-disunion party South. The calls of
conventions in several Northern States have not the right
ring, and I think that the hopes of those who will not affiliate with
the union
upholding Republicans in a No. party platform are to be woefully
disappointed. It would seem also that
the cry of the Post & Herald against Andrews military
appointments is
groundless, but five of our 3 year Colonels being Republicans.
I prophesy that Governor Andrew will be
triumphantly re elected if he concludes to stand as a candidate in the
coming
state election. How does the Law flourish now in Boston?
– Perhaps as well as other professions. Do you get any cases
from Judge Richardson? I do not regret on any reasons of
business
joining the army. Perhaps by hanging on
I might have gone with Hinckley with a commission. I think I
could. But when I left he was sure of a cadetship at West
point, a bill for increasing the number of cadets
having passed Congress, a bill however which was finally lost.
I should have had a grand time with him, but
as it is I am not at all homesick. Our regiment is without doubt made
up of the
best material that has left the State, and our Company of the best
educated and
most intelligent men in the regiment. There are several men
in our company whose father’s money is measured by
the tens of thousands. One of them has a
large government contract for army bootes. All the men in my
tent have been in easy circumstances at home, and some
are men of a good deal of refinement. One of Gen’s. Chandler’s
sons is in my mess, but I must say he is by all odds the worst drilled
man in
the company. A Mr. Edson knows some of
my Lowell friends.  We have a Wm L. Garrison
Clarke who is a
serious pure abolitionist of the no bible belief stamp; but he does’nt
talk
abolitionism much though one of the ablest in the mess at an argument,
overthrowing his antagonist as often by ironical thrusts so concealed
as often
to discomfort completely his man
when
on the point of claiming victory, as by soberer reasons. We
are at last brigaded under Gen’l Hamilton
who is under Banks, who I suppose is under McClellan and Scott.
Since we were brigaded drilling has
commenced, and we have regular Company & Battalion drills.
Gen’ Banks has visited us two or three
times. He takes very little time to
thoroughly ascertain the condition of the camp, visiting the tents of
the
different companies, officers quarters, hospital &c.
Every one whom he meets is saluted, and he
has a kind word for the cooks & the sick men. Some
officers of other Regiments, I might add
our Colonel might be taught by him. Two
or three men of our mess, who are well acquainted with Banks visited
him at his
Headquarters yesterday. They were
received with great cordiality, and treated to fruit by Mrs. Banks, the
Gen’l
leaving his tent on business. The sentinel at the Gen’s Head quarters
stared at
our mess-fellows with goggle eyes when they asked to see the Major
General. The
quantity and quality of food has increased and improved since our
coming to
this camp. We have our own delicacies
also – sugar, cheese & molasses which our mess purchases at its
own
expense. I have been appointed
commissary of the mess by general consent & see that the supply
is kept
up. This is done at no great expense
& to our great additional comfort. I think you were one of
those who
thought the soldiers were a dirty set of vagabonds. Perhaps
you were not in the main mistaken to
judge from many Regiments as have passed, and seen in camp.
The Wisconsin Reg’t for instance just
opposite us, though pretty well drilled have clothes on which
look as if they had soaked over night in
a mud puddle; and there foot clothing is much the color of their faces
&
vice versa. I understand that the
measles is in their camp. At least we
were forbidden to visit them for that reason. Yesterday they
struck tents and left for parts unknown.
The men in
our regiment on the contrary who do not keep clean are generally
cleaned out,
or it is made so hot for them that they have to keep clean in self
defense. For the rest every man has to come out on
dress parade with a clean gun, & the brasses of it well
polished. The brasses also of our regular army felt hats
also have to shine, - ditto the brasses on our cartridge boxes, and
round
abouts. Every man has also to keep his
clothes, dress clothes, well brushed & boots well polished on
penalty of
being sent away from the ranks by the Captain who nightly at dress
parade looks
to these matters personally. Men with
unpolished boots generally find themselves detailed for fatigue duty
next day.
Now I suppose you don’t bleach your boots on an average once a day. Yet
many of
us not only come out at Dress Parade in the condition I have stated,
but also
at Battalion drill. Perhaps it was our
cleanliness both personal and Company that caused Gen’l Banks to deem
ours a
model camp. I think you thought tooth
brushes a scarce article among solders, yet many in addition to their
regular
brush have a second to scour their brasses with. So much for
cleanliness.
I visited a short time since
Fitzgerald who appears to enjoy
himself very well though at times he feels evidently sore at his
misfortunes. Not choosing to ask any favors
of his officers he does not leave his camp, which he cannot do without
a
furlough, which to be granted needs asking. As he does not
come to see me I can leave the camp so seldom that I
shall probably not see him again for sometime to come.
Yesterday who should come to see me but E.
T. Fisher, a
private in the NewYork 9th, just opposite to us on the N.E.
side. I did not know him till he gave me
his name when I notice the family resemblance. It was not
till over an hour that I was aware that I was walking with
Charles poet class-mate who for a time studied divinity under father.
He had fatted so much, grown so ruddy and
short that I had taken him for a younger brother. He sends his regards
to
father and Charles. Stephen had told him
that I belonged to the 13th M.V. R. while talking of Harvard
graduates it is worth while mentioning that Bigelow, (Biggy) of Fred’s
(?)
class is in the Stoneham Co. in our Regiment. He formerly belonged to
the New
England Guards and is now a sergent in his company. I note
also that two of my class-mates Lowell
& Milton are in the 20th Regiment which recently left Boston
for Washington. I am enjoying excellent health.
This is saying something as 17 men on an
average for a month have been sick from our Company. The strongest
&
Hardiest of the men are sick equally with the weak, I think more so,
and for
the reason that they are careless, under the impression that they will
be the
last to be sick. The news we now have
looks to the termination of the war within a year . May it be so.
Hoping to hear from you soon I am yours Truly
John
B. Noyes
I want father to send me a box directed to
J.B.N. 13th
Reg. M.V. Gen’l Bank’s Div., with no
town on the box. I persist in my
statement that such additional direction is useless and may be
misleading and
injurious to me. I want to have sent to
me
1st 1 pair woolen stockings
2d 1 silk handkerchief (this by all means.)
3d the skull cap I wrote to Martha about.
4th a wash leather bag, same size as my old
tobacco pouch
5th 1 oil
silk bag, 7 inches square.
6th. 1
pocket pare knife, about 50 cents; a pretty good old
will do as well as a new one.
7th
an iron spoon such as we have in our kitchen
a new one if possible.
8. a
quire (about 24 sheets) of
commercial note paper. I have envelopes
for the present.
9th. 2
or 3 bags about 3 or 4 inches square
10th
a
piece of cotton or linen cloth to rub brasses &c. with.
11th
Something
good to eat, in the shape of two or three leaves of tip top cake – rich
enough
to last till the end of the journey
12th
two
or three lemons, as they are very high here.
13th
a little bottle of pepper, as we have none
14th
a half pound box of Cavendish Tobacco &
a few cigars. I want a common supper
knife also. Send the box as quickly as
possible.
|
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Letter of Edwin Rice; Band
The Band member's
tents were
close to the field and staff, which may have given them better access
to news from the detached companies, and other events. Edwin
Rice
describes the layout of the camp and the schedule for the
band.
|
Darnestown, Maryland
September 18th 1861
Uncle Edwin,
I received
a paper and map from you last evening. Am very much obliged
for both. There has nothing happened here yet of any
importance. We are awaiting orders to move on for some
other place. We have been here about two
weeks. The soldiers have got the ground
fixed up so nice that they will hate to leave. On another
piece of paper I have drawn a rough plan of the camp. I don’t
know as you will be able to make it
out. General Banks told Colonel Leonard
a few days since that he had got the neatest and best looking camp in
the
division, but I don’t think his men are the best drilled in the
division. There are but 7 companies here now.
Companies C, I, and K, have not yet been
relieved. We heard yesterday that
Company I had had a skirmish at Harpers Ferry and had
one of its officers killed and some of the men wounded but as no one
knows
anything more about it, it is not believed. 30 men were
detailed yesterday to go and practice artillery at a battery
4 miles from here. We expect to have
some artillery attached to this Regiment. There is a Rhode
Island battery a short distance from here that was in the Bull Run
fight. They lost 5 guns, a number of
horses, 2 men killed, and four taken prisoners.
September 19, Thursday
The band
serenaded the Brigadier General last night and also the officers of the
Rhode Island battery. I heard this morning that one of Co.
I’s men was
shot dead while on picket duty a few days since at Harpers Ferry.
His name was Spencer.
 The above is a rough plan of our camp.
Don’t know as you will be able to make out
much of it. The round marks are the
companies’ tents, the square ones are the officers tents, the small
dots are
the evergreen trees which the men have set into the ground.
This makes
the camp look as though it was pitched in a grove of evergreen.
The spaces between each companies’ tents are
named streets and avenues. We have had
our spring fixed so that we can get water now. The Col.
had the spring dug out and set a barrel into it and then fixed a trough
into
the barrel so the water would run out. Then he covered the
barrel over with a flat stone and covered with
gravel and leaves. The place where the
water runs out is 15 feet from the spring. The water is the
best we have had in any place yet.
The name of
our camp is “Camp Hamilton”
after the General of the Brigade which we belong to. It is
expected that
General McClellan will visit the Brigade today. I don’t suppose we
shall know
him when he comes as I have heard that he does his visiting “incog.”
[break]
A Wisconsin
Regiment which was encamped a short distance from here left last week
for Missouri
to join Gen. Fremont’s division. The 4th Conn. Regt which has
been here a
little more than a week, has had two of its members die since it has
been
here.
When I left Massachusetts, I weighed about
145 lbs. I weighed myself this morning
and found I had gained 11 lbs. since I left Mass.
which is better than some have done.
The Band
have had to work pretty hard for a week past. The first thing
we have to do is to play at guard mounting at 8 o’clock which takes
about an hour. Then rehearse two hours before dinner and two
hours after, and then play at regimental drill at 4 o’clock which takes
an hour, then at dress parade at 5:30 which takes ¾ of an hour, and
play for
half an hour sometime during the evening before the Colonel’s tent.
Some days we do not rehearse only part of the
day, and some days not any.
There is
but a very little sickness in the Regiment now. Our mail to
and from Washington
is not very regular. As it leaves in
about an hour, I shall close this in order to have it go.
Yours, Edwin Rice
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Page
The Routine of Camp; Letter
from the Cambridge Chronicle
|
(Letter
transcription from the now defunt web-site "Letters of the Civil War").
From the Cambridge
Chronicle, October 5, 1861.
THIRTEENTH
MASSACHUSETTS.
We are
still here at Headquarters. Gen. Banks’
residence is about a mile or so from us, and pleasantly situated. He is
a
perfect jewel, so to speak, he takes such an interest in our affairs,
sees that
we are treated well, and are supplied with all that tends to make the
soldier
comfortable, and lessen the many hardships and privations to which life
in camp
is always subjected. He visited us recently, in company with mayor
Wrightman,
Councilman Spurr, and two or three other gentlemen from Boston.
We hailed the General, and he then turned to
us and said; “Boys, I have brought Mayor Wrightman here to see you;
can’t we
give him a military salute?” Lieut.
Chas. H. Hovey, of Co. D, then stepped in front of the gathering
throng, as
they pressed near to catch a glimpse of their General and proposed
three cheers
for Mayor Wrightman. We gave three rousing
hearty Massachusetts cheers. It
would have done our soul good to hear them. If Jeff. Davis
had been within five miles of our camp, these cheers would have made
him
tremble and shake worst than when he does with the fever and ague.
The
General, in company with his guests, then visited our kitchens.
A kitchen is made of four crotched poles
fastened in the ground, about ten feet high, upon which are placed
poles from
corner to corner, to support the roof or covering. The roof consist of
boughs
and limbs covered with thick leaves, which hang down around the edges
of the
frame, making it very picturesque, and also very shady in the heat of
the day,
which here is very oppressive, and causes us to flee to the woods on
the north
side of our camping grounds, there to have a comfortable snooze under
the shady
trees, or to walk around over hill and dale, and settle our dinner of
“salt
junk and hard bread.”
We are
blessed with a most delightful place for a camp. Most of the regiments
in our
vicinity are situated on old camping grounds, where there have been
camps
before, and so are trodden down and sometimes left in bad condition.
But thanks
to our Colonel, we have a most healthy and pleasantly situated camp. It
is on a
large open field or pasture, with a thick shady grove on the north side.
To the south of us is the Wisconsin Regiment;
on the east side is a very large field occupied in pat by the Fourth
Connecticut Regiment, which has lately arrived here; and on our west is
an
immense cornfield, with its tall stalks waving to and fro, as
the southern breezes pass over it. In extent it exceeds any
that I ever saw
north. In this State such fields are very numerous, sometimes extending
two or
three miles without an opening or a fence between. Our field is so
large that,
besides the space occupied by our tents, there is more room left to
drill on
than there is in the whole parade ground on Boston Common.
We have the
following orders of the day; 5 A.M., roll call; 5:15, police duty; 6,
surgeon’s
call; 6:30, drill; 7:30, recall from drill; 8, breakfast; 8:30, drill;
9:30
recall from drill; 10, guard mounting; 12:30 P.M., dinner; 3, battalion
drill;
5:45, recall from drill; 6, dress parade; 7, supper; 9, tattoo; 9:30,
taps; At
5:45 A.M., call we turn out with shovels, brooms, pick axes, and
various other
kinds of West India goods, and each company cleans up the dust, dirt
straw,
&c, which can be found around its tents, and the rubbish is
conveyed to
some place for it, outside of the camp. By this means, our
whole camp, from one end to the other, is kept
decidedly clean, and cannot be otherwise than perfectly healthy, which,
I am
extremely happy to say it is now. There are but very few occupants of
the
hospital, and in most cases by reason of accident. Our camp
is one of pride, and as such, we
strive to find ways to improve it; and when a profitable suggestion is
made –
and for such we are constantly on the alert – it is quickly acted upon,
and
most willingly, too, for we have achieved for our camp the reputation
of a “model
camp,” and Major General Banks has been heard to say the “the camp of
the
Thirteenth Mass. Regiment is the handsomest and neatest camp in his
whole
division.” So much for Massachusetts.
We are
having quite an easy time here now, and we need it very much, I assure
you. It is
reported that no other regiment in this vicinity has passed through
such hard
and trying times as the Thirteenth. We have done nought but start for a
place,
and get half way there and receive new orders, and turn off and march
to another. After we got started on the march, sometimes
our baggage train would get stuck, so that after we arrived at our
destination,
we had to wait in some cases more than a day, before we could get our
regular
salt junk.
But such is
war, and so we will forbear further complaints, although they are
certainly
justifiable, because the cause of our hunger, many times, and sometimes
even
when we have been settled down in camp, is the lack of proper attention
on the
part of some officer or officers, we know not who, whose business it is
to look
out for our welfare in that respect, and to see a thousand men, tired,
worn out
and fatigued almost beyond human endurance, do not lay down upon their
blankets
at night to rest, destitute of food to nourish them for that day’s
work, or to
strengthen them for the arduous duties of the morrow. We came here with
the
expectation of under-going trials and privations, of meeting dangers
and
hardships, which in war are always plenty enough without imposing upon
us any
that are unnecessary, caused by the failure to perform duty, or the
incompetency of officers.
I say we
expected these trials, and are willing yet to undergo them again and
again, if
we can but have the opportunity of striking one blow for that glorious
flag,
the stars and stripes, and for our laws and our government.
We will willingly die to maintain them, and
under their mantle, should we ever again meet you at home - sweet –
home, we
hope to see you enjoy life and comfort, without the fear of having the
constitution wrenched from you grasp and trampled upon by those who,
have
become worldly beneath its blessings, now turn upon it, and would
trample it
under foot, crushing, as it were, the very hand that has fed them, and
made
them what they are.
We have
tried them and found out what they are; but at what a sacrifice! And
yet, who
shall say that it is not “all for the best”? Individual life
needs this assurance at every moment, and national life
is weak indeed without it. It is just such a faith as flows from the
consciousness
of the truth, that we require to-day, with the clouds of war rolling
heavy
above us, and the flood tide of danger surging close to our country’s
heart. And the corner-stone of its
salvation is our faith in its stability, and our loyalty to its cause.
Let us be loyal and true and all will yet be
well.
May the
great God of Battles be with and strengthen us, and victory will then
by ours.
Yours in hope,
Edward
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Letter of John B. Noyes;
Review at Darnestown.
Regimental historian Charles E. Davis, Jr.
(private,
Company B) made a point to ridicule the hats issued to the
regiment at Sandy Hook. (see that page for a description).
The ungainly items were unpopular and were quickly disposed
of by
the men. Davis describes two reviews at Darnestown where the
hats
were featured prominently. Of the second review he wrote:
"Wednesday, October 2. We were reviewed to-day by
General
Banks, and were the observed of all observers because of our hats, the
brasses of which had been carefully polished for the occasion, and
reflectd a yellow light over the entire division. We were not
happy at the comments, and from this day they began their mysterious
and gradual disappearance, until the last one was gone."
The following letter of Private John Noyes,
Company
B mentions the reviews, comments on a Chaplain's duties and
tells of a deserter from Company B.
|
MS Am2332
(14) By Permission of the Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Near
Darnestown Md, Wednesday Oct. 2d 1861
Dear Charles; I have
been unable to write home for a few days back on account of rather
excessive
duty. Fast day, on which day according
to Pres’t Lincoln we were to do nothing, we were obliged to put on our
best
looks and march to a field near Darnestown to attend religious services.
On the 28th I was detailed as
guard of stores at Darnestown. Co. B,
stood guard on the 30th, and Gen’l Banks held a Division Review
yesterday at Darnestown. Although you
have received letters from me dated after the sending of yours, yet I
think I
have written none with either of yours before me. Yours of
Sept 10th reached me on
the 18th, & that of the 19th on the 27th. There is an
inexplicable irregularity in the
mails. While some letters come in 3 days
others from the same places are 10 days in coming. Instance
Martha’s letter to me of the 18th
ult. reached me on the 29th while others of the 20th
arrived on the 24th. We do
not have much reading matter outside of the daily newspapers and weekly
illustrated papers. Occasionally a dime
novel periodical. A few books are in
camp, enough for our needs. I should
like a daily paper, and if it would’nt trouble you I should like to
accept your
offer of a daily paper for 3 months. So
you may send me the Boston Daily Courier for the next 3 months
beginning as
quick as possible. I haven’t seen a
Courier since I started, though I often see the Journal and Herald,
occasionally a Post & Traveller. I
have Vanity Fair sent me regularly and the Weekly St. Louis democrat or
some
illustrated paper. Wallace Hinckley is
kind enough to do this unsolicited. He
surprised me by sending me by mail the other day a couple of quires of
French
quarto writing paper, wide lined across & downwards, chaquier
(checker) board style stamped with the
initial N. – not as a hint, because
I needed none, but out of sheer good
will. I may write you a letter on a
sheet of it before long. You say you are
sorry you did not go to the war with some of the Massachusetts
Regiments. Such a trip, I have no doubt, would have done
you a great deal of physical good; but I think you have quite as broad
and
fruitful a field of duty at home. If I
said the men were better than before they started, it was accompanied
by the proviso
that there was little here to lead me into temptation. They
don’t swear quite so much because
several of the men in the mess don’t swear and don’t like to hear
swearing. A sermon from the chaplain of
course gives the men a good time and opportunity to form resolutions.
The Chaplain does not go round the tents
much, perhaps because calling on 50 tents besides officers, would give
him
little time to do any good that way. But
once in a while he puts his head inside the tent while on his walks.
We see him however when handing in letters
and he always has a good word for us. The Post office takes
up a great deal of his time. I don’t know what the pay of the
Chaplain
is. At any rate he has the rank of
Captain. Does he not have the pay
also? You see the U.S.
has the right idea in giving the Chaplain the rank of Captain. If he
had a
lower rank, the respect held for him might diminish.
A fortnight ago or so I saw two funerals of
soldiers of the
4th Conn. Vols., the procession marching very slowly, officers and
soldiers with reversed arms. I was not
at the grave of the soldiers. The scene
however, without that was one of great impressiveness. No one
of our Reg’t. has yet died of disease
though one or two in Capt Schreiber’s Co. at Harper’s
Ferry have been shot dead by the bullets of the enemy. Sept.
26 Fast Day, our Reg’t went to Darnestown
to attend religious services in the presence of Gen’s Banks &
his division.
Twelve Regiments Infantry, one of Cavalry, and two or three artillery
companies
with their guns were present. Several of
the Chaplains of the Division joined in the services. Our
Chaplain introduced the service with
prayer. The New York 9th, a regiment much like ours, and
with a very high opinion of themselves were there. But it was
acknowledged on all hands that we
took the shine off of every
regiment both in cleanliness of appearances and drill. This
was of course due to the putting the shine
on our boots and brasses of our equipments & guns.
Gen’l Banks wore a hat with a peak fore and
aft of about a foot in length. Otherwise
his hat looked something like our dress felt hat. Yesterday
the Regt’ marched out again to
Darnestown, the Division being reviewed by Banks. I neglected
to say that on our return from
Darnestown Fast day our Col. who was on the stand with the General from
which
all the troups could be seen during the services, thus spoke to us
drawn up in
line; “Brother officers and soldiers, I have been looking round all the
morning
to find some Regiments to compare you with, but I haven’t seen any.
I wouldn’t swap you for any Regiment this
side of Washington.”YRiding away he said “I never felt so big in
my life.” The Col.
is a man of few words, very cool and reserved, giving no undeserved
praise
&.not chary [chary means wary] of blame when he thinks the
Regt. deserves
it. His praise therefore is thought something
of. Yesterday, I say, (I being left in camp) my
finger not being
quite well) the Regt went to a Division Review. Fifteen
Regiments were there and one of Cavalry, besides the
artillery. It was said by officers there,
and the Col. so
thought, that the Regiment did not leave the field second best.
What added to the laurels of the 13th
was that the Col. of the NY 9th was acting Brig Gen’l. He did
not understand his ‘biz’ as we
say. Our Col.
as Gen’l Banks came along reviewing the Division told the Col. of the
NY 9th to have the Brigade present arms &
present himself. He did not do it even
after a second suggestion & was at last ordered by the Gen’l
himself to have
arms presented. He also at another time forgot to give an order and our
Colonel
gave it for him, when he repeated it after the movement was executed;
thus making
himself ridiculous. An officer came up
to Leonard afterwards and said how do you do Brig. Col. Leonard?
It need not be said that the Col.
was well pleased with the appearance of our Regt. These excursions to
Darnestown are about all the noteworthy incidents of our Camp life
since my
last letter. Occasionally, as on Monday
we hear Cannonading which is indicative of fighting elsewhere.
Sept. 24th one of my company &
mess deserted. He was one of the
quietest men in the Company and his parents are very well off &
have a very
good position in Society in Waltham. I can’t conceive what
started him off. He certainly could not go home even if there
were no danger of his being brought back, as probably no one of his
friends
would care to see him. Two of his
friends and townsmen are still with us. The deserter was a
great friend of Geo. H. Kimball whom Geo. Hyde knows
very well. I lost my blue breeches by my
deserting friend as I had sold them to him on tick.(teck?)tiek?
He left camp with them. I don’t despair of
receiving a note from him if he reaches a place of safety.
The breeches did me no good, but I am sorry
to have them put to such a use as disguise for a deserter.
Saturday I stood guard at Darnestown at a
store my duties being to see that no one was cheated and no liquor sold.
The night and day was chilly and cold.
In the
eve’g I spread my blanket on the floor of the dining
room in the house of the owner of the store. In the room was
a great wheel for spinning yarn, the first wheel I ever
saw that was used for the purpose. Fisher the proprietor of
the establishment said that every family had
such a wheel. Yet weekly Fisher goes to
Washington or Frederick to buy goods for his store. Stores
here abouts are not conducted on a
very driving style.YA short time since I
couldn’t buy a pint of molasses at either of the three variety grocery
stores
in town. By the way there is’nt a
cobbler’s shop in Darnestown. Poolesville, 7 miles a way, so
I have heard has a cobbler. My health is still very good.
A week ago or so I weighed 132 lbs. 7 more than when I left
home. I never before weighed so much in my
life. We have plenty to eat & the
grub is of good quality. We have an oven
now and occasionally roast beef. We have
plenty of fresh beef, and the salt beef is very good. Baked beans and
plenty of
them is our regular Sunday breakfast. Our baked beans excel
all others. They are indeed good, with plenty of
molasses in them. I find that I now miss
my milkless coffee quite as well as though it contained “the juice of
the
cow” I put “army pie” also on hard
crackers in it regularly. Indeed I think
quite as highly of crackers as of soft bread now in my butterless days.YI
make up for myself a nice cup of chocolate
occasionally and expect to have tea once in a while when my box arrives.YI
have a dish of capital hasty pudding once
in a while.YMy regards to friends and a
kiss for the baby.YYours Truly
John
B. Noyes.
Footnote:
The
deserter was Percy
Bemis who shortly thereafter committed suicide in Montreal Canada.
This is
mentioned in the 13th Regiment Association Circulars
& in a Westboro Transcript article. – B.F.
|
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Letter of Private George H.
Hill; Provost Guard at Division HQ.
On
October 5th Company B of the Regiment was detached to division
Headquarters. Their duties were to guard prisoners &
sieze
liquor illegally issued to soldiers. Private George Henry
Hill of
that
company describes these duties in the following letter.
Hill's
memoir "Reminisences from
the Sands of Time" is a compelling tale relating his capture at the
Battle of the Wilderness in May, 1864, and subsequent time spent at the
infamous Andersonville prison in Georgia. Later, with
three other
inmates, Hill escaped from a train en-route to newly built
Florence prison. The memoir is printed in
the
13th Regiment Association Circulars; # 20; December, 1907.
This letter is interesting because it was found
with another, in the attic of a home in New Hampshire by Fred
Richardson, Jr. who
gracioulsy shared it with me.
|
Headquarters Gen
Banks Div. Darnstown, Md. Oct 6-1861
Dear Father
Again it is Sunday and as usual I will
write and acknowledge the receipt of
your last letter and relate the events which have transpired during the
past
week. But first I wish to tell you that you may now set your dear
hearts at
rest as far as danger to me is concerned for our company is now
"Provost
Guard" and our position is at "HeadQuarters" to guard prisoners
so that we are entirely removed from any possibility of danger for at
least one
month and perhaps for the war but I hope not so long as that for as I
have
always said (and I have not changed my mind at all) that I shall not be
satisfied to return without being engaged in at least one battle. But
as long
as we hold this position our place is of course in the rear of the
army.
We came over here last Friday and I have now a chance to show
my
authority as much as I please for if I want any water for anything or
if we
want any wood all we have to do is just go to the "guard house" and
get one or two prisoners and then take our gun with "fixed
bayonet" and march them for it, and our orders are to shoot them if
they
offer any resistance but they are all very civil now. We have only one
Secessionist now and he is a minister and was taken at Sharpsburg. The
rest are all from different
Regiments about here and are deserters to and one is sentenced to be
hung for
shooting the Major of his Regiment. Two are walking all day long with a
"ball & chain" attached to their ankles. The chain about two
feet
long and the ball weighing about 8 lbs. One has a ball & chain
on each
ankle. We are "on guard" about twice a week and have no "fatigue
duty" at all to do as the prisoners do all that. I have got tired of
saying each time I write that my health is good so for the future you
may rest
assured of that unless I write to the contrary. I live almost as well
here as I
did in Boston. Baked beans regularly Sunday morning
and today for dinner corned beef (not salt horse) and cabbage. You
spoke of our
nice looking camp in your last and said you supposed our street was
called (or
rather our tent) "Hotel de Hovey" but you are mistaken for as our
Captains name is Cary we named our street "Rue de Cary" and our mess
door was decorated with a wreath enclosing the inscription "Mother
Careys
Chickens". Our camp did look beautiful. Everything looks promising now
for
our speedy success in our undertaking and consequently our return to
our
friends much sooner than we anticipated when we left home. I received a
letter
from Aunt Adda last week but have not answered it yet. I believe I have
written
all that will interest you and with much love to all I will close and
subscribe
myself as ever
Your? Son
GHenry
I hope you
will write me how much you get from your farm. How many chickens you
have got xo xo xo xo GH
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Return to Top
Letter of James Ramsey;
October 9th, 1861.
On
October 9th orders were received for the regiment to march tomorrow.
Still fixated on the hats, Davis writes in the regimental
history
for this date, "Notwithstanding our beautiful camp, we were glad to
break the monotony of camp life. The hats are disappearing. The comical
shapes into which some of them are turned excites a good deal of
merriment."
Here is a letter of James Ramsey, Company E, dated
October 9th. For a time, Ramsey was detailed as one
of the
company cooks.
|
Camp Hamilton
Darnestown Md.
} 1861 Oct. 9th
Dear Father
I am
getting along nicely and as I had a few spare moments I thought that I
would write
to you and let you know my situation and feelings so that you could
sympathize
with them. In the first place I am getting along nicely, and am
enjoying myself
to a great degree of satisfaction. I
have increased in weight fifteen pounds since I left Boston.
I should think that that was doing pretty well considering the exposure
and
fatigue of a soldier although we are in a little different situation
than we
were in a month ago. Then we had a great
deal of maneuvering to do and important places to guard. It so happened
that my
turn for guard duty used to come every other day where as it now comes
once a
week, then we were so situated that it used to take some time for our
rations
to get to us so that it often happened that we used to fall short of
hard bread
which is the soldiers principal staff of life.
While we
were at Sheppardstown we were in a dangerous position which we then did
not
realize, our camp was situated on a hill within rifle range of the
rebels, on
their side of the river they had thick foliage besides a four story
factory
which some of our company burnt, as a good place of protection against
our firing
they could pick off our guard without danger from our rifles.
Since we have been in our present camp and
have talked over the times gone by we begin to realize the position we
were in
then and thing of the comparative safety we are in now and the good
times we
have pleasant days. I can’t say much of
rainy days out here we have to stay in our tents all of the time and
the rain
coming through the canvas or rather cloth our tents are made of and
makes it
very disagreeable. I had rather drive in
a poring rain that to pass such another night as I passed the night our
company
was on guard. It was a regular southern
tempest, between the hours of 5 and 7 P.M. when I was walking my beat
we had
the worst of it, it was almost one continued flash of lightning
I never saw it rain so hard before in my life
the parade ground was one sheet of water. When I was relieved
I had to go in a wet tent and sleep four hours in my
wet clothes. I wished that night that I
was at home but wishing did’nt do any good I has to stand the rain all
the
same. The rain has swollen the Potomac river to a
considerable hight (sic)
and interrupted the fording. I think Gen. Banks intends to cross soon
every
night a guard goes from our regiment down towards the river to stop
every
person coming or going from and to the river by the way the river is
about 5
miles from Darnestown. In regard to the
inhabitants I do not think they are the smartest people that ever lived.
In the first place their houses are slovenly
built all through the western part of the state. Sandy Hook
is a mean built place there is but one street which runs parallel with
the
river the place is about a mile long and a sixteenth of a mile wide
there is a
high bluff back of the village the street is built up only on one side.
Harper’s ferry is a pretty place but it is almost entirely deserted.
The people in the vicinity of Harpers ferry and Sandy Hook seem to
think that
this is a judgment for hanging John Brown. Some of our men
have talked with the people about John Brown and they
say he was a remarkable man and very Benevolent one. I suppose I must
close
this letter soon I cannot think of much to write. We do not
expect to stay in our present cam
the rest of the week. The report is that Stone’s brigade has crossed
the river
Gen Bank’s talks of keeping our regiment as a reserve guard he does not
think
such a fine body of men aught to throw their lives away in a battle. I
do not
know how much truth there is in that statement but I know that our
regiment is
the finest regiment in the division. The
members of the New York 9th
think we equal their famous 7th in drilling.
We have
fine times going a nutting we get plenty of chestnuts out here they are
larger
and better than our chestnuts we have plenty of them all the time.
I think I have had more peaches and
watermelons out here than I have ever had at home they seemed to be
plenty
around here one thing I have not seen an apple around here for a month.
I
suppose I must close this letter as it is growing late and I have burnt
out
most a whole candle writing already.
Give my
love to all
From
your son
Jas.
F. Ramsey.
PS you must excuse blunders as there is a
racket in the
tent.
PS Write Soon Send some stamps tell Moses
he must write
soon.
P.S. In Haste 10 oclock P.M. I
have just been called out of bed to help the
cooks prepare our rations for a march. We have got orders to
be in heavy marching order by 7 oclock tomorrow
morning. I suppose we will cross the river I can’t tell I am going to
bed
again.
Good bye
From
your son
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