THE LETTERS OF ELIAS S. PECK 10TH REGIMENT, CONNECTICUT

THE LETTERS OF ELIAS S. PECK 10TH REGIMENT, CONNECTICUT INFANTRY 1862-1865

ELIAS S. PECK 1842-1920 Lifetime resident of Greenwich, Connecticut Descendant of one of Greenwich’s earliest and foremost families Trained as a plumber and after the war he started a hardware and plumbing business in 1870 which he ran until he retired in 1919. “When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Peck shouldered his gun and marched away with Company I, of Greenwich, in the Tenth Connecticut Volunteers to the battle front. He participated in nearly all of the big engagements of the war and he often related to his numerous friends the many interesting incidents and experiences through which he passed during the war. He shook hands with President Lincoln and General Grant and was told by the latter that his was the best drilled regiment of the war.”

ELIAS S. PECK 1842-1920

10TH CONNECTICUT Organized in Hartford October 22, 1861 Stationed in Annapolis October 1861 – January 1862 1862 – Burnside’s Expeditionary Corps to April 1862; Department of North Carolina to January 1863 1863 – 4th Corps to February 1863; 18 th Corps to April 1863; 10 th Corps to December 1864 1864/1865 – 24th Corps 13 Officers and 109 Enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, and 5 Officers and 155 Enlisted men lost to disease.

10TH CONNECTICUT SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS 1862 – North Carolina Battles of Roanoke Island, New Berne, Goldsboro, Kinston 1863 – South Carolina James Island (Secessionville), Ft. Wagner, Siege of Charleston 1864 – Florida & Virginia Stationed in St. Augustine, Florida until April Moved to Bermuda Hundred with Butler (10 th Corps) Battles of Dewry’s Bluff, Deep Bottom, Chaffin’s Farm (New Market Heights), Darbytown Road Siege of Petersburg 1865 – Virginia Hatcher’s Run, Assault on Petersburg, Appomattox Campaign March

DECEMBER 9, 1862 NORTH CAROLINA We have just came in from dress parade. An order was read for the men to have 3 days rations in their knapsack and their woolen & rubber blankets and a pare of socks and the quarter master to have 7 days more rations put in the wagon for a march within 36 hours but we may go sooner. We have been expecting to go for a week because there has been so many brigade drill so often. We had brigade drill yesterday afternoon and this afternoon and we was drill in loading and fireing blank carteriges . This fore noon all the reg’t around hear have been practicing in fireing fore two or three days.

DECEMBER 9, 1862 NORTH CAROLINA 1918 Interview: For instance, take the old Enfield or Springfield rifle. Do you know what we had to do to fire it? In the first place it was heavy and cumbersome compared with the magazine rifle of today. When we were in battle we had to take a cartridge out of our belt, just one, tear off the end with our teeth, that being made of paper, pour the powder in the rifle, ram down the charge, then put in the bullet and ram that down, then put on a cap and cock the gun. We had to do all that before we could put the gun to our shoulder to fire. You can see all those movements took time.

DECEMBER 14,1862 BATTLE OF KINGSTON There wher three reg’ts down in the wood engaging the enemy but could not drive them back. General Foster send an order to our Colonel to take the 10 th CV down into the wood and drive the rebels back and if the other Reg’ts wher their to march rate over them as we got out of the swamp on to hard ground the (rebs) commenced to fire. we all dropit down on our bellys and commenced to fire. Their bulets nearly all came within two or three feet of the ground and if we had stood up there would not have been hardly a man left of us. we lay on our bellys and loaded and eased up on our knees and fired.

DECEMBER 14,1862 BATTLE OF KINGSTON Our reg’t was the first one across the bridge as soon as the rebels saw us crossing the bridge they left their batteries and ran in evry direction. After we had marched a little futher General Foster came riding by but as soon as he got up to us he stopt and said that he could not go by the 10 reg’t without saying a few words to them. he said boy’s you have shown your selves today as amoung the bravest of the brave The rebels kept up a stedy fire for some time. I couldn’t tell how long. all to once they stopt fireing and I expect they wher agoing to charge bayonets on us when we all jumped up and charged on them and hollered as loud as we could. as soon as they saw us comeing they all broke and run as hard as they could for their batteries across the river and we after them

DECEMBER 14,1862 BATTLE OF KINGSTON

DECEMBER 23,1862 BATTLE OF KINGSTON The rebel soldiers are homeliest lot of men that I ever see. they ware their hair down to their sholders and great big high soft hats with the brims turned down over their eyes and their uniforms is made of the same kind of stuf that we make towels of. The houses are more than a mile a part. They have their nigger huts built almost close up to their own. some plantations have 20 nigger huts all scatered around their door yards. The huts are built of logs the cracks between the logs are filled up with dirt. the roof is made of split wood and must leak like a riddle. they only have one room. the chimneys are built of sticks put together like a cob house and plastered with mud. The poor wites do not live in any better house.

FEBRUARY 2, 1863 FORT ROYAL HARBOR, SC I saw the boat this morning that the darkies brought out of Charleston a good while ago. (Reference to the Confederate military transport that taken out of Charleston Harbor in May, 1862 by the slave Robert Smalls.)

FEBRUARY,1863 PORT ROYAL, SC we passed close by the Monitor and the Iron Sides. the monitor looked like a door afloat with a barrel on it, the sides are not more than a foot or 18 inches above the water. her top is level. the turrets in the center. she was a queer looking craft. I don’t see how she ever stood the sea comming down hear. it was very rough when she came. the waves covered her all up but she is water tight or else she would have sunk. On the island of St Hellena. We came on shore yesterday and pitched our tents. each man had piece of canvis about 5 feet square which we carry with us. 6 of us button ours together and then drive down two crocked sticks in the ground and then put a pole across them and then put our tent over them like this

FEBRUARY/MARCH,1863 ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC We button two tents together on each side and the other two we button on the ends and it makes a good shelter. these tents are made to use on a march. then we would use our guns instead of crooked sticks and our bayonets and ram rods for pins. We gather wild grass and stuf for bedding. We have got the prettiest street in the reg’t. We have cut green bushes and stuck them in the ground on each side of the street and they look just like those thorn bushes down by the Episcopal church in Glenvill and before evry other tent is an arch made of green vines and on the end of the street we have stuck two large Palmetto trees and they look just as if they grew there. they are about a foot in diameter. they was brought over a mile. General O S Ferry came up to our camp the other day to see our Colonel and he started to go through one of the other company streets as they wher nearer the colonels tent, but he happened to catch a glimps of our street and he rode up to and through it and he said that it looked so nice that we should have better tents to correspond and so they are agoing to give us tents like we had up to Fort Trumbull.

MARCH, 1863 ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC

APRIL,1863 ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC We have got new tents up now like we had up to Fort Trumbull. The rain does not leak through our tents because we put our rubber blankets over it. a lot of new rubber blankets have come for the regt and the boys have been drawing them but I would not give mine for two of them. my blanket is as good as it ever was. it wares well. I would not be without one. my boots are good yet I wish you would send me a half a dozen pair of cotton socks when you hear of any body sending a box.

APRIL,1863 EDISTO INLET, SC We are close by a big deep swamp now we saw an alligator yesterday and one today in it. snakes and lizards are as thick as crickets. There is rattle snakes hear and a kind of snake called coach whip. they look exacly like a black snake whip. we killed 2 in our camp. one was 7 feet long. They say that they will whip a man to death with their tail. The boys hear are all ancious to get a hack at the Seymour copper heads in Greenwich and other parts of Conn.

1918 NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW You asked me what the difference is in the Civil war and our war with Germany, as I see it, and I’ll try to tell you. In the first place flies and copperheads made us an awful lot of trouble. Flies were everywhere, thick in our coffee, in our mess, the meat black with them, in the hospitals, everywhere. I believe they caused more deaths than bullets. They should have been exterminated, but we were taught, you know, when we were boys, that it was cruel to kill flies. And the Copperheads at the North – and Greenwich had more than its share of them! What a lot of trouble they caused with us with their back-talk and siding with the South. They ought to have been done with as the Government is now doing with those foreign spies and treacherous Germans who are trying to stir up trouble all the time, while pretending to be loyal and true.

JUNE,1863 SEABROOK ISLAND, SC We are on picket again. we went out yesterday morning. After dinner General Stevenson came up and took our company and three others to make a reconnoissanc to see if he could find a good place to extend our pickets out father. The general, our colonel, leieut, colonel, chaplen and several other officers wher along. Our capt took five men beside myself and sent us on ahead as skirmishers. We go in a line five paces apart and about 6 rods ahead of the company. We could see the rebel cavalry ahead riding back and forth watching us. we kept on and they kept falling back until they then got off of their horses and tied them and went into a large house ther and waited until we came in shot of them when they let drive. as quick we heard the report we had time to drop down on the ground and the balls would pass close over us. There was several shots fired for my especial benefit and they was pretty good ones too and I think some of them would have hit me if I had not dropped down as soon as I heard the report.

JUNE,1863 SEABROOK ISLAND, SC Our company was placed a little to the left of our artillery to support it. there was a low ridge in front of us and we was ordered to lay down behind it. as soon as the rebel shell came over both of our piece fired. The officers would stand up and watch the rebel gun and when it flashed they would all drop down and the rebel shell would pass over. Our monitors then began to throw shell at them to but they wher so far off that the shell burst before they got to the rebels. The rebels thought it was time they was leaving so they formed in line and moved off with out their cannon. as soon as they got in line our artillery commenced fireing at them again which made them brake and run in evry direction and we could see several empty saddles. we must have killed some of them

JULY,1863 ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC We left Seabrook Isle yesterday morning about 3 oclock and went on board the steamship Bendeford. The rebel ram Fingal that was captured at Savannah by our monitors lays about a doz rods from us now. she is an Iron clad boat built in this shape Her sides slopes up like a roof of a house. she has 3 guns on each side and one on each end. The ladys of Savannah sold their jewelry and furnished the money to build her.

JULY,1863 ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC It is very hot on board of this boat. there is so many men on it and the water is not fit to drink. I slept in a row boat up by the top of the weel house last night. There is two reg’t on board of this boat ours and the 56 th New York. There is two reg’t of colored men on St Helena Isle. one is the 54 th Mass colored reg’t and the other is one of the SC colored reg’t. They are dressed the same as we are.

JULY,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE we got in before morning and landed on James Island. It was awful hot and we had no water except some muddy stuff that we could get around in some holes. We saw lots of graves of men killed on hear last summer. The monitors wher shelling the rebels on Morris Island and 500 of our men landed on it. They have been to work trying to take Fort Wagner on Morris Island. if we can take that we can take Fort Sumter. Our reg’t wher off on picket and like to have all been took prisoners by the rebel cavalry but they got through all right. The 54 th Mass darky reg’t fought well. a good many of them wher wounded but they bore it with out hardly a grone. I saw some very badly wounded. I just saw six dead darkies laying under a tree up hear. one of them was a sergeant but he kill 5 rebels first and told them if they took him they would have to take him dead. they finely killed him. most all of them was shot through the head

JULY,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE Excerpt from ONE GALLANT RUSH, ROBERT GOULD SHAW AND HIS BRAVE BLACK REGIMENT There were men who refused to fall back, though no loss of honor was attached to retreat. Negro Sergeant James D. Wilson, who was known as the handsomest soldier in the regiment, had told his men that he would never retreat. Wilson was as good as his word. As the enemy swept toward him he shouted to his men to stand fast. His shouts attracted five charging Confederates who turned on him. He disabled three and the others passed by. A detachment of cavalry moved toward Wilson out of the smoke and, yelling fiercely, he leaped at them as they circled around, keeping them at bay with the point of his bayonet. Finally, peppered with bullets, he pitched forward and lay still.

JULY,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE Excerpt from ONE GALLANT RUSH And a war correspondent for The Reflector reported, “The boys of the 10 th Connecticut could not help loving the men who saved them from destruction. I have been deeply affected at hearing this feeling expressed by officers and men of the Connecticut regiment: and probably a thousand homes from Windham to Fairfield have, in letters, been told the story of how the dark-skinned heroes fought the good fight and covered with their own brave hearts the retreat of brothers, sons and fathers of Connecticut.” Excerpt from THE KNIGHTLY SOLDIER, A Biography of Major Henry Ward Camp, Tenth Conn. Volunteers The loss in the engagement was exclusively to the 54 th Massachusetts, Colonel Shaw’s regiment, which fought so bravely, in retiring from the picket line under overwhelming pressure, as to win respect from all other troops of the command.

SEPTEMBER,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC FORT WAGNER we had orders to fall in and was marched to the beach and formed in brigade line. there was several brigades out there. Our brigade was in advance and was to make a charge. We soon began to move on up, after we got up where the shell began to fly a rebel deserter came in from Wagner and said the rebels had just left the place and that he and another man was left behind to blow up the magazine but they did not do it but came in our lines. We did not believe him. General Gilmore told him that if he had lied to him he would shoot him at 10 oclock today after we got to Wagner. after we had double quicked for a ways we found shur enough the rebels had left. Now if the iron clads are good for anything they ought to reduce the rest of the forts in short order. The irondside is the only ironclad that has done any thing sinc we have been hear. the monitors have layed idle out of reach of the rebel shot. Now let them do something. the siege and infantry have taken the strongest forts. The papers kept putting in about the monitors helping so much. it aint so but we will see what they can do now.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC Our men are to work around Wagner takeing out torpedoes that the rebels have placed around there to blow up our men. There has a good many of them been found. Some of them are a keg of powder put down in the ground with tar all around it to keep the wet out and a board put on top of a precusion cap with dirt over it so that when our men step on it, it will blow up. they have got a good many other develish means of blowing our men up. as soon as our men find them they hitch a long rope to them and pull them off. It is dangerous work going around their forts. They shell our fatigue parties and pickets night and day, and our seige guns and iron clad lay idle and not fire a shot in return. We have 3 or four men killed up there evry day. If evry time the rebels fired a shot, our gun boats or siege (guns) would return it the rebels would stop right off. But now there lays the iron clad fleet doing nothing at all. When if they have a mind to they could drive the rebels off of sulivans Island and go up and shell the city. The poor infantry has to take it hear. They have to work night and day, rain or shine under as much fire as ever the iron clads was in. We have to build all the brest work, mount all the heavy guns, fire them after they are mounted. If there is any expeditions in boats on the water infantry has to do it. If the navy take a prize they get half of the prize money. If a reg’t of infantry should take a rebel steamer they would not get a red cent. I dont see what the goverment are building more monitors for they dont use what they have got.

OCTOBER,1863 JAMES ISLAND, SC I did opened my box last night. The cake was just as sweet and good as when it came out of the oven. there was not a bit of it spoilt. My butter is good. There was a host of cake enough to last some time. My boots wher a little to light. I could have sold them to Liet Peck if they had been large enough for him. I can sell them to someone else. They would be a little to light for to march in. You need not send any more unless I send the measure of my foot which I may do in the next letter. I will send the money on to father when I sell the boots. The boots are just the kind I wanted full heavy enough. My peppermint & my champhoir bottles wher both broke and all spilt out. the rest came safe. you had ought to put the bottle in a segar box then he would not got broike. The musterd box lid came off and that spilt out. The apples wher all rotten. Dont ever send any more of them because they wet other things. all of the rest of the things came good. My sweet meats are not open yet. I shall leave them untill we get to where we are agoing to. I wish you had sent me a jack knife

OCTOBER,1863 FERNANDINE HARBOR, FL We left Morris Island just before night Oct 26 th in the steamboat Connicu? we arrived at Hilton Head about midnight and lay there until night. the next day when we changed boats. While we was at Hilton Head a steamship came in from the north with a load of conscripts. about 250 of them wher for the 6th Conn reg’t. Wm Bird was with them. he is going right back again. He says that they are the greatest lot of pickpockets and theifs that he ever see. One of them came out as sergeant major of our reg’t and got discharge and then was drafted or came as a substitute.

NOVEMBER,1863 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL They will let us wear any colored shirt in the army, it don’t make any difference what. Yesterday we was reviewed by the adjutant general of New York State. after review the two reg’t went through battalion drill. he rode up in front of our reg’t and asked the major to let us go through the manual of arms which we did and he said a reg’t could not do it better. General Foster said we could go through the manual of arms as well as any reg’t of regulars he ever saw. We all have white gloves on, our shoes blacked and clean cloths on.

NOVEMBER,1863 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL It is Thanksgiving day today. There has not been any drill today but we have had passes to go out. The 24 th reg’t had a boat race and the 3 companys in the fort had a smooth pole set in the ground about 20 feet high and had it greesed all over and put a five dollar bill on the top and offered to give it to any one that would climb up to the top and get it, but no one did it. next they had a pig with his ears cut off and then he was greesed all over and let loos in the fort and the man that caught him might have him, he was caught. Then they had 3 men each in a bay up to their waist who wher to go at a certen distance and roll a wheelbarrow and the one that got ther first was to have five dollars. I came off guard this morning and not having to drill I took my pistol and went out to the creek by our camp to try and shoot a turkey buzzard. I fired at one but miss him.

JANUARY,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL There is considerable excitement in our reg’t now about reinlisting. The Quarter Master General of the state of Connecticut came hear yesterday to reinlist them. The men reinlist 3 years from tomorrow. they get a very big bounty and a furlough of 30 days in their state within 60 days from now. They would not let us recruits enlist. they dont take only men that has benn in the service 2 years, so I cant enlist now. They get 4.75 down as soon as they enlist and the rest in regular instalments. the whole bounty amounts to over 800.00. then they get their board cloths and wages besides. They would have to stay 9 monts more if they did not reenlist.

JANUARY,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL We got new tents and altered our camp yesterday. There is 3 men in a tent now except our tent. Joshua Lyon has gone in another tent so Paul and me have a tent by ourselves. We have built us a bunk & we have got a carpenters chest to put our cloths in. it is one Paul got when Newbern was taken. it is a very handy consurn (?). Our whole mess put their extra clothing what they cant carry in their knapsacks in to it when we move around from place to place. We can lock it up so things are safe. The express box you sent me we use for a closet to put our dishes & bread in. Some time ago in the night a large tiger cat or (wild cat) came in the tent where some of the 24 th Mass pickets wher sleeping and lay down between them. they kill it. I did not know it before last night. I saw an account of it in a Connecticut newspaper and I asked some of the boys in our company about it and they said it was so. R Miller said he saw the cat after it was killed. It is lucky for the boys that the cat did not hurt them. We had wild deer soup in our Co for dinner yesterday. one of Co B men shot him it was a large one.

JANUARY,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL We are agoing to have fried fish for dinner. I suppose you think we live fine hear now day. All the good things we get we have to buy. all fish, venisen, turneps, sweet potatoes, or any other good thing the company has is bought by the company fund. All the government rations we get hear now is coffee & salt beef or pork for breakfast. Salt beef or pork for dinner & tea alone for supper and two and half loaves of soft bread apiece a week. sometime we get beans, mostly rice or hommony or split peas but hardly any one likes them. There is plenty of wormy hard bread in the cook tent which we can help ourselves too. If it was not for the soft bread and what we can buy we would fare hard. they stopt one days ration of soft bread lately for fear we had to much.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL The officers all live as well as if they was home and what do they care for us. There is lots of potatoes and beef cattle sent hear for the use of the soldiers but it is most all sold out to the citizens hear and half of them are sesesh. The soldiers do all the work and then have to take what is left after the citizens have got what they want. If we go out and bring in a drove of cattle we may put all together get one meal out of them. It is a shame to rob the soldiers of there rations to feed these cursed sesesh. There was a drove of cattle come in on the boat a short time. we got about one good meal out of them and that is the last we have seen of them. the boys hear catch lots of pretty birds alive with them hear. We have a little black puppy hear in camp about us large as snap and as full of play and one big dog about as large as frank. he was taken from hear when a pup by the 7 th Conn to Morris Island and when they left there they gave it to one of our men and he brought him down hear again with us. He goes out on guard & picket with the men and never barks at one of our reg’t but let a stranger come and he will bark at him. he drives them just out side of the guard and no father.

FEBRUARY,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL I went to the Darky Minstrels last night. We have had them hear several times befor. The 24 th reg’t has a theater about once a week and our reg’t has minstrels. They have it in the court house down town. The actors all belong to our reg’t. There som many men detailed from each company evry time they have it which go in free. The house was full as it could hold last night. One of their pieces was learnt on Morris Island. First the bugle would blow & then the sergeant would sing out full in fatigue. Call the roll then marched them in on the platform which was to represent Gregg or Wagner and then they commenced to play when all to once was a noise like a cannon and the sergeant sung out (Cover from Moultre) and they all drop down and get under the chairs untill the shell bursts & then the sergeant sings out (all over) and tells them to go to work. They acted it off just like the reality.

FEBRUARY/MARCH,1864 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL Dear Brother I rec’d your letter by the last northern mail. You say you like it first rate over to Wilcoxes. well stay there then. Don’t go to running of and enlisting as Bill Ferris & Raiments boy did. you are not old enough. I dont think I should list again unless I got in Cavalry. Heavy artillery is better than infantry.

MAY,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED Our reg’t was on picket last night and are on now. Our line of pickets are in some rude rifle pits. The men are only a few feet apart. The rebels are about 300 yards ahead. We have got orders not to fire on the rebels unless they advance. If we see them moveing around and they fire on us we are ordered not to fire back. Colonel Otis went out with a flag of truce the other day. he saw a rebel colonel and spoke to him about the picket shooting. the rebel col said it did not do any good. Otis told him that our men would not fire on his if they did not commence it. they made an agreement that the pickets wher not to fire on one another unless in case of an advance.

MAY,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED last night we wher sent out hear on picket. The rebel pickets are only 100 feet from us & we have been looking at one another this morning. the next company have been exchanging news papers with them this morning. We don’t fire on one another now. A rebel cap’t and our cap’t have been talking together. The rebel artillery and our throw shell at one another over the pickets head. Our boys give them coffee for tobacco. I wish you could be hear for a few moments and see the funny reb’s. John McCan has just been shaking a newspaper at them for them to come & exchang. A rebel band plays out hear evry night & our bands play too. The rebel brest works are only musket shot from ours. It is very pleasant day to today. Sinc writeing the above our company have been talking with the rebels & giving them knives for tobacco.

JUNE,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED There is one sutler near hear but evry thing is very high. The new york daly papers cost 10 cents apeace hear. We have to live on uncle sam all together now. And the harder we have to work the less we get to eat. we begin to live better now. we get as much fresh beef hear as we ever got but we dont get any salt beef. We get pint of coffee, 4 hard tack & a small piece of meat for breakfast. for dinner we get 4 hard tack, a piece of meat or beans. for supper we get a pint of coffee, 4 hard tack. that is what we get now. We have a loaf of soft bread instead of hard tack some days. one spell we did not get but ½ pound of pork & 9 hard tack, 1 quart of coffee a day. We have just been payed 2 monts wages payed up to the first of May 26.00.

JUNE,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED There is a house out hear where one company and some cavalry men stand on picket. There is a white women & some darkies live there. The women has got a son who is major in the rebel army and one of co H men of our reg’t who was on picket there today got his dress coat and has it on hear in camp now. It is a gray coat with two rows of H5 (?) buttons on & has a star on each corner of the collar The women pretends to be union but I believe she is sesesh & trys to get our men shot there. a cavalry man was sitting on the door yard fence there today when a rebel picket fired and the bullet wounded him in the throat.

JULY,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED July 16: At 1 oclock this after noon the rebels came to our pickets with a flag of truce. pretty soon I saw a lot of our horse men comeing. I was on picket in the road and as they came a little nearer I saw that General Butler was one of them and when they got close to me I saw a little bent over, and very plane dress officer rideing an old shabby horse. I happened to look at his shoulder straps and saw something in them that looked like 3 stars & it struck me it must be Leut General Grant and John McCan asked one of the cavalry men and he said it was Grant. I don’t know what rebel General he went out to see. When he came back he passed within 5 feet of me and I had a fair view of him. If it had not been for his should straps I would not have known he was an officer at all. I should not be surprised if there was an advance made from hear soon.

AUGUST,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED We wher on picket yesterday. The Leut Colonel of the 11 th Mass regt who was in command of the picket line yesterday went out side our picket line like the Leut Col of the 24 th Mass did that I wrote about in one of my other letters. The first thing he knew he was close up to a rebel picket post so close that had he undertook run back the rebels would have shot him. A lucky thought struck him and he pulled out a newspaper and told the picket that he came out to exchange papers with him and that he thought the post was some wheres about there but did not think it was so close. The rebel took his paper and gave him one of theirs and he came back very tickled to think he was not taken prisoner the same as the Leut Col of the 24 th Mass was. If the rebel was smart he would have known that no Leut Colonel would go out to exchange newspapers with them. Privates often go out there and exchange papers with them but not officers. I suppose the rebel was green and did not know the difference.

AUGUST,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED The pickets in front of us and all along the line to the left of us do not fire on one another. I was truce trading lard, hardtack, coffee and small trinkets with the rebels all day for tobackco and rebel papers. I will send home 2 rebel papers that I got of them with this letter. I got yesterday paper too. I was trading with a rebel Leutant. He had our calvalry pants on and a hat that he got off of our of our majors that was killed. The bullet hole was through it that killed him. The rebel pickets rifle pits where about 250 feet from my post. there was on a hill and ours in a hollow and a corn field between. Just before night the whole of the rebel pickets stopt their fireing and came rushing down towards us shakeing the latest papers from Richmond and our men who a few moments before wher fireing at one another now talking as good friends and tradeing. They wanted to know about the Chicago convention and how they wher making out that seems to occupy all their thoughts now and they think good deal depends up on that

AUGUST,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED Ma I think we will have to stay our three years out but I shall wait and see. They wont gain much by keeping us. Govener Buckingham is to blame. he promised us we should be discharged when the rest was. The recruits for Mass Regt will be discharged with the old troops. Their govener looked out for that. Govener Buckingham well loose a good many votes by it. The men have wrote him a good many letters about it.

AUGUST,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED then fell forward but not being quite dead the other 12 men wher marched up and they fired at him. Then the troops wher all marched by him so they could see him. He was shot in several places. The blood was splattered all over his coffin. We were marched back to camp. He took it very cool and never flinched a bit and did not seem to mind it all.

SEPTEMBER,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED Father I want you to make me a pair of calf skin shoes. I want them to lace up like a womans shoe and have them come up high on the ancle with tounghs in them and high heels and double soles shaped like this. It is a poor shape shoes I have drawn but you can see how I mean. I dont want them open on the side like men shoes are generaly made becaus the dirt is always getting in there. Make them just like a womans leather boots only high heels and come up an inch higher on the ancle. I want shoes becaus they are lighter to carry and for the south are great deal better then boots. I could not stand boots hear in the summer time.

SEPTEMBER,1864 BERMUDA HUNDRED Goverment shoes do not last no time they rip all to pieces in 2 months. The softer the leather in the south the longer they will ware. You may make them 8ts. one good pair of home made shoes will ware as long as 4 pair of goverment shoes. The last pair of shoes I drew I had to take 9s because they did not have any smaller. I wrote in my last letter for ma to send me two thick woolen under shirts and I wrote to John McCarty to make me a small frying pan. you can call and get it when you go down to Portchester and pay him for it. I wish you would send them in a box as soon as you can by (Hardens Express) as that carrys cheaper than Adams. I suppose you think that I want a good deal. I could buy those things at the sutlers hear by paying 2 as much as they are worth. I dont see any hopes of our getting discharge untill our 3 years is up. I should like to get home this fall to vote for Abraham Lincoln. If I was made freeman I could vote hear.

OCTOBER,1864 OUTSIDE RICHMOND BATTLE OF DARBYTOWN ROAD We knew that a good many would be killed and wounded and each man was telling his comrad where his watch and money was and in case he should fall he wanted the other to take it. But I never saw a man flinch in the reg’t nor look scared. We advanced through the thick woods and bushes and as soon as we got to our skirmish line we commenced to holler and made a rush for the rebel works which was 150 yards off. the rebels opened on us one of the most destructive fire of musketing & grape canester that I ever saw. I got within about 3 rods of their works so that I could see them plain. they was just as thick as they could stand in two ranks and wher loading and fireing just as fast as they could and their works run so that they could get a cross fire on us. they fired very low. I saw that it was impossible to get to their works with out nearly evry man being killed and wounded as trees was fell along in front. The bullets were flying thicker than hail.

OCTOBER,1864 OUTSIDE RICHMOND BATTLE OF DARBYTOWN ROAD I and Wm Ritch & another man droped down behind a cotton stump in hopes the rebels would slacken their fire a little but they did not. I looked around but saw nothing but killed and wounded laying thick around. At first I thought it would be impossible for me to move without being hit and I thought I would lay still and be took prisoner but the rebels could see us and they fired on us. the bullets tore the ground all around us and I thought it would be shure death to lay there and I may as well die getting away as to lay there so I took my gun & started. as I was agoing out I saw two men helping a wounded man off and all 3 fell dead together. The killed & wounded lay very thick and the ground looked like a slaughter pen. We went back about 100 yards and reformed. we staid there about 15 minutes but the rebels did not come out of their works. 3 or 4 of our largest companys being away on the skirmish line we only had a little over 100 men in the charge and only 3 commissioned officers, The colonel, leut colonel & major. The companys wher all commanded by Serg’t.

DECEMBER,1864 BEFORE RICHMOND We have had another squad of over 100 substitutes come. The reg’t would be a great deal better off without most of the men. Some of them have deserted and have been caught and I suppose they will be shot. Some of them are rebel deserters. one of the first squad was orderly for the rebel general Evans at the battle of Kinston N.C. and can tell all about it. We got some more frenchmen in this last squad that cant speak a word of english. I did give ma those cartridges with that pistol. they wher done up in a paper. I put them in her carpet bag. Tell Oscar that he can get cartridges for it at Drumgolds at Port Chester or at most any store where they keep pistols. Today I was detailed to go down to Akens Landing where they used to exchange prisoners to load up the wagons with boxes containing new Springfield rifles for our reg’t. The Colonel was offered the 7 shooting rifle but he would not take them.

DECEMBER,1864 BEFORE RICHMOND at noon we had to all fall in with our guns and equipment and march nearly 2 miles from hear to see 5 men shot. I dont know what they wher shot for. about 12 reg’ts wher turned out to see them shot. They wher marched out to the field under strong guard placed about 5 feet apart. their sentenc read to them. then the chaplain prayed with them. their eyes wher blind folded then they wher placed on their knees before the shooting squad of about 50 men and shot. The doctor then examined them and 2 of them not being dead a man stepped up to each and placed the gun near his head and shot them again. The men with shovels then dug a hole and put them in and we marched back to camp.

JANUARY,1865 BEFORE RICHMOND I was on picket again. a man deserted from the next post to me and went over to the rebels and sinc then another deserted from his post and went out in the woods to hide until day light so he could go into the rebels. a corporal in Co H went out side to find him and came on to him without his seeing him. The deserter had his rifle with him and if he had seen the coporal first he would have shot him. The colonel told him he would have him riddle. He said (it was nothing more than he expected). I suppose he will shure to be shot and the corporal will get his 30 and 30 days furlough. There has been a good many desert from our reg’t and gone over to the rebels lately. They are all substitutes. The boys caught this fellow stealing when he first came to the reg’t and gave him an awful pounding for it.

JANUARY,1865 BEFORE RICHMOND That night a substitute belonging to our reg’t attempted to desert from his post on picket and go over to the rebels but the vidette next to him shot him dead. He had two over coats on. They knew he was agoing to desert before and had men out side of the videttes watching for him. The ball went clean through him. The man that shot him was another substitute and he was a rebel deserter. He deserted from the rebels and came into our lines and went north and enlisted as a substitute. He has been promoted to a sergeant and will get a 30 days furlough and 30. The man that was shot was burried on the picket line.

JANUARY,1865 BEFORE RICHMOND Gen Ord the commander of the Army of the James in place of Butler inspected the lines and the troops hear. There is an order out now that there is to be two inspections a week in heavy marching order Wednesday and Sunday and the cleanest man in each company is to be sent to the colonel of the reg’t and he inspects them and picks out the cleanest man out of the 10 and sends him to brigade headquarters. Each reg’t in the brigade sends one man there. The gen picks out one man from those and sends him to division head quarters and each brigade sends one man there and they pick out one man and give him a furlough of 20 days. There is to be one picked out of each division twice evry week for a furlough. There is nothing fare about that order. Then if a substitute come out hear with a new uniform on and gets a new knapsack, new canteen, haversack and new rifle and equipment, new evrything then he of corse will look cleaner than an old soldier that has been fighting all summer and has cloths all soiled and old and so the new substitute gets the furlough and the old man unless he draws a new suit of cloths all though has no sight at all.

MAY 1945 GERMANY 29TH INFANTRY Reacting to the point system the US Army was using to decide who could be mustered out after Germany surrendered, one irritated 29er wrote: “What gripes me is that combat time – and I mean combat where shells are flying and men are dying – doesn’t count for a tinker’s damn. Oh, yes – five points for each battle star; but even the SOS (Services of Supply) can get them But those poor doughs (infantrymen)! What chance have they got? They don’t live long enough to pile up points.”

JANUARY,1865 BEFORE RICHMOND The reg’ts in each brigade are to be inspected evry other Sunday by one of the generals aids and the cleanest reg’t in brigade is to be excused from all picket and other out side duty for one week. The rebels are deserting by the whole sale and comeing in our lines hear. I hear there was 138 men & 3 officers came in yesterday. I saw 7 go by our camp this morning. Sunday we had regimental inspection heavy marching order to see which was the cleanest regt in our brigade. Our reg’t was the cleanest so we got a week off from all duties out side the reg’t such as picket & fatigue. It was a wet day. The cleanest reg’t from each brigade in the division was inspected yesterday by Gen Hawley and the cleanest one will get another week off of duty in the month. I don’t know wether our regt was the best in the division yet or not.

JANUARY,1865 BEFORE RICHMOND Ma says she don’t see how we can have a stove our tent. Why our tents are only roofs for our log huts which are about 12 feet long 6 feet wide 5 feet high up to the eaves of one side, our bunks are on each end and the stove is opposite the door. It is a small oval sheet iron stove. Our tents don’t leak. Tell Willice that Co I has got 80 men in it now. Our reg’t turns out more men that I ever saw it before. That it was said by the inspecting general to be the cleanest one in the brigade and I don’t know yet but it is in the division

FEBRUARY,1865 JONES LANDING ON JAMES RIVER A detail came from Capt Martin Commissary of subsistens at Jones Landing for 2 sergents 3 corporals & 20 men for to go there and unload vessels. I was promoted to corporal Jan 4 th and as there was a corporal called for out of our company I was sent and two men. They are the two rebel deserters that I was telling you about in one of my other letters. They wher detailed becaus it would not do to send them out where there would be danger of their being captured for one of them before he deserted from the rebels was on guard at Libby prison and let two of our lieut’s out that wher prisoners there. The rebels tried their best to catch him. He told me all about how he got away into our lines. He had to march nearly 100 miles and row in a small row boat as many. He has been in our lines over a year. There was a lot of prisioners exchanged up hear Sunday. The rebel prisioners look well and strong and they will be ready to go into their ranks again. But our men that they had prisioner wher nothing but bones.

MARCH/APRIL,1865 JONES LANDING ON JAMES RIVER before you get this there will be another great battle fought and may be Richmond will fall and with it the Southern confederacy and then this cruel war will be over and I suppose another one commenced with Franc. But our navy will be able to whip her. There could be a large army to go to Mexico to drive out the French. I believe that is what Hancox veteran corps is being raised for. I have not been up to the regt yet. Abraham Lincoln went up river by here in a steamer this afternoon and landed at Aiken’s landing. Admiral Porter’s flagship lay there, and she fired a salute for him. He started at Dutch Gap and is reviewing the troops on the north side of the James River, at their works. At the same time I suppose they will review him. I should like to be there and see him.

APRIL,1865 JONES LANDING ON JAMES RIVER April 4: Our forces are following Lee up and are close at his heels. Last night I went to a meeting over at the Christian Commission. It was a thanksgiving meeting on the fall of Richmond. One of the preachers said that the devels in hell where waiting for Jeff Davis, Lee, Floyd and the other big rebels and that hell is in morning now over the down fall of Richmond. He said talk about Floyd going to heaven. why if he was where the street wher pure gold he would steal heaven poor and that he would not stay there. he would be misriable and that if there was a maggot hole there he would crawl out of it and said he wished the democrats would all go to hell. I thought it was queer talk for a man that pretended to be a Christian. I suppose there is great mourning at the north for president Lincoln. If the soldiers dont put on quite as much crape as they do, they feel the loss as much. They have all learned to like him. I think he could have got a great many more votes then he got the last election from them if he had lived to run again.

Little grains of powder, Little balls of lead, Kill off the rebel soldiers And the worms are with them fed.