Browse All Letters (449 total)

Fort Hamilton July 2. 1863 My Dear Wife: Your precious letter of the 28th reached me yesterday. I was overjoyed to learn that you were doing so well. I hope you will be careful of yourself so as to avoid backsets. Make haste slowly in getting well, and you will be all the better for it. Mrs McE. left yesterday for Pennsylvania where she will spend…

No 15 Fort Hamilton July 5. 1863 My Dear Wife: Yesterday was a day of commotion. In the first place it was the Fourth and we celebrated it; then the news was good which rejoiced us all; but right smack in the middle of all our fun came an order for the two batteries to proceed to Harrisburgh. Poor Harrison was to be married in ten days, so he…

No 16 Fort Hamilton July 8" 1863 My Dear Wife: What in the world is the matter? I have had no word from you since your letter of the 28th of June. If you are not too sick, I know you would have written yourself; and if you are sick I hope you would have got some one of the family to write for you. This is letter day, but the mail brought me none. I…

Fort Hamilton July 15th 1863 My Dear Wife: I rec'd yours of the 12th in bed and am trying to scribble you short letter in the same place. I had the misfortune last night to sprain my right foot very badly. I lay awake nearly all night, as my foot was exceedingly painful. Dr. Randall advised me to bathe it in hot water and then put hot towels on it.…

No 17 Fort Hamilton July 17. 1863 My dear Wife: I have received two letters from you this week, on Thursday and Saturday. They relieved my anxiety about you and gave me a great deal of comfort. -- We are having great times here just now, but entirely different from any we have had before. On Friday night about *11 1/2* four hundred of the 11th N.Y.…

Fort Hamilton July 18 1863 My dear Augusta Things have been working since my last. The great Copperhead riot has been put down with considerable - not too much bloodshed. And Gen Brown who was the only efficient officer engaged in putting it down (general officer I mean, from Capt Putnam, Franklin, Stacey, *and* Mr Elrath and others have done first…

Fort Hamilton July 23. 1863 My dear Augusta: The Old Gingle has come to grief. The statement in the Commercial turns out to be time; he is retired along with a lot of other old fogies, who ought to have been out of the army long ago. The order took me by surprise, but I am not at all sorry for it. I don't think he will trouble me much more, and I…

1 Fort Hamilton July 26. 1863 My dear Wife: Your letter of the 22nd reached me last night; that of the 1st came to hand last Thursday. You see they have all got here tho' somewhat behind time. Capt. *Oxley* got here yesterday. He looked very badly last night, but a good sleep has made him look a great deal better. We have become cronies already. He…

Fort Hamilton July 30, 1863 My Dear Wife: I am getting along very well. Not having had much experience in sprains, I am watching its different stages somewhat curiously. I don't remember the accident you refer to in your last. But this time, two or three days after I was hurt my foot began to grow blue, & nearly the whole of it took purple,…

Fort Hamilton Aug. 2. 63 My Dear Wife: There is no telling what is to be the fate of an Officer of the army. Yesterday, by virtue of *Sar. B's* retirement, I had full command of this fort: today, there comes a volunteer Col. with authority to take command of F.H. and its dependencies, and so my *name* is completely *out of joint*. What kind of a…