93rd New York Infantry - Wounded at Deep Bottom Run

Item LTR-8678

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


Headquarters, 93rd New York State Veteran Volunteers
Near Brandy Station, Virginia

May 3rd 1864

Dear Brother Webster,

I wrote to you about the 20th of March, if I remember right. I thought you would write to me as soon as you could after Conference. But as we are to move very soon and I may not have a chance to write in a long time, I will write again. Notwithstanding, I have not heard from you. I suppose you have heard this that we have been assigned to the 2nd Corps. We are in the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division. General Hancock commands our Corps. General Birney the Division. General Hays the Brigade. I like our position well so far. We have been here about ten days. Before you get this, I think we will be on the move somewhere. We don’t know where. Grant, don’t let us know all that is going on. We can’t go far south before we will have to fight unless the enemy falls back. We are within ten miles of the rebel force.

We are all in good spirits. But we expect to have to fight very soon. One of our new recruits cut his thumb off this morning. It looks to me as if he was working to get out of the service.

Since I wrote last, the Lord has done a great work in the 93rd Regiment. About four weeks ago, Brother Kerr and me built a place for prayer. We met there once a day to pray for the outpouring of God’s Spirit in our regiment. In the evening, we held meetings in our artillery camp near our regiment. God done a great work in the batteries there. Many were saved from their sins. God began to work in the 93rd in reclaiming backsliders. It was not long before we had eight or ten to meet with us. We kept on praying for the salvation of souls.

We left headquarters and that stopped the meetings in the batteries. After we got here, we commenced holding our meetings out in the open air about a hundred rods from our camp. The work is going on increasing in interest and power. Sinners are saved in every meeting. Our number has increased to twenty-five and it seems to me as if half of the soldiers in this command are awakened.

God is working in His own way. The work is thorough and deep. Our Chaplain is standing still and seeing the salvation and this is about all we know of him. I think he is a good man. But he has no faculty of working in a revival. He baptized some yesterday who desired baptism. He does not try to discourage us in the good work. He seems to be well pleased with the course we have taken.

I heard that you were sent to Beecher though I have not seen the minutes of the Conference. Please send them. I am quite anxious to hear from you before we march. For it will be a long time before we get any mail after we leave here. I think there will be hard fighting down here this spring. Many in our regiment may be killed. I may be one of them. It will be all right any way. I am the Lord’s, entirely His.

Brother Webster, try to come down sometime in the summer when we are not marching. Remember me to all your family and pray for me. I saw Leroy two days ago. He is well.

Yours affectionately,

Jerome Sears