6th & 8th New Jersey Infantry

Item LTR-10484

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink.


Shipping Point, Virginia

April 20th 1862

Dear Sister,

I now sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and in good spirits. And hope that these few lines will find you all the same. I received your letter and was glad to hear from you and that you was all well. We are now about 5 miles from Yorktown and when you hear from me again, I shall be in Yorktown. There will be a very hard fight at this place. The rebels have a very strong force at this place. If you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t be uneasy about me. For I heard that all the letters was going to be stopped till after the fight. I don’t know how true it is but if it is, don’t be uneasy about me.

We expect to move every hour today. To proceed on closer to Yorktown to throw up breastworks. They have been firing at one another back and forward for two or three days. Wounded some on both sides. From what I can hear, the attack will be made next week sometime.

Dear Sister, it has been a long time since I saw you. I never thought that I could stay away from home this long. But a person don’t know what he can do till he tries. It is now Sunday night and it is raining and been raining all day long. And I am sitting in my tent, just room to turn around. We have little tents made to carry in our knapsacks – two men to a tent. They button together and each man carries half a tent. We have a nice man for our Captain. Ten times nicer that Captain Burling. His name is Jacob VanRiper.

We are going to move again tomorrow morning up nearer Yorktown. I want you to get the Burlington dollar paper and read the letter in it from Company F that one of our boys wrote to the editor of that paper. It will tell you all the particulars of our move from Rum Point. There was 1400 of us aboard one boat – the John Brooks. We lived in devilish boat for five days. Jut think of 1400 of us aboard one boat five days in the rain the best part of the time. I have seen a great many fellows I know – Joseph Toms, Charley Adams, and Caspar Adams and the 3rd Regiment lays about a mile from us aboard the John Warner and all the Beverly Boys are in that regiment. I saw Nelson Fish, Jim Lay Gelby, Bill Leonard, Gus Bevitts and Al Bishop and a great many more.

I am acquainted with both of them men that was there. One is William A. Bird and the other Charles Borden. Bird played off sick and got his discharge. The package that is coming for you is a pair of pants and a pair of drawers. It was the night before we started from Rum Point. I was going to throw mine away and Jim Smith come in the tent and says, “Hilly, have you anything to send home?” Says he, “I am going to send something home and now is your chance.” So, I study awhile and could not think of anything to send but them pants.

I will have to bring my letter to a close by sending you my love. Write soon.

From your brother,

George W. Hill

Look for money in the next letter. They owe us 52 dollars at the end of this month. Don’t forget to send a paper to read. New York Weekly. Don’t forget to get that Dollar Newspaper and read it. 19th April.

Sidy, tell Mary that I got her letter and paper and will answer after we move.