14th New York Heavy Artillery

Item LTR-10581

Description

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


Fort Richmond

March 7th 1864

Friend Monroe,

I now sit down to write you a few lines to let you know how I get along. I am well hoping these few lines will find you the same. I have only come into my quarters from Provost Guard. We have one hundred men for camp guard every day. Then we have six men for post and six men and a Corporal for Colonel’s Guard and then there is twelve, a Sergeant and a Corporal for Provost Guard. There is a Sergeant and a Corporal with the Fort Guard.

Monroe, we are having a glorious time here when we come off from guard at ten o’clock in the morning. We have to go to work on the new fort that the government is building southeast from our quarters. When it is done, I think it will be the strongest fort there is on this coast without any exceptions. Monroe, I think I did not tell you anything in my last letter about that man that got shot. But I will give some particulars in this. The morning he was shot, he was Corporal of the Old Guard and when the Old Guard was relieved, they were marched off to have a little target practice. When the men had about all discharged their pieces, the officers of the Old Guard gave the command to recover arms. Then Corporal Campbell went up to the largest to see the effects of the firing, when one of the men misunderstood the orders and fired his piece and shot Campbell. The ball passing through his body. He lived about twenty hours when he was being carried to the hospital. He said he died in a good cause. He was one of the best boys we had in our company. It was snowing at the time very fast so you see it was an accident on the part of the man that shot him. The man that shot him belongs to Company B. He felt bad about it but the officers never done anything with him for it.

Give my respects to all inquiring friends. No more at present from your soldier friend in the Union Army.

J. L. Howard
Company K
Fourteenth Heavy Artillery
Fort Richmond, Staten Island
In care of Captain Cooper

Give these songs to Fanny. Tell her to keep them in good shape and learn them so that she can sing them for me when I come back.

J.L.H.