100th New York Infantry

Item LTR-10962

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink. Charles writing to his brother George.



St. Helena Island
 
March 5^th 1863
 
Dear George,
 
I have just heard news which makes me almost sick.  It is that General Naglee is going to leave us.  He has been relieved at his own request and will start for Washington in the morning.  It is the result of his miserable, childish, infernal quarrel between Hunter and Foster.  To think of such a man as Naglee being sacrificed to the contemptible schemes of Hunter, it makes me perfectly disgusted with soldiering.  General Ferry now commands this detachment.  I know nothing of him.
 
Lieutenant Small of the 100^th went home last week.  I lent him $25 which he will pay you.
 
Captain Dye left the day before yesterday.  Taking with him Washington and the mess chest.  I went down to the head to see him and intended to either buy or sell my interest in the mess chest but he had gone.  I owe him a mess account and I think $14 borrowed money. Please pay him when you have funds to do it.
 
I begin to despair of even seeing our long looked for friend, the Paymaster.
 
I have not received the Commercial for a long time.  If you haven’t stopped it, please do so.  You must excuse me for writing more this afternoon.  I want to send this by the boat which takes General Naglee north, if possible.
 
I will answer your last (of the 16^th) in a day or two. I am obliged for your statement of my effects.  I consider myself fortunate in having so skillful a financier in charge of my immense fortune.  Day after tomorrow, it will be a year since we left Buffalo. Do you remember what a pleasant trip we had down to New York?  Dear me, it hardly seems possible that it was only a year ago. I have seen so much that was new and strange since then.  I don’t think there is any chance of getting the appointment of AQM.  I understand that the War Department refuses to make any more appointments on the grounds that there are already over a hundred, who are unassigned to duty, and that these must be put to work before other appointments are made.  I expect to be made Captain of Company H, but haven’t had any talk with Colonel Dandy yet on the subject.
 
My present position is much more pleasant than it would be with the regiment.  So, I am not at all particular. But am willing to let things take their course.  There, you see, I have written another page since I concluded to stop.
 
Goodbye, my dear brother.  Give my love to Mother and my dear sisters and Harry.
 
Yours,
Charlie