23rd & 34th New Jersey Infantry - NEW

Item LTR-11053

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 6 pages, written in period ink.


Camp Lawrence
Columbus, Kentucky
 
July 8^th 1864
 
Dear Sir,
 
I have written today to Dr. J. B. Bowen of Bridgeton (our late surgeon) concerning our friend R. W. Vansant, commissary sergeant of this regiment.
 
He, like many other young men, is somewhat ambitious for promotion, as in fact he has a right to be.  For he is prompt, intelligent and efficient in his line and has served in the 24^th and this regiment over 18 months as a sergeant.
 
He certainly has a full knowledge of all the duties necessary in the Commissary Department of a regiment and from constantly being in the office where quartermaster store and C.C and G. E. accounts and returns are made out and business daily transacted.  He must be sufficiently familiar with that branch of the business to go through ti creditably to himself and usefully to the government and to any regiment that he might become connected with.
 
He is ambitious to become the Quartermaster of one of the new regiments, which we suppose are about to be formed in the state.  And I do not hesitate to say that I think him qualified and am much in hopes that he can be thus favored. Though I shall miss him much in my department.
 
He is not a politician and never has been.  And quite as often defends in conversation McClellan and other Democrats as he does any other set of men.  He is at least free from all bitter partisanship against the Democrats and I cannot see how his political principles could be an objection to him in your mind or that of the Governor or any Colonel that he might appoint.
 
As the government makes it a rule (inflexibly I believe) to allow the Colonel that he appoints to select his own Adjutant and Quartermaster, the first thing to be done towards securing either of those positions for a friend would be to find out who the Colonel of any forming regiment is likely to be and then to approach him for the position.  And when his assent and nomination is secured, the task (getting him discharged for promotion, etc.) is not uncertain, and only requires a little time.
 
He is ready to and will refund any travelling and other expenses that any of his friends may incur for him whether their efforts are successful or not, and will, I’m satisfied, be duly grateful therefore.
 
I have no doubt but that he can get any testimonials that may be desired from the officers of this regiment, from the Colonel down.
 
As the draft is set down for the 5^th of next month, I suppose that whatever is done must be done at once, or at least the state must at once initiate what he intends to do in order to have ground to even ask a postponement of draft.
 
Please reply, as early as you well can and inform me what you have done or are willing to undertake in this matter and what recommendations or steps of any kind you think that he had better undertake.
 
I have advised Vansant to write to one or two other friends, and I believe that he has written to his Father, and one Benjamin F. Lee, a prominent democrat at Port Elizabeth, that did recommend him to the Governor for his present position.
 
My health is good and the regiment is having since stationed here (the 20^th of January last) rather a pleasant side of soldiering, although wickedly threatened with attack several times.
 
Very respectfully yours,
 
A. H. Nichols
Quartermaster
34^th New Jersey Volunteers
 
To:
Captain B. F. Carter
Woodbury, New Jersey
 
P.S.
 
Judge Carter:
 
Colonel Lawrence has said several times that he intended to promote him to the line here.  But he has had much more experience in the Quartermaster Department and, beside, with a regiment situated as ours is, with plenty of good sergeants that the company commandants are constantly urging for promotion and a regiment like ours diminishing faster in men than officers, (much so) leaves but few promotions to be made and the prospects in the line, as it is called, that is of being promoted to the position of a company officer, slow and distant.
 
Whilst in new regiments the case is very different.  Something near 40 men are then to be commissioned in a comparatively short time.  And if a man has influential friends, his chances are good at that time.  And as the company officers are much more generally made out of “vigorous recruiters,” an application for adjutant or quartermaster in a case like Vansant’s seems quite as likely (in fact more so), than any other to succeed.  Beside the fact is that he has more experience to qualify him for quartermaster than any other commission.
 
A. H. N.