76th Pennsylvania Infantry

Item LTR-11488

Description

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


Hilton Head, South Carolina
 
April 18, 1864
 
Dear Wife,
 
I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well at present and hope that these few lines will find you and sis well and all the rest of the folks.  Vina, I thought that I would write you a few lines to let you know that we are not gone form here yet.  But I don’t know what hour we will start and I thought that I would write a letter and when we start, I will finish my letter as I have no news to write.  There was two men that tried to desert from the island three times and they catched them a few days ago and yesterday they were shot at Hilton Head about six miles from here.
 
So goodbye.
 
April 19^th.
 
Today is Tuesday and we are here yet but we had orders this morning to roll up our Zouave clothes to pack them up in a box.  We had orders to not carry anything but one shirt to change and a pair of drawers to change and to take only the pants and blouse that we wear.  So, I suppose we are going on a long march somewhere but we can’t tell anymore about where we will go any more than you do.  But when we start, I will write as often as I can.  I have got plenty of paper and stamps and envelopes with me.  
 
So, goodbye for this time.
 
Today is the 20^th and I thought that I would write a little more.  We had orders last night that there was four hundred Rebs coming to attack us.  But they did not come so enough today.  
 
Goodbye.
 
Today is the 21^st and we are here yet and don’t know how soon we will leave here.  The mail came last night and I didn’t get any letter from you.  And so, I thought that I would write this letter and send it.  I got a letter from Hiram Stufflebeam and one from John and one from Riley and I got one that was sent to George.  It was directed to Camp Copeland and Hilton Head both.  And I hardly know what to do with it – whether to keep it to see if he comes or to send it to Camp Copeland, but I will keep it a day or two to see if he don’t come.  It was mailed the 5^th of April – the same time Stufflebeam’s was.
 
Vina, I think your dad has had bad luck with his horses.  John said that he had lost three and that young George had lost two. I think that feed must be scarce or there must be a bad disease amongst the horses there.  Try and keep our horses from dying if you can.  I have got eleven letters this month and I have wrote as many and it keeps my little gold pen in motion a good deal.  I paid one dollar and a half for it and I have sold it for two dollars and I keep it to write with till payday.
 
So, I will close hoping this may find you and sis and all the rest well. 
 
So, goodbye for this time.
 
From Frederick Fogle
 
To Lovina Fogle.  Yours truly til death.  Goodbye.