141st New York Infantry

Item LTR-330

Description

4 page original Civil War soldier's letter, written in period ink and war dated.

Suffolk Nansemond County, VA
May 2nd 1863

Larissa, My Dear Wife,

Once more I seat myself to address a few lines to you, in answer to your kind letter that came to hand last night. It was No. 1. I was glad to hear from you and hear that you were all well. But Norman had a sore on his head. You had better have something done for it if it don’t get better soon. You said Horace Lewis had given up moving away. And he would do what work you wanted done this spring. Perhaps you had better get him to do it for you. If he will do it when it ought to be done. For I don’t know of anyone else that you could get to do it for you. You thought you had better shut up two of those pigs and feed them some of that barley. Would it not be better to let them run with the sow and feed them what milk you have until about fall? Then feed it to them. For you may not raise much to feed them if you plant corn. It may not do very well. But do what you think best. About that cow, I can’t tell you for I have forgotten as well. I suppose you are anxious to hear how things are down here. Well I will try and tell you something about it. We have not been in a battle yet. But yesterday there were three hundred men of the 99th Regiment of the New York Volunteers that crossed the river and had a brush with the rebs. The rebs sent out a whole brigade to meet them and they drove our men back a ways. Then General Peck sent over a few pieces of artillery and drove them back into their entrenchments with quite a slaughter. The rebs had no artillery there. Our losses in killed and wounded, according to the first report, was sixty. But the second report says four killed and thirty-six wounded. But we don’t know if that is correct. The battle was in the afternoon and some two or three miles from here. We could hear the artillery firing and our regiment was called out in line of battle and kept there until dark. And then they stacked their arms and let them stand there all night. There is some firing today but whether they are hitting much or not I don’t know. Some think there wouldn’t be much fighting done here but we can’t tell what the rebs will do. But I don’t believe they will attack us but still they may. I don’t know as I have anything more to write of importance. But Sylvester Tinney and our orderly have just returned from the City of Suffolk. We are about one mile from the city. They say they saw the dead buried that was killed in the battle yesterday. There was six of them. They say they were buried in coffins like that of Perry’s. By their tale there was between 30 and 40 wounded. They said the men that was in the battle told them that the rebels came out in solid mass. And when our men opened on them with our artillery, they cut them down fast. They threw grape and canister shot in amongst them and it made an opening in their ranks. But they would close right up again. And they said our artillery made a great slaughter amongst them. Our men saw the rebs on the battlefield all night with lights picking up their dead and wounded. But we don’t know what their losses were. But estimate it to be large compared with ours.

Our Regiment has moved about two miles from where we first encamped. If we had not moved we should have been nearer the battle than we were. But if it is our lot to keep out of the fight it will suit me just as well. For if we go into battle some of us will get killed and we have all got to stand our chance. The paymaster is here paying off our Regiment. I don’t know whether he will get to our Company tonight or not. When Horace wrote to me the last time, he said he wanted to get some fifteen dollars from me to come down to VA to work and he would pay it back as soon as he could earn it. I told him when I got my pay I thought I could spare it. And if he comes over there after it, after you get it, you may let him have it if he has not given up coming down to Virginia to work. I think I shall send it home as I did before. But when I send it I will tell you. If you let Horace have fifteen dollars, I guess you will have enough left to yet along until he gets it for you again. He will get his pay every month and get two dollars per day.

It is evening and the paymaster has not gotten around to our Company but probably will pay us tomorrow. If it is Sunday when I get it, I will make arrangements to send it there. I will write and tell you how and where I send it so you can go or send and get it. I believe I told you in the other letter that I was cooking again. So that I don’t have to stand on guard or go out on picket or do any duty but cook. Well I guess I will have to close soon for I want to mail it tonight. For the mail goes out at five o’clock in the morning. Night before last I was quite sick all night. And yesterday I laid in bed all the forenoon and in the afternoon I felt better. And today I feel as well as can be. You may think I don’t feel very well but I do. My health is good with the exception of now and then a day when I am sick. Then I will tell you now I will bid you goodbye once more. But I hope the time is coming when it will be so that we can talk face to face and then it won’t be goodbye every little while. But it is a great privilege to write and learn how each other gets along. I guess you won’t complain this time because I have not written enough for I have filled a large sheet. So goodbye again.

Yours affectionately,

James H. Hurd

To Larissa Hurd