42nd Pennsylvania Infantry - Wounded Bucktail

Item LTR-5161

Description

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

Novitiate Hospital
Frederick City, MD

October 7th 1862

Dear Brother and Sister,

Yours mailed October the 4th I received on the 6th, which was last night and very glad was I to hear from you once more and I received one from Wallace mailed two days before that, 20th. Came through all safe and sound and I was very glad to see it too. I have gotten up this morning and put on my pants. And have been walking around the room. I think that I shall be able to go back to the regiment again in about a month if nothing happens.

I have not heard from the regiment since I left it. I wrote a letter to the captain the same day that I wrote to you. But have had no answer. We have very good care here. Our nurse is one of the bucktails. He is from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. There is quite a number of the bucktails here wounded. We are in a Roman Catholic building. There is ten beds in the room that I am in. And there are six of us wounded and one with a swelling on his knee. The ladies here in the city came in to see us every day and fetch us in good things to eat.

There. The town clock striking twelve. Dinner will be here shortly and the ladies keep us supplied with books and papers to read to help pass the time away. I don’t know as if I shall stay here much longer. They are sending them away from here as fast as they can. I cannot tell you anything about the battle now. I don’t know whether I shall be able to get home or not. It is a hard time to get a furlough now. But I will try for it. I will write again if I move. So no more this time.

William Chase