1st New York Mounted Rifles

Item LTR-5380

Description

4 pages, original Civil War Union letter written in period ink and war dated.

Williamsburgh, VA
September the 21st 1862

Dear Cousin Em,

For short.

Your welcomed letter came to hand tonight and as I have nothing better to do, I will try and answer. But being somewhat bashful and unaccustomed to correspondence with ladies, I trust that you will forgive all mistakes, pocket all insults and in short receive it as one of the first attempts of a bashful boy at correspondence.

You say that you never neglect a good opportunity of writing to a friend and I do most sincerely hope that you will not have to wait so long for an opportunity to reply to this. And again you say that Broughton wit is the best if you do not buy it too often. Also that you feel sorry for me. But I have never had cause to regret that I enlisted when I did. And if I had it to do over again, I should do just the same. So I think it would be as well for you to share your sympathies with those poor fellows that have to stand the draft. For I can assure you that they will need the sympathies of friends at home. For we have no sympathies for them here.

You seem to think that your doom is always to teach the young idea how to shoot. I trust that you will learn them to shoot and write and learn at least the female portion of them not to fire their darts at veteran soldiers.

Again you say that you feel cast down and wish to know what for soldiers you would make in that state of mind. You would make a very poor soldier. One of first points of a soldier is to be always cheerful and happy under any circumstances. He must have a lively imagination so that he can take his salt junk and hard tack and imagine that they are buckwheat, capers and fresh pork gravy. He must be able to spread his blanket down in a mud hole and imagine that he is in a feather bed. And above all, if he is unwell, he must learn to wait upon himself and imagine that he has the best care and is surrounded with all the comforts of home. When you think that you can do that then you will make a good soldier. You say that there has got to be a change of business that you are not a going to live. Now if you should be lucky enough to realize all that you can wish, but as to coming down here, I should assure you not to come for there is not much sympathies here fore cooperheadism. And I fear that they would serve you as they did Valdingham last spring. Then you say that you have not got acquainted with my girl yet. If you have, you have better luck thank I have for I am sure that I have ever seen her yet. I sometimes think that some old woman is only one for me, if I ever have the luck to find her.

I suppose that you will have some curiosity to know where we are and what we are a doing. We have been on the march for the last six weeks. We have traveled through a part of North Carolina and we are now on the peninsula. We have been within 14 miles of Richmond. But I need not tell you where we have been or what we have done for you have the papers and that is more than we have here. Were are encamped on the ground where the battle of Williamsburg was fought and the place is made sacred by the graves of the many noble dead that fell on that fatal day. As also by the many historical incidents of the revolution. But it is now what all southern places are that have been visited by the soldiers of war, a mass of ruins and what was once a very pleasant place is now deserted. With the exceptions of a few of the wives and children of some of the rebs who are left destitute and if you would like to see object poverty this is the place where it can be seen. The only thing that is left unharmed is the Virginia Insane Asylum, which has 250 convicts. And all pleasure that we have here is that we have the fever. As we have been here since the 6th of the month and we have 20 in our company that have got it. I have had it or 2 days. I put in the forenoon a shaking and freezing. The afternoon in sweating. The evening with a headache and if you would like to see some tall shaking just run down here some morning for a breakfast spell. You will see a fine specimen of soldiering. The only medicine, Canteen and no whiskey but it is time that I bring this to a close and as this is my first attempt, I hope you will excuse all mistakes. Give my love to all inquiring friends. That is if I have any. A past that I have some reason to doubt. Tell Em that I will write to her as soon as I get time. Hoping that you will think it worth your while to answer. I remain

Yours always,

Corporal H. A. Green
1st Regiment Mounted Rifels
Troop C
Williamsburgh, VA

To Mrs. Emaline Jones
Cuslabackville
Grange CC, NY