141st New York Infantry

Item LTR-5516

Description

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

Camp of the 141st
Harnickerjack Cave, Georgia

April 16th 1864

Friend Alice

As I had time this afternoon, I thought I would answer your letter. It found me a feeling fine. We are having some very pleasant weather now, although it has been rather rainy of late. I have had fun enough to last a year since I have been back. I must tell you of a bit of an adventure that some of us boys had the other day. We convinced Ben to go down to the Cave with us. Well when we got there, we lit some candles and went up into the cave, about a half mile. And then we went to cross the stream of water that runs through the cave and so we had to take a small boat to cross. Three of us crossed in perfect safety but when the load that Ben was in came to cross they were so heavy that when they came to the middle of the stream where the water was about 15 feet deep, the boat began to sink. Ben hated to take to the water awfully at first, but when he saw that there was no help for him, he gave one awful leap and down to the bottom he went. I thought I should die a laughing to see him come up snorting and puffing. I guess he won’t want to explore no more caves right off. After we had our laugh out we went farther in the cave. Sometimes we would have to crawl along through narrow places and then we would come out into a large room. The walls would sparkle like so many gems. In some places the walls looked like preserved wall paper. We were in the cave most of the afternoon. And came out well satisfied for our trouble. We are in picket or fatigue duty most every day. The other day we were in picket and we milked every cow that came along. This corps and the 12th Corps has been consolidated and we are now the 1st Corps Army of the Cumberland. General Joe Hooker is our Corps Commander. Our old commander General Howard is to command the 4th Corps. General Hooker is to be Military Governor of Tennessee. We have had a monthly inspection today by Brigade Inspector Captain Baldwin. Our company is in camp guard and patrol today. Ben is on picket on a large mountain. They have to stay out four days at a time. A large panther was seen to cross the road below our camp and go into the woods to the rear of our camp the other night. And we can hear him yelling most every night. It sounds like a child crying. I must bring this to close now. So no more this time.

C. VanWagoner
Company C, 141st New York Volunteers
Nashville, TN
Army of the Cumberland