10th Connecticut Infantry - Wounded at Deep Bottom Run, VA

Item LTR-6484

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages written in period ink.


Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Army Corps
Deep Bottom, Virginia

Monday, June 27th 1864

My Dear Parents,

It is excessively warm today and has been very for several days past.

We are now encamped close to the James. Our tents are pitched on the ruins of an old wharf. The bank rises abruptly from the river on this side and on the top of this bank the brigade is encamped. The rebels have not troubled us any here as yet. But they are busy at work beyond our lines fortifying themselves to prevent our advancing from this direction I suppose. We are just as busily at work on the high ground here. Fortifying our position so as to prevent any attempt they may make to dislodge us. Every day adds to our strength. What we are here for or matters are very uncertain and I suppose it is best for us that we do not. As we are situated now the men have a fine opportunity for bathing and they approve of it. They enjoy it very much apparently. Some of them are in the water nearly all the time. I should think plenty of fish might be caught here. But I have seen but few as yet. Our mails we do not get as regular now as before we crossed the river. But I suppose it will be better when we have been here awhile and get fairly settled.

I saw Silas E. last evening. He was well but had been on fatigue all day and was rather tired and was trying to fix up his tent. The regiment has not gotten their tents all pitched yet.

Colonel Otis is quite unwell, is overcome by the heat and fatigue I suppose. The heat has been very oppressive. For a few days past. I have not been out anymore than was necessary. Which has not been a great deal. I have hardly been out in the middle of the day.

I have got so large a sheet, I do not know as I will be able to finish it all. But my stock of note paper is run low. We do not get any news from the other portions of the army except through the papers. Excepting some rumors, we get which are not reliable. I do not mean to say that the newspaper accounts are reliable, for they are far from it.

I suppose you have seen in the papers about the finding of coin by some of the men. A man in Company I, I think, was the first to find it. A good many of them got quite a supply and sold it out two dollars fro one! The man I first spoke of got about sixty dollars in coin. Over thirty of it in gold. He got one twenty-dollar gold piece. I got off him a five-franc piece or Napoleon, of him for a dollar. From other I procured some twenty-five cent pieces.

The wheat crop is all ready to be gathered. The rebels have gathered it in fields where they can get it. Large fields of oats will soon be ripe. There is not much of any fruit that we can get here.

Your Son,

William