8th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery

Item LTR-7105

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 2 pages written in period ink. Champion also served as the Chaplain for the 179th Pennsylvania Infantry. Note, letter has archival tape to repair a tear.

Headquarters, 8th Independent New York Battery
Chickahominy River, Virginia

May 11th 1862

J. C. Newkirk, Esq.

Enclosed please find a receipt for Richard H. Bump. He is to hand you a certificate of deposit on a good bank for the amount, payable to my brother John V. Champion, which you will please mail to him in the enclosed envelope.

The receipt is one he wrote and sent me to sign. I do not know whether the amount is right or not. If it is too much, so that he can construe it as taking over interest I don’t want you to let him have it. At all events call his attention to that matter. I don’t want anything but what is right and I don’t want to get caught unwittingly. I have had a great deal of trouble about that matter and somehow I am very suspicious of it.

Yours respectfully,

J. H. Champion
1st Lieutenant, Commanding
8th New York Battery

P.S. We are having a hard time chasing the dirty rebels. We have had some hard fighting. We are now pretty close on their heels. It may be this is my last letter as we expect a fight any hour. But I don’t trouble myself about that. It seems to me that I am coming through all right. But I am going ahead until this rebellion is put down or I will lay my bones here.

J. H. C.

J. H. Champion
May 11, 1862