5th New Hampshire Infantry - Wounded at Petersburg

Item LTR-7432

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period pencil.

Camp Point Lookout
November 17th 1863

Dear Sir,

Having got settled at last and got fairly to housekeeping, I will endeavor to redeem my promise to you by writing a few lines. Hoping you will excuse me for delaying so long. As we haven’t hardly had an hour at a time, that we could call our own. Since leaving Winchester, we have been stirring a pretty good share of the time. Our company had left Concord when we returned from our furlough. So we didn’t go until the next Tuesday. We weren’t any sorry to leave our pen at Concord. Though we didn’t better ourselves much in going to Long Island. We could see something there besides a board fence. But it was an awful cold and bleak place. We are under the same strict guard whether we are in amp or travelling. While at Long Island, we were inside of 3 lines of guards, on all sides, but one. This for an island in the midst of the ocean, so to speak. Looks rather tough for the “fighting fifth.”

We managed to live pretty well while we remained there. Elbridge and I had a box apiece form Boston which lasted till we left the island. We were ordered to pack up and prepare for Dixie. Friday, November 6th the regiment embarked on two transport steamers bound for Fortress Monroe. But subject to further orders.

Our company consisting of about 80 men were packed down in a room in the hold, down 2 flights of stairs from the deck. We were pretty comfortable the first night. But Saturday and Sunday I was a little sick that I ever had in the happiness of being. But I got over it all right and enjoyed the rest of the voyage as well as could be expected in our situation. We lived rather poor on the boat, a little hard tack and raw port, etc.

We arrived at Fortress Monroe Monday evening and were ordered to report at Alexandria for further instructions. We sailed the same evening and arrived at Alexandria Wednesday in the afternoon. We had a very pleasant time going up the Potomac River. We had a pretty fair view of the Mount Vernon estate as we passed along. While we were anchored at Alexandria, we were in plain sight of the Marshal House where Colonel Ellsworth fell. The flag staff from which the rebel flag floated is still standing. We remained off Alexandria till Thursday afternoon when we were ordered to Point Lookout, where we remain at present. We arrived at this place Friday, but didn’t land until Saturday. Making 8 days that we were confined on that nasty lousy boat. There was one soldier died Friday on the boat. We are camped about ¼ of a mile from the 2nd New Hampshire. We were sent here to guard rebel prisoners. There are about 10000 of them here. They are surrounded by a fence 12 feet high. Some of them are very ingenious and make rings and other trinkets and sell them to our boys for a good deal less than we could afford to make them.

How goes the singing in Winchester nowadays? Does the choir keep up good interest this fall? It seems as though I miss home more Sundays than another time. I haven’t sung any since I came into the army. We are all well except Hale. He is getting some better, though not so as to be in the ranks. What do folks think in Winchester about filling their quota of the President’s draft? Write and tell me all the news and goings on. Excuse the writings, as our reminisces are not very good. Write soon and oblige to direct to:

Henry Sawyer
Company F, 5th New Hampshire Volunteers
Washington, DC

Your soldier friend,

Henry Sawyer