151st New York Infantry

Item LTR-7468

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 2 pages, written in period ink.

McRims
March 17th 1865

To Wife and children,

I received a letter from you two or three days ago and waited to hear that you were all well and enjoying yourselves well. But it is not so with me. I am well in body but not in mind. May have been such that I have neglected to write as often as I should have done, had I been at rest in mind. I have no news to write this day. The rest of the boys are all well. Earle has got better now. He is doing guard duty again. They have been filling up the hospital here again. They have fetched somewhere about two hundred the last week. The government has broken up some hospitals at a place called Frederick in Maryland. There were about ten hundred sick and wounded there. Most of them were wounded at the Battle of Antietam. They fetched about eight hundred of them to Baltimore. They continue to discharge men every day. Yet they discharged eight from our regiment last week. But I was not of that number.

We have got our harness to our guns. Have got the saber bayonet and sharp cartridge boxes to go with them. We make a splendid appearance now with the brass trimmed harness. Since we have got harnesses straps, if we look better, we do not feel any better with them on the raid. Also, that he was glad we had got our rights. We have not got any pay yet. But are looking for it every day. But when that day will come, it’s hard to tell.

Miss Maria Greely is here in Baltimore. Now she is going out to Washington before she goes home. I should like to see your face in the God forsaken City of Baltimore. But that I suppose is not possible for me. To see I have tried hard to get the privilege to come and see you. But did not succeed. So I shall have to wait my time of service before I see you. Provided I am lucky enough to escape the surge which I stand about one chance in five to come through safe and sound. But enough of that. I thought by most the officers that we have to go into the field about the first of May. But how that will be I cannot tell. I do not think of anything more. Only that your last letter was a very good one and also a good long one. But more too long for me. That’s all. This from your husband,

Reuben W. Pierce