1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery - Captured at Cold Harbor

Item LTR-7700

Description

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


Battery Anderson, Virginia
March 26th 1865

Dear Wife,

As I have time to write a little, I will give it to you for I know that you wish for some of my spare time. Company K of our regiment has met with a disaster. It appears that our pickets had been called in so that the Johnny’s could desert to our lies and there was no watch kept so they took advantage of the chance to come in force and they took part of Company K and their battery and took some of them off to see Richmond. They took all of the little batteries that our company had charge of last summer but they paid dear for their folly for it was not over two hours before the Old Ninth Corps drove them back, taking twenty-five hundred of them and killing about five hundred more.

General Grant says that they done that to cover a more important movement for he says that they are leaving our front and trying to run away. He has ordered both of these armies to be ready to follow them up at a minute’s notice. I hope that the Johnny’s will leave so that we could take Richmond, for the sooner we get that place, the better. But I fear it won’t stop the war at present.
But I know that the order to be ready to move will stop any furloughs.

There is no other news to write of for everything goes on smoothly and all you can hear now is the war is going to end this summer. But I for one don’t believe it. Let me know what the folks thinks about it in Voluntown.

I hope, my pet, that you are well for it is impossible for me to get home. If I could only get there, I would give anything. An application is in for a furlough for me for fifteen days but I am sure of not getting it and if I should get it, I could stay at home only seven days, for it takes eight days to go and return. And what is worse than, I’ll have no money to get there with and I should have to stop a day in Washington to get transportation so that would leave me only six days at home. I wish that I may get it but I don’t believe that I shall and if you get well soon, I don’t want one for I had rather wait until I am needed more.

I think that I shall hear from my pet tonight when the mail comes in and for that reason, I will stop now and wait until it comes.

Chester A. Chapman


P.S. If you have not sent that box, don’t forget to send that tobacco that I spoke of – C.A.C.

Morning of 27 March – There was no letter for me last night so I will send this without writing more. Ever yours, Chet to Mat