1st & 4th New Jersey Infantry

Item LTR-7821

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 6 pages, written in period ink.


Camp White Oak Church, VA
January 31st 1863

Dear Sister,

I received your kind and ever welcome letter of the 24th this morning and was much pleased to hear from you. You stated you had not received an answer to your last letter. But my dear sister, I assure you I have answered every one of your letters that I have received. With the exception of one that was the last one before this. And that was an old one dated October that had been miscarried. I got that the day before we started on this last march. I though it was not necessary to do so because I had written several times since that. But perhaps some of my letters have not reached you. Quite likely the answer to your last will turn up yet. For I wrote just before this last move was to be made and quite likely it has been detained at Washington on that account. As they often are at such times. But I have not forgotten you. Yet for all that by no means for I was just talking to a friend of mine about paying you a visit in a few weeks or stopping a while at least as I was going up to Easton. They have commenced to grant furloughs now. Letting three go out of a company at a time for ten days. And I have put in for one and am the fifth on the list. So look out for me and have that turkey fat for I am going to bring a friend of mine with me and we haven’t had anything of that kind in some time you see. But I shant build my hopes too high at present for fear some evil wind might blow them down and disappoint me. I received a letter from Sam when we were on the march and answered it the same day before we started from where we had bivouacked overnight. I did get one from Mary that I did not answer. For I had no postage stamps and I hated to send it without. But I sent Sam’s without and the last one wrote to you I sent without a stamp. For we can’t get them here. I have a few now that some of Frenchtown friends sent me in a letter. You wanted to know what had become of Thomas Willever. As you had not heard from him in some time. He deserted when we were in the Maryland campaign and I have not heard from him since and William Merrel. I think he is in Philadelphia slacking off. For he has never been back to the regiment since he left. Hank Merrel is out here in the Fifteenth Regiment. There is quite a number of the boys out here but I haven’t been to see any of them yet. It is a difficult matter for me to get away. For I am color sergeant of the regiment and I have to be at my post when called for. But I have some hopes of getting out of it. Our colonel is intimately acquainted with Uncle Rodney’s family. And he has taken a great notion to me for my behavior on the field of battle and he has got me on the list for promotion and there is several vacancies in the regiment now that will have to be filled up by someone.

I have no news of any importance to write you at present. There has been quite a change made in our Commanding General Collett but I suppose you know as much about that as I do so it is not necessary for e to write about. We have had very disagreeable weather for some time here. The roads are in an awful condition.

No end to mud. We had quite a snow storm here day before yesterday. There fell some eight or ten inches of snow and it has been quite cold since. I have built myself a log cabin and live quite comfortable to what some of the most lazy do that haven’t got the ambition of a louse. But I must bring my already too long letter to a close by stating that yours found me well and in good health and I hope this will find you in the same state of health. Nothing more at present but remain as ever, your brother and well wishes until death. Hoping to hear from you soon.




Daniel R. Forgus

To Mrs. Thomas Warman