111th Pennsylvania Infantry & 22nd Veteran Reserve Corps

Item LTR-8702

Description

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


USA General Hospital, Chester

June 8th 1863

Mr. Erastus Barnes

Dear Sir,

Yours of the 30th is duly received. I was glad to hear from you and to know that you and your family was in good health. At present I am enjoying the same blessing. I have written to you twice since I heard from you last. But this is the first I have received since before going into Cedar Mountain battle. It has troubled me very much to think I could not hear from you or your family.

Dear friend, since our departure I have suffered many hardships but I am glad to inform you that I am now in a good place and I am likely to stay here till my time of enlistment expires. I suppose you will be glad to hear that. I belong to the invalid detachment. We had quite a time last Monday. The 1st of this month there was a great time in Philadelphia. There was a great Copperhead meeting. They had all of the invalid detachment there. They were afraid there would be a fuss in the city but I tell you they did not have a great deal to say. For if they did, they would have found us militia. They would have found out that we have suffered enough in the field and have been long enough there to not let men at home say anything against the government. I would rather be shooting or putting the bayonet through such men than to be fighting the rebs in Virginia or in any of the rebel states. For there is more honor in the rebels than in them. For they come out and fight us like men.

Now Friend Barnes, the draft is soon coming and then they will be in earnest. It will be one of the greatest pleasures of my life to be hunting those fellows. But there has been planning, the battles for McClellan and the other generals and setting at home telling where General Meade made such a mistake and how it could have been avoided. The fun of it is they will have a chance to cure all those things and lick the rebs themselves and if I don’t help and do all that is in my power to put them out as long as life lasts it will be a curious thing to me.

Mr. Barnes, I would be very happy if you were present to see the fun when it comes off. Mr. Barnes, can you let me know if Henry Osgood is living or where he is or does his folks ever hear from him. If they do, let me know how he is. For I never have been mustered in his company since we left Baltimore. I would like to know if Chase Osgood is at home. I understand that he has been wounded and I would like to hear from him and how he is getting along. When you write, you will let me know who is living with you or who is working with you this year. I shall be glad to know. I hope the time is not far distant when I shall be in Sheffield and I hope when I do that I shall see you all alive and well.

I will now bring this to a close by bidding you all goodbye with the hopes of hearing from you all soon again.

My best respects to you and Mrs. Barnes, Rose, Timothy and Letty and to my little Patty and to all inquiring friends.

Write soon as I shall always be glad to hear from you. I hope that we will not be so long in hearing from one another in the future.

James A. Stapleton

Address: USA General Hospital
Chester
Delaware County, Pennsylvania