34th New York Infantry

Item LTR-9409

Description

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


Camp Falmouth, Virginia
November 29, 1862

Brother,

I received your most kind and welcome letter yesterday and am very glad to hear from you all but very sorry to hear of sister Jane’s sickness which hope soon will be over. I am well in the best of health and so are all the rest of the boys that are here with us and I hope that this may find you in good health.

Now Brother, there is one thing that you spoke of and that is you said the bad management of McClellan’s army but that he may not be all to blame and that they may be justified in removing him but it is your say that if we don’t all go in like one that there is no use of one man trying which is a bad move at the present time for McClellan. For the greatest part of the army of soldiers and officers are all belonging to the same party or do not think it was wrong in moving him and that had stirred up more party conundrum, than there has been in all the war before this. But as for parties we had ought to be in this cause but no matter what general we have, if they don’t all work together there isn’t any use of one trying. And as for us moving any further at present, I don’t think we will for they are building breastworks and camping for winter. And they begin to grumble because we didn’t go across the river the first day we came here. But no matter, our one great head man at Washington are all for their own pockets and they don’t care how long the war lasts as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. Brother, you probably thought because I sent for some stamps in a letter to Hanna Lise that it was to offend you but as I wrote to you at the time, we was at Bolivar and we could get plenty but here it is another wilderness to get anything. Now as to David Henry. I hope he may have good luck and if he can make a good strike let him have the money and let him go down about Christmas or New Year. Tell him to write as soon as he can. Now about the stock, I thought you was against to sell the doll, keep the tiger but sell the mare if you want to. No more do the best you can. I will try and send you some money as soon as we get paid off. Write whenever you have time. I received sixteen stamps all right.

From your brother,
Philip Crewell

To H. D. Crewell