40th Pennsylvania Infantry - Wounded at Charles City Crossroads & Fredericksburg

Item LTR-9710

Description

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


Camp Pierpont
December the 24th [1861]

Dear Friend,

William Boyd. I received your letter some time since and answered it but does not know whether you got my last letter or not and I thought I would send you a few lines again.

This is Christmas Day and little it appears to be a Christmas to us as it is pretty dry and I think if I was out there I might have a more lively time of it anyhow. We are lying here in camp doing but little. Some days we take a scout out through the rebel’s land, generally with some seven or eight regiments. From sixty to one hundred wagons and always has the luck to get them full of corn or other valuable property till the last one that was taken on last Friday which they were attacked by some rebels and had quite a fight. But gained the victory with out any trouble. Routed them completely and chased them two or three miles and got some corn also. And much of the soldiers’ property such as blankets, overcoats, knapsacks and other thing not named. There were seven of our men killed and they left near sixty men and nine horses on the field. The 9th Regiment was out and there was one man the name of Smith in Company A, the Pittsburg rebels that was wounded but is getting better now. Sir, I often think of the good times we had while in that camp but now we are in the rebels land and can hardly get a mile from camp with out a pass every time and can hardly get that.

Your friend as ever,

Samuel Carbaugh

Please write soon and let me hear the news.

Address:

Company B, 11th Regiment, P.R.C.
Care of Colonel T. F. Gallagher
Washington City, DC

William R. Boyle

Samuel Carbaugh, PRC, PV