3rd Maine Infantry

Item LTR-9993

Description

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


Camp Merrill
Washington, DC

June 28th 1861

Dear Ap,

You must excuse me if I don’t come right up to time on my letters. But warm weather, six-hour drilling makes a man succumb to laziness during his spare time (which is not much). Ham is without exception the laziest man in the regiment. But thank providence he has lost 10 pounds of his superfluous fat. As I had none, I still remain one of the light weights. The hospital steward is amusing as ever. When we were coming through the Amboy, he had to take his patients from one depot to another. So, he formed his company in line of battle and addressed them in the following manner: Attention invalids, and so on. All the tactics he had picked up he put ‘em through on. He is a first-rate man to doctor a thousand. For he can do it all up in half an hour.

Our Lieutenant Colonel has arrived. He is decidedly a great man. Our regiment has got quite a good reputation (somehow or rather) but if the Colonel should happen to tick out, we should be in an awful fix. As for the Major. He is a poor inoffensive squirt whose great delight is to get little red caps and appear out in them. Tucker discourses learnedly on the Arrostook.

Old Livermore is and has been on the sick list for the past two weeks. John Day says he has the hungry consumption and I guess he is about right. Sergeant C. H. Stone has been detraded two ranks for improper conduct and a more sorry looking man I never saw.

Last night (that is in the afternoon) we were all sworn into the service of the U.S. Every man in the regiment took the oath with two exceptions. One was half witted and the other was a pig-headed fool. But it doesn’t make any difference with them. Only it cuts them off from receiving either gratuity or land warrant at the close of the war. They understood this and for what reason they refused to take it who can tell.

We are to near the war to form any correct ideas of what is going to be done. You can tell better about it than we. Ham has just come. He directs me to tell you that their mess have made arrangements to enter Richmond in ten days. I expect it must be as deserters or prisoners of war.

As I have left off swilling fusel oil in all of its combinations, haven’t drank anything stranger than beer since I left New York. What do you think of that?

I should like to drop into Scenic Bank tomorrow and help you make out your balance. If I could be back here at reveille on Monday. How is the cast account of late? Expect since I left it has overrun immensely.

We have lots of fun with Wendell. We tell him that he enlisted in Augusta when he was under the influence of liquor and that we are going to make him drill between meals. It rather aggravates the old man and he and John are black guarding each other a good part of the time.

I received a quantity of tobacco from Eno in Ham’s package it came to a very useful end for that.

This letter must do for you and Eno. Tell Appy that the fierce soldiers will make him his orderly if he will report himself at headquarters.

Give regards to Quarter Master G. P. LaSalle and all the rest of our numerous friends. By the way, did I tell we saw our old drill master Tyler in Boston. We did and he appeared quite proud of his old followers.

You have more time than I App and you must write oftener.

Yours truly,

J. E. H.