Sadly I am unable to determine the identity of the young man in the 2nd Maine Infantry who wrote this partial letter—at least not without devoting a lot more time than I have available. Though he informs us he is with the 2nd Maine Infantry, he does not state his company nor does he mention the names of any comrades. Just knowing the company would have narrowed down the possible authors by a factor of ten. The content tells us that he is in a favored position in his company though apparently not an officer. My hunch is that he was the company clerk.

Since the end of the letter is missing, there is no signature. There is also no envelope with an address on it to help us determine even where the soldier was from, though I presume it was Maine. We know only that he had a brother named Andrew —probably younger—who seems to have enlisted, and a sister still at home. He has a father who is once again “in business” but does not mention a mother. We also know that the family had neighbors by the name of Chase who had recently lost two young children.

In his letter, the author writes of the tramp from Hall’s Hill to Fairfax Court House in mid-March just before they embarked on ships to join McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign.

Whoever he was, he seems clearly invested in the cause, informing his sister that given his “nature and ambition,” he could never “remain in quiet life while others were doing the fighting for me & reaping all of the honors. God forbid that I shall ever be guilty of that. We shall soon be engaged & if I knew I was to be among those who were to fall, & by receiving a discharge tonight could go to my quiet home, I would spurn with contempt the offer & rush forward manfully & die like a hero rather than live a coward.” He would have plenty of opportunities ahead to prove his mettle as the 2nd Maine Infantry would be called upon to face the enemy through the Seven Days Battles, Groveton, 2nd Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He may have even been among the three years’s men that would later get transferred to the 20th Maine and fight under Col. Chamberlain’s command at Little Round Top.

It would be good to know his fate.

Transcription

Alexandria [Virginia]
Headquarters 2nd Regt. Maine Volunteers
March 16th 1862

Dear Sister,

It is Sunday eve and I just received your very, very kind and interesting letter of the 7th inst. and I assure you I was much pleased to hear from you and learn that you and all my folks were well, but very sorry to hear that old neighbor Mr. Chase had been so unfortunate as to lose two of his beloved children. Poor Mrs. Chase must feel very badly. Still we should console ourselves by calling to mind that it is His will whom we all reverence that caused & has right to cause all such things. You see by that he has died while at his beloved home while I, who is in & been in & among all danger am still living & well. Still, ere you get this, I may be prostrated on some Southern plain. But if so, I am bound that my parents shall have enough to console them—namely, that I fall doing a soldier’s duty.

I have written two letters to Father which I suppose you have read ere this. So you will see that I do my best to keep you posted of my whereabouts. We left Hall’s Hill Monday, marched 10 miles through deep mud to Fairfax. The particulars I cannot detail but we stopped there until Saturday & the enemy having fled before us & evacuated Manassas, there of course was no chance for a fight there. So yesterday we marched from Fairfax to this place—a distance of 15 miles. The road was fair although muddy & it rained very hard all of the time. We [were] loaded very heavy but I stood it finely.

When we got to the place where we were to stop we were completely soaked with water and most of the men had to lie down on the wet & cold ground and there sleep during the night. But my position being such that I camp with my officers which makes better for me although I have stood all any man has had to. My captain and another’s captain, 4 lieutenants & I went into town and were fortunate enough to get a room with a fire in it. We dried ourselves and slept sound during the night. In the morning we returned to camp & pitched our tents & are now enjoying myself as well as could be expected.

There are 100,000 troops in this town & we are to leave very soon in steamers for Fortress Monroe, [and] from there further South. We shall most likely have some hard fighting to do and I am ready and willing to do my part of it. We shall embark from this place. We may go tomorrow & may not for a day or two. I am in hopes if we go to Fort Monroe I shall see father. I got a letter from him yesterday. He seems to be enjoying himself finely. I am glad he is again in business.

I have not heard from Andrew since he left home. You say you wish I went with those boys about there or where I would have had I remained at home. Oh Sis! I would be much pleased to enjoy your society & the rest of my friends there but you must remember that it would be utterly impossible for one of my nature & ambition to attend school or remain in quiet life while others were doing the fighting for me & reaping all of the honors. God forbid that I shall ever be guilty of that. We shall soon be engaged & if I knew I was to be among those who were to fall, & by receiving a discharge tonight could go to my quiet home, I would spurn with contempt the offer & rush forward manfully & die like a hero rather than live a coward. I feel proud of Andrew for a man who is not willing to risk his life for this country is not deserving [to live init]. Although many of my friends are not in the army, but those who have not a good excuse have reduced themselves in my estimation very much. I do not wish to be hard, for there are many who could not leave their homes, but that….

[remainder of letter missing]