These letters were written by William Augustus Smith of Co. D, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry (fought with the Irish Brigade). The first letter discusses the Battle of Falling Water (soon after Gettysburg, in which that unit was heavily involved) among other things. Even though that letter is not datelined, it most likely was written on July 15, 1863, since it is headed “near Harpers Ferry.” According to Mulholland’s history of the regiment, the 116th spent the night of 15 July 1863 there following Falling Water. William served as a private in Co. D, and later as a corporal in Co. A of the 116th Pennsylvania before being transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps.

William A. Smith was the son of John Matlock Smith (1809-1873) and Phebe M. Medenhall (1813-1900) of West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania. It is curious, however, that he was not enumerated in his parent’s household in the 1850 US Census.

There are several references to this soldier—including quotations from other letters—posted on the internet or published in books. In his book, Defeating Lee: A History of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, (page 87), Lawrence Kreiser wrote that Pvt. William Smith—when he learned of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—was quoted as writing, “To hell with the Niggers…I would shoot one quick as a wink if he gave me any sase.”

Letter 1

[This letter is from the collection of Richard Weiner and is published with express consent. It was first published on 10 December 2017 on Spared & Shared 10.]

Pleasant Valley, Md, near Harper’s Ferry
[15 July 1863]

Dear Father & Mother,

I thought I would write a few lines to let you know where I am. We have had a hard time of it since I wrote to you before. We have been chasin’ the johnnie rebs up and run them to Falling Waters and then captured about 2,000 prisoners and kill[ed] a good many of them. We have about 16 rebs of them that we are going to shoot for surrendering and waving a white flag and seeing that there was not many of them and then they run back and pick[ed] up their arms and shot our men down after they had surrendered. So they held a drumhead court martial and their sentence was to be shot.

We have had marching all the time—today 20 miles. And the day before the Battle of Gettysburg we marched 35 miles—and it is hard work. It is kill[ing] me up marching with the diarrhea so bad. It [is] keeping me running all the time and it makes [me] mighty weak. And it is as much as I can do to get along on the march. If they don’t stop pretty soon, I will have to give up the ship.

We have got orders to go ahead again tomorrow at 4 o’clock to Winchester [to] try to get ahead of Old Lee. If we had not marched so hard and so long, we could [have] got ahead of them in a day and got half of Lee’s army. They rushed them in the river with the point of the bayonet and drowned a great many of them in [ac]count of us running them so hard to get them across the river so that we could not get them. As it was, we took about 2,000 of them altogether. Our division took 4 or 500 of them. In their rush, one of the orderlies at the headquarters took 3 of them himself—so you can see which side it takes to capture one.

Well, it is getting late so I will have to stop writing. I seen Bill Dollings today and 2 others from West Chester. Asis Fittings and Gad Goule in the bands. I think it is Beck’s [Philadelphia Brass] Band and they are all well.

Here is an envelope with the stamp on that was taken from [a] rebel’s knapsack at the Battle of Falling Waters and a little cathrel [?] badge that I found on the Battlefield of Bulls Run. It was laying along a lot of human bones. I have got some things more to send home but there is no chance. I thought I would [have] got them sent home when I was in Pennsylvania but we got out of it in such a hurry there was no chance. And tomorrow morning we will have to cross the river in[to] Old Virginia again. I am sick and tired of that state.

So goodbye to you all for awhile and direct your letters [to] Headquarters, First Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac.

From your son, — Wm. A. Smith

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Letter 2

Headquarters Turkey Run
1st November 1863

Dear Father & Mother & Sisters,

I take this opportunity of answering your letter I just received this evening and was glad to hear from you that you were all well at present and I am enjoying very good health at this time as long as we are staying here. We have a barn to stay in now and we have bunks fixed up in it and it makes it very good for us and it keeps us dry and off the ground. I tell you, it is bunkum. My pardner and me was waken out the other day and we seen a chicken and we thought it would bite us so we had to twist the neck for him. He hollow at us and that would not do so we picked him and put him in a pot and had two good meals off of him for he must bin the first one that Noah drove in the Ark in the year of one. He had spurs on a inch and a half long. It put me mind of Mosby—the Griller [guerrilla].

So yesterday we seen another one running around loose so we were afraid it would bite us so we made away with him the same way. But it turned out better. It was young. So I think I have told you anuf about the chicken this time. But they must not run around here loose where we are for we will serve them the same way.

There has been nothing new going on since I wrote to you before but the Reserve Artillery has come up and gone to Belle Plains and I expect that we will be on the march again in a day or so. There is some talk of us going tomorrow or the next day. They say that we are going to our old place again—that is Falmouth. So the next letter that I will write to you will be from there or Fredericksburg.

So goodbye this time. So my love to you all and give my love to Mrs. Apple and all the family and to Aunty & Becky Joyce and to Turser Snare and give Molly my best respects and I wish her much joy and her man also.

I think the young men had better stop getting married till after the draft is over for maybe some of them will have to come out in the field to battle with the Johnny Rebs yet and then they will have to leave their sweet turtle doves and they will not like it much then for when they get out here, they won’t have their sweet ones to go home to when they are done work at night to play with and to comb their head and make them look slick when they take a promenade with on Saturday evenings and Sundays to the woods in the afternoon. For Molly Snare said that she was going to be a old maid but that is played out now.

So goodbye to you all. My love to all of you. From your son, — Wm. A. Smith

Write soon.

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Letter 3

Camp near Stevensburg
January 17, 1864

Dear Father & Mother & Sisters,

I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know that I received your kind letter last night and was very glad to hear from you, that you were all very well at present, and that you had a happy Christmas there together. And I would like to been there with you, but it was no go for I could not make it. The furloughs has stopped now and I think there is a poor chance for me now without I play the Old Soldier and get my discharge, or get in a hospital away from here and then I will have a chance. Then I might have a chance.

Well, I am a little better than I was when I wrote to you before. I have got my feet frozen on New Year’s night. They are pretty sore now. It keeps me off doing duty now and I ain’t going to do anymore for Uncle Sam than I can help for they act the nigger on me in everything. There is some men going home to reenlist for the regiment. The pets has to go so there is no chance for me so let it rip.

Well, you can send me a box now if you choose. All the boys are getting them by Adams Express Co. now. If you you send me a box and some things that I want, I will be very much obliged to you for it. Uncle Sam has not paid us off yet or else I would send some money home to get some things. But I guess there is enough of money I sent home for to spend when I come home on a furlough. I wish you would take that and get me some files—about a half dozen. I want a rat tail file and two or three half round ones about 3 or 4 inches long and two or three saw files—small ones—and a small sprigen awl so that I can work to pass away the time. And I would like to have a good mess of sausage and scrapple and a good loaf of Mother’s bread and some butter and I don’t care what else. And don’t forget a pie—some like you had for Christmas. I think it would do good for a change for I have not a taste of one for so long. I will not know how it will taste.

My ink is played out so I will have to stop. So give my love [to] all of my friends and love to you all and write soon. So goodbye from your son, — Wm. A. Smith

Direct this:

Wm. A. Smith
Co. A, 116th Regt. P. V.
2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Corps
Washington D. C.

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Letter 4

Camp near Stevensburg
March 4, 1864

My dear Father & Mother & Sisters

I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know that I received your kind and welcome letter last night and was glad to hear that you are all well at present when it left you. Well, for my part I am getting along very well at present here now. I have not done any duty since I left the Headquarters the 26th December.

Well, there is not much news here now. We had a big ball on the 22nd of February [Washington’s Birthday] and had all of the Heads of Washington our here to see us and it was a grand thing to see so many men and women together in one place and see the women ride with the generals on horseback along the columns as fast as the horse can go. There was 14 ambulance loads at Division Headquarters and among them was Gov. A. J. Curtin and Lady, and the Vice President and Mr. Greenbacks [Salmon Chase] & daughter [Kate]. I suppose you know how that is.

On the 25th we got 40 new recruits for the regiment today and the first doctor’s call was 12 of them on the sick list. I thought that was a good bargain for the first. That is the way they come—there will not be much relief to the old men off of duty.

Some of the army was out on a reconnoiter on the 27th—that was the 6th Corps—and the 3rd Corps got orders to move in the afternoon and the 2nd Corps on the 28th got orders to move in a moment’s notice. On the 29th we got mustered in for pay for two months more. I expect we [will] get [it] in a week or so.

Well, we are moving camp now. Some of the boys has their tents up. There was not anuf of room for us there when the new recruits come out. We expect 400 men today or tomorrow as soon as they can get the new camp fixed for them.

Well, that is all the news down here now. The weather is clear today. On the 1st of March we had quite a snowstorm. Well, I must come to a close now for I want to write a note to Emily [and] see if I can mend her ways for if I was there, I would help her to. Well, I come to a close by sending my love to you all and all of my enquiring friends. So goodbye. From your son, — William Augustus Smith

Mother, here is a ring I send to you with your letters [initials] in—P. M. S.

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Letter 5

Alexandria [Virginia]
[May] 26th 1864

My dear Father & Mother & Sisters,

I take this opportunity of writing you a few lines to let you know that I received your letter dated the 22nd and was very glad to hear from you all that you are all well at present. I am better than I was a few day ago. I left Cliffburne Barracks on the 22nd of May and was reassigned to the 3rd Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps. The boys are first rate fellows but the captain is a darn mean man. He shows too much of the red tape about him. He will damn a man uphill and down for little or nothing. He has but one eye. The other is a glass eye. I hate it that his name is Smith for he is a disgrace to the name of Smith.

There is not much news here now—only that I got 5 letters from the front last night—all of the back letters that is at the regiment. My old Company A is doing provost guard duty at Division Headquarters. The boys say that they are getting along first rate and if they keep on doing as well as they have been doing, they say that they will go in Richmond before the 4th of July or take his head for a foot ball.

Is Frank’s corps the 10th or 16th for I can’t tell in Anne’s letter for it looks like a 16th. I have forgot the run of the corps now or else I would know.

So I come to a close by sending my love to you all and all of my friends. So goodbye. From your son, — W. A. Smith

Direct your letter to Corporal Wm. A. Smith, Co. D, 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps, Alexandria, Virginia