The following letter was written by Frederick P. Rowe (1842-1907), the son of John N. Rowe (1807-1880) and Sarah Electa Wilson (1813-1889) of Hurley, Ulster county, New York. At the time of his enlistment, he was described as a 5 foot, 10 inch tall farmer, with dark eyes, dark hair, and a dark complexion.

Frederick mustered into Co. A, 120th New York Infantry on 22 August 1862 as a private. He was mustered out of the regiment on 3 June 1865 as a corporal. According to muster roll records he was taken prisoner at Gettysburg on 2 July 1863 and was sent to Camp Parole at Annapolis to await exchange where he wrote the following letter in May 1864.

At Gettysburg, the 120th New York fought in Humphrey’s division. It became involved in the disaster of the second day’s battle on the Union left, but like the rest of the 3d corps, it fell back in good order to the second line, fighting as it went. Its casualties in this battle aggregated 30 killed, 154 wounded and 19 missing; total, 203. Eight officers were killed and 9 wounded in that battle. 

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Camp Parole
Annapolis, Maryland
May 7th 1864

Dear cousin,

I now sit down to answer your welcome letter which I received the other day. I have neglected writing on the account of cleaning house. I have had my house painted and it makes lots of work for me. I have a barracks all alone by myself and I have got to keep that clean. The reason that I took it was because it was getting rather warm weather and there was so many in the old barracks that it wasn’t healthy.

There is a great many soldiers that dies here. There was 15 buried yesterday. They was those that just came from Richmond. There is more or less buried every day. I wish that those boys that is in Georgia was here. It think that they will see pretty hard times down there this summer for the weather is so warm there in the summer and they will be half starved. It will be doubtful if they ever get back. I hain’t heard from none of them since they left Richmond. That is the last that I heard from them. We expect to be exchanged every day and sent to the regiment. Then we will see a little harder times than we do here.

We have had very nice weather here for the last 4 or 5 weeks past. The apple trees has been in blossom a good while. They are out a planting their corn down here. They have to pay for oats one dollar and forty cents a bushel and for corn they pay 10 bits an ear. I think if you had to pay that, you would think that the world was coming to an end. Everything is in proportion. If this war keeps on a great while longer, I think that the poor [soldier] will have to go to the poor house. I do hope and pray that the war may be soon settled. I suppose that you all have to work very hard this summer. I think that wages is very high.

They are drafting every colored man in this place. Thy look wild down here because they are a drafting. I hope that they won’t need no more after this summer. There has been two or three negro regiments got up in the State of Maryland. I think that they will make very good soldiers. I hope so.

I have written you all the news so I shall have to close. Give my love to Chancy and Mary and all the rest. Please write just as soon as you get this. This is from your affectionate cousin, — Fred P. Rowe

Camp Parole