The following letter was written by George W. Westfall (1842-1923) of Newark, New York, who enlisted for two years as a corporal on 10 May 1861 in Co. I, 17th New York Infantry. He mustered out of the regiment as a private in June 1863 and then saw subsequent service in the 1st New York Veteran Cavalry.

George was the son of David Westfall (1814-1857) and Laura Daniels (1820-1873) of Arcadia, Wayne county, New York. He wrote the letter to Mary Catherine Phillips (1844-1941) whom he would later marry and with whom he would move to Hillsdale county, Michigan, after the war and raise at least four children.

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Greg Herr and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Transcription

Camp Butterfield
Hall’s Hill, Virginia
February 8, 1862

Dear Friend Katie,

I received your letter last night and was glad to hear from you. We are all well but A. Westfall and W. Brink. They have got bad colds so they can’t speak loud. You said that Benny Brink was a coming down here. If he has not started, you tell him to come and see us. Tell him that we are on Hall’s Hill. He can’t help but find us if he enquires for the 17th New York Regiment. They all know where we are around here. I should like to [see] Benny if he comes down here. I will see him too if I have to run away.

You said that the talk was up there that we was a going to have a battle here soon. That is the talk here, The sooner that we do have a battle, the better for I am tired of staying here penned up in camp. You said that you had good sleighing up there. Last Sunday we had some snow and the [ ] yet. The men went out on Monday morning and rolled snow balls and built a snow fort. They was eight hundred out and worked all the forenoon and in the afternoon we had the men divided up in two parties and put one party in the fort and the other party outside of the fort. They was eight hundred out in the whole regiment besides the officers and he had them snow ball and see which party could whip. I was in the party outside of the fort. We whipped the other part and draw them out of the fort. I got one black eye and was glad to get off with that. It was the biggest snow ball fight that I ever saw. It was in the Washington paper the next day. We have some good times here.

When the Colonel gets the regiment out and have a good time a playing ball and I tell you, we have some hard times. I shall have to close by saying goodbye. From Corp. George W. Westfall

To Mary C. Phillips

Please write as soon as you get this.