This letter was written by 34 year-old private Orman Smith of Carmel, Putnam county, New York, who enlisted in Co. G, 135th New York Infantry on 30 August 1862. The letter was written from Camp Millington near Baltimore, Maryland before the designation of the regiment was changed to the 6th New York Heavy Artillery on 3 October 1862. This regiment was also known as the “Anthony Wayne Guard.”

In the 1860 US Census, 32 year-old Orman was enumerated as a “hatter” in his father’s household, William A. Smith, a 52 year-old “Master hatter.” Residing in the same household was his younger brother, 23 year-old Samuel Smith (also a hatter) to whom Orman addressed this letter.

In transcribing the letter I have had to make significant corrections to the spelling. Clearly Orman had a limited education. I was surprised to discover that he was actually 34 years old as his letter suggests the maturity more like that of a teenager.

Transcription

Camp Millington
Saturday, September 13, 1862

Dear Brother,

I have just received your letter & am glad to hear that you are all well. I am well with the exceptions of a cold.

Today my company has been out on picket duty—all but about twenty of us. I wasn’t very well so I stayed at home. The regiment has to take turns. The got out about three miles on the turnpike towards Washington to look out for the rebels & keep the Baltimore folks from carrying provisions to them. They left this morning at 8 o’clock & will be in tomorrow at 9 or 10. We get up in the morning when the drum beats & that ought to beat at daylight to roll call, then breakfast, then we drill from 9 to 11, from 3 in the afternoon until 6 or 7. The afternoon drill is battalion drill & ends with dress parade. Then at 8 o’clock the drum beats to go to bed. Of all the places that I ever was in, camp life is ahead. We have more fun in one day that you could in a year up there.

[William] Hen[ry] Tilford, Myron Dingee, Bailey Ganung, William Robinson, & myself sleeps in one tent. We are close to the iron bridge on the turnpike & there is a battery on the right and on the left of us & they say there is 300,000 men between here and the Potomac. When we go out to drill in the afternoon, we go close to the left battery & in sight of the Chesapeake Bay,

Tobacco is 70 cents and 1.00 a pound, but all the peaches that I ever saw is down here, But they sell them very high—one cent apiece for one as big as your fist. Oysters 50 cents per bushel.

When we came to camp, we came by where Ellsworth was shot.

It is very warm here. Tell the old showman that I wish he was here for it is ahead of showing. Sam, I wish you would get my money and do what you think best with it. I will send an order in this letter for you to collect it.

There is a good many secesh here yet. We have to keep a guard over the spring to keep them from poisoning it. We don’t hear much war news here. There is a good many regiments that pass here most every day. There is a man in this regiment belongs to Company K that struck the cook and he has to carry a bag of sand 30 pound weight for 48 hours, 4 hours on and 2 off.

We had a false alarm the other night 12 o’clock to see how quick they could get them out and such a time you never see. The boys thought that the rebels was here in earnest. The boys seem anxious to see a fight but I guess that they never will. Vincent Barrett says damn the war. He don’t like it. But of all the speeches & capers that ever was poke or cut up is played here. It don’t seem possible that boys can think of so much Sunday.

I wish if you get a chance that you would send me a shirt or two. The shirts and drawers that we get is wool and they scratch so that I don’t like them & a tin box of medicine in my trunk. So no more at present.

From your brother, — O. J. Smith. Write soon. Direct your letters to Orman Smith, Company G, 135th Regiment, United States Volunteers, Camp Millington, Baltimore, Maryland