An interesting pair of letters, both in pencil and removed from a period scrapbook, one related to and the other written by Valentine A. Lewis (1839-1899). An 1858 graduate of the College of New Jersey who volunteered as a Presbyterian Chaplain in the 2nd New York Infantry, Valentine enlisted on 17 May 1861 and then resigned from that position several months later, on August 15, apparently to take a position with the U. S. Christian Commission, as these letters indicate.
The 2nd Regiment was organized in Troy, NY and was mustered in on May 14, 1861, 3 days prior to Lewis’s joining, for a two year period of service. It saw considerable action during the Eastern campaigns, including Bull Run and Chancellorsville (May 1-5, 1863), following which it was mustered out on May 26.
The Battle of the Wilderness, in Spotsylvania County, VA (same County as the Battle of Chancellorsville one year earlier) took place on May 5-7, 1864, at which time Lewis was presumably a member of the Christian Commission, assigned to support the spiritual and emotional needs of the troops in that campaign. The Battle, which represented yet another sparring between the forces of Grant and Lee on the road to Richmond, was one of the War’s most deadly, with estimated total casualties of nearly 30,000, a majority of which were Union.
The first letter is a rushed, almost frenzied, note written by Lewis in pencil during the Battle of the Wilderness, from a field hospital where he was ministering to the dead and wounded who were streaming in. In the letter, written to family or friends back home, he refers to several named dead and injured soldiers, indicating that they were clearly known to him and to the ‘brethren’ to whom he writes. One of these soldiers, Lt. Col [Aaron B.] Myer, was commander of the 125th New York Infantry—a unit which was formed in Troy, the same as had Lewis’s original unit, in 1862, and had a horrific history during its tenure as a unit, including the Battle of the Wilderness. The exposure to the horrors of war affecting those he knew certainly served to aggravate Lewis’s emotional state during this devastating 3-day Battle. His state of mind is well-reflected in this letter.
[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Richard Weiner and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]
Transcription
My dear brethren.
I am too tired to write particulars but brethren, pray and give.
Lieut. Colonel [Aaron B.] Myer dead and buried at Chanc. Court House.
Capt. [Edward P.] Jones dead. 1 Sword in Mr. De Golyer’s hand. Body left on field.
Charley Germain missing. 2
Lieut. [Elam S. P.] Clapp, amputated at thigh.
Green sick.
Are all I could hear so far. Will forward other names as I obtain them.
Reinforcements are pushing forward to the front. 7th Heavy Artillery as Infantry. Pray that success may attend the next move. Oh Brethren pray, pray. God only can help us. 5 from our ward carried out today. Now is the time.
Excuse incoherence. I have been dressing wounds since 5 and now volunteers are called for to go and take care of a train of 375 wounded just in. Yours in Christ, — V. A. Lewis
Written in the Battle of the Wilderness.
1 Capt. Edward P. Jones of Co. I assumed command of the 125th New York following the death of Lt. Col. Aaron B. Myer. He was likewise killed while leading the assault on the enemy’s works “Bloody Angle” at Spotsylvania at daybreak on 12 May 1864. In this same assault Lieutenants Elam S. P. Clapp and Charles E. Cleminshaw were mortally wounded.
2 Charles R. German served in Co. D, 125th New York Infantry. After recovering from his Gettysburg wound, he was killed in action on 6 May 1864 in the Wilderness.
This second letter was probably written by Rev. Hugh Wallace Torrence (1842-1897), an 1864 graduate of the Princeton Theological Seminary who served for a time in the Christian Commission and then became a Presbyterian minister. He died in Romulus, New York.
I take pleasure in stating that Rev. V. A. Lewis has been laboring for some time as a delegate of the Christian Commission in Fredericksburg in the 2nd Division, 2nd Corps, and has been wise, discreet, diligent, and faithful in the performance of all duties and as he now returns home bearing an appeal to the people of Troy in favor of the Christian Commission, we hope you will respond in such a manner as will show that you appreciate the importance of the work and are aware of the necessities.
— H. W. Torrence
— A. G. Manley, Assistant General Field Agent
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