The following letter was written by Waldo Spear (1843-1907), the son of Hiram Spear (1810-1872) and Lucy Ripley (1806-1893) of Springfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania. Waldo enlisted in Co. C, 7th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry in October 1861 and participated in battles at Lebanon, Murfreesboro, McMinnville, and Gallatin where he was taken prisoner on 25 August 1862. He was paroled because of his injuries and, when exchanged, was detailed as a courier of the 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, in which capacity he served until 28 December 1864 when he was honorably discharged.

After his discharge, he returned to Pennsylvania for a short time and then moved to Mardin in Tioga county where he farmed for 17 years. In 1883 he purchased a store in East Charleston.

Transcription

Camp Parole
September 14, 1862

Dear Parents & Brothers,

I am looking for an answer to my two letters which I wrote to you as soon as I arrived in Annapolis. I don’t think they have been miscarried for other letters have come from Troy and East Troy. I am very anxious to hear from you and William and all of you. I want to hear how William got home and if he got well. Tell me who is enlisting in Springfield. There must be a good many that I know. Tell Ned that if the rebels get up there, he must take the old shot gun and Bushwhack ’em, and if Old Stonewall ever gets into Pennsylvania, I am going home and fight on my own hook.

Our commander said he thought we would get a chance to go home before a great while. I would like to go home or else go to the regiment again for I don’t like to be laying here doing nothing. We fare worse here than we did in Tennessee for we had plenty of melons, peaches, apples, pears, and green corn there and they are not plenty here. But we can get plenty of grapes and they are longer and sweeter than any I ever saw before. We have to go a half mile for water and it is not good then.

We have not heard from our regiment since we were taken prisoners—only that they went to Nashville. Since that, we have heard that Nashville was evacuated by order of Gen. Buell. Tell me how many volunteers Capt. [Benjamin S.] Dartt has got since he has been in Bradford County. If you see him, tell him that Lieut. [Charles L.] Green was one of the coolest and bravest men on the battlefield and General [Richard Woodhouse] Johnson was a traitor and tried to give up the whole command but did not make it out for our Colonel [George C. Wynkoop] told the boys to follow him and he cut his way out, but not until Gen. Johnson had surrendered. ¹

I want you to write soon and tell Marcus Gates that I have written to him twice but have not received an answer yet and I have written to Uncle Dwight once.

Direct your letters to Waldo Speer

Camp Parole, Annapolis, Maryland, Co. C, 7th P. V. Cavalry

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¹ Waldo’s description of the fight at Gallatin against Morgan’s cavalry in August 1862 rings true. Another member of the regiment wrote of it: “General Johnson, steadily repressing the desire of his subordinate officers to charge vigorously, for his men instead, in line, under fore, after the manner of infantry; in a few minutes ordered a retrograde movement over an open field; dismounted the men, and ordered an advance on foot, each man leading his horse; mounted them again to fall back; divided the command and sent each company to a detached and isolated position, all under fire of the entire rebel force, and held them thus until nearly surrounded, when he drew all together and ordered a retreat. At this stage of the battle I was shot and left on the field, but, from reliable sources, I learn that after retreating about two miles, the command was halted, dismounted, formed in line and held in check until the flanks were turned, when another retreat was ordered in which Lieut. Nicholas A. Wynkoop, son of the Colonel, Battalion Adjutant, and at the time, acting Aide-de-Camp to General Johnson, was killed. Arrived near the Cumberland river, another line was formed, dismounted, the flanks being entirely unguarded, Morgan was enabled to throw forces to the rear to cut off retreat, and pressed heavily on all sides, when General Johnson surrendered. When it became manifest that the General purposed to yield to the enemy, Colonel Wynkoop gathered together such of his command as he could mount, and with Colonel [Robert Kline] of the 3rd Indiana, assuming a bold front, succeeded in cutting his way out and reached Nashville. The loss in the brigade was about 40 killed, and 300 wounded and captured. The weather being warm, many of the wounded died in rebel hands…”