The following letters were written by John McLaughlin (1837-1863) who enlisted on 22 April 1861 at the age of 24 to served three years in Co. A, 74th New York Infantry. Prior to mid-December 1861, however, the regiment was known simply as the 5th Regiment of the Excelsior Brigade. Companies A and B were recruited in Pittsburg and in New York City—John joining in Pittsburg. These two companies were known as the U. S. Zouave Cadets, wearing a dark blue Zouave jacket with yellow trimming, a dark blue Zouave vest with yellow trimming, a sky blue sash, a red Zouave cap with yellow tassel, red pantaloons with yellow trimming, and white gaitors. John entered the regiment as a private but was later promoted to corporal. He was killed in action on 2 July 1863 in the Battle of Gettysburg and was originally buried on the south side of Nicholas Cordori’s farm but was later reinterred at the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
The 74th New York Infantry mustered into the U. S. service at Camp Scott, Long Island, June 30 to Oct. 6, 1861, for a three year term. It left New York Aug. 20, for Washington; was attached to Sickles’ Excelsior Brigade and stationed along the Lower Potomac in Maryland during the first winter; embarked in April, 1862, for the Peninsula with the brigade, as part of the 2nd division, 3d corps; shared in the siege operations before Yorktown; took a prominent part in the battle of Williamsburg, for which the brigade won the highest praises, the loss of the regiment in this battle being 143 killed, wounded or missing, and in the ensuing engagements of Fair Oaks and the Seven Days’ battles it was constantly in action. Upon its withdrawal from the Peninsula in August, the regiment was sent to the support of Gen. Pope at Manassas, after which it retired to the Defenses of Washington. In November it marched to Falmouth; participated in the battle of Fredericksburg; returned to its camp at Falmouth for the winter; was engaged at Chancellorsville in May, 1863; returned again to camp at Falmouth; marched in June to Gettysburg and there experienced the hard fighting of the second day on the Emmitsburg road, with a loss of 89 killed, wounded and missing.
John wrote all three letters to his sister’s family. Eleanor (“Ellen”) McLaughlin (1833-1907) was married to a “coal agent” named William D. McMasters (1825-1877) in the early 1850s. The couple lived in McKeesport, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and had several children, the oldest four being Robert (“Bobby”) born in 1853, Jacob (“Jakey”) born in 1855, Emma (“Annie”) born in 1858, and Grace born in 1860. They are all mentioned in these letters.
Letter 1
Camp Good Hope
September 6, 1861
William McMasters,
Dear sir, I received your welcome [letter] while we were at Camp Scott and was glad for to hear from you all and we have been changing camps since then but we have not got as nice a place as we had on Staten Island. It is hard for to tell how long we will remain here. We have orders for to have two days rations cooked and to have our clothes packed up ready for to leave in a moment’s notice. We are also throwing up entrenchments as fast as we can. I do not know what it means but they must be going for to put other regiments in here if they take ours out. The place that we occupy is said for to be a strong position for to protect the City of Washington.
We are about five miles from the city across the eastern branch of the Potomac, right on the line between the District of Columbia and State of Maryland. They are all secessionists about here. Ask a negro where his massa is, the answer is massa is away at de war. We have one contraband in our company and it is quite laughable for to hear him talk about his Old Massa who he says goes by the name of Col. Naylor.
Well, Bill, it is very hard for to get a pass to pass over the bridge to get to Washington. It is not like it was at Camp Scott. We are kept down to the work here. One of our men was drunk yesterday. When he got sober they filled a knapsack with stones, strapped it to his back, and marched him around for two hours. After they took it off, he commenced swearing for which they put a ball and chain to him for four hours. If one gets a pass to go out and is five minutes behind time getting in, on goes the knapsack & stones. But for my part, I get along very well.
Our commissary [sergeant] has been away since before we left Camp Scott on leave and I have been acting in his place. I have been over for to see Sam three times and he has been over here several times. I seen him yesterday. He is well and looks well. He is getting quite fat.
James Burns was over for to see me. He heard where we were encamped and not having no uniform, he had no difficulty in getting over the bridge. He staid with me till the afternoon. I got a pass from the captain and went with him to the bridge. I do not expect that I will ever get over to see their company for even the officers must have a written pass from Gen. Sickles for to get across the bridge.
Well, Bill, I think that the Excelsior Brigade has about the best uniforms and [best] equipped soldiers in the field. We have the best of Minié rifles [and] two uniforms (and have only one of them for to pay for). We have also got splendid overcoats that were made purposely for the brigade. Mine comes nearly down to the ground and is very heavy and warm and one can stand out in the rain and not get wet.
Give my love to Ellen & the children—Bobby, Jakey, Annie, Grace. I am tired writing, it is so warm. So nothing more at present. Yours as ever, — John McLaughlin
Letter 2
Camp near Fair Oaks, Virginia
June 20th 1862
Dear Bobby and Jakey,
I am now sitting down to have a little chat with you from the battle field—that is, if we can call pine woods and swamps a field; but it is called battle field and by that name I’ll let it go. It is now nine o’clock at night and the frogs are croaking round me and added to that is the everlasting shrill croaking voice of the whippoorwill. How I hate it at night when I am on picket. But I have to just let them rip.
Well, Bobby, no doubt you will say I am a sad, naughty uncle for not having written to you & Jakey but you must remember that time is very scarce. I would often like to have a little chat with you but we have so much duty to do that I can hardly get time. It is not but that I often think of you all. Tell your mother that she was so long about writing that I am going to try you, Jakey, Annie, and little Grace this time. I want you to send me a long letter with all of the news. I received your mother’s letter adn Jane’s letter of the 14th today. Cousin Abraham McLaughlin is in Philadelphia and George is with his regiment which is handy to us at the present time. Your cousin Sam McLaughlin is hearty and well.
I want you and Jakey to be good boys and learn all you can. Remember the little verse from wisdom and knowledge pleasure springs. But it is time that I was in bed so I’ll have to bring my chat to a close. The weather is very warm here at the present time. I suppose by the time this reaches you, you will have had a mess of new potatoes. They are a luxury that I don’t expect to indulge in.
Enclosed I’ll send you a letter which I picked up on the battle ground in which you will see that they [the Rebels] too want to put their trust in God. See how the young soldier’s mother wants him to read his bible?
Give my love to your Pap and Mother, Annie, Grace, and all.
— John McLaughlin
Letter 3
Camp near Falmouth, Va.
December 30th 1862
Mrs. Ellen McMasters,
Dear sister, I now sit down to pen you a few lines to let you know that I am well as I hope this may find you all. I expect you have began to think that I have forgotten you but no so. Sometimes it is so cold that one cannot write but of late I have had no paper, money, or anything else. There is nothing of importance going on here at the present time. We have orders to be ready for to march at a moment’s notice but where, none of us of course knows. A soldier is never supposed to know where he is going. He may imagine that he is going to this and to that place, but his imaginations may all dissolve in smoke. Such is a soldier’s life.
We had a very dry time of it on Christmas. It was saucy to get a tin-full of bean soup for my dinner. Barney was to see me and him and I took dinner with Sam after which we went to the 63rd [New York Regiment] to see the boys there but the regiment was out on picket so we did not see many of them. Sam was to see Henry. He is well and when Sam was there, he was looking for John back to the regiment every day. The last letter that I had from home was written on the 14th except one that had been written by mother on the 2nd day of October. But I will bring this to a close for the present. From your brother, — John McLaughlin
Bobby, Jakey, Annie & Grace, I am now going to talk awhile with you. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas of it and I hope the New Year may begin merry with you. You do not know how glad I would be to see you once more and to spend my New Years with you.
Well, Bobby, sometimes when we go into a fight there is some fellows who are too big [of] cowards to go into a battle but stay in the rear where they are safe and when the battle is over, they come up and talk and blow round about the dangerous places that they have been in. But such fellows are getting fixed now. [In] some places, squads of them are to be seen with their hands tied together and a log tied to them and the word “Coward” in large letters on his back. And some places you can see them with a knapsack on their back with the world “Shirk” upon it. But the 1st regiment of our brigade has a still more severe way of treating them. The whole regiment is drawn out in line, then woe to the man who was not with the company when it was expected to go into a fight. The Sergeant Major calls out the name of the man who was absent from his company when he bound to step out before the whole crowd. The instance, the Sergeant Major calls out, “James Shields!” [and] out steps James. Then says the Colonel, “Run away from Fredericksburg!” “That’s so!” says the Major. Then goes the drums—rip, tip, tap, the dum—and thus the coward has to come out before the whole regiment. They were going through it when I began to write this. But I must close by telling you to be good boys and girls to your Father and Mother. Learn to read and write as fast as you can. But I must close and bid you goodbye. From your uncle, — John
Write soon.
Spared & Shared 23 