The following letter was written by Samuel Anderson (1836-1865) who enlisted on 22 October 1861 to serve in Co. K, 6th New York Cavalry for three years. He was promoted from private to corporal in February 1862 and later to sergeant though no date is given for that promotion in the muster rolls. Samuel reenlisted in mid-December 1863 and was captured at Perryville, Virginia, on 4 September 1864 and died in confinement at Salisbury, North Carolina, on 4 January 1865.
Samuel was the son of Irish emigrants John Anderson (1814-1869) and Mary Ford (1815-1885) of Argyle, Washington county, New York. One of their daughters, Sarah M. Anderson (1838-1889) was married to James H. Killmer (1826-1889) and they are the “Sarah and James” mentioned in the letter below. Their daughter Emma married John T. Martin and this couple built a two-story farmhouse in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, in 1893. It was in a King Edwards cigar box in the corner of a closet on the second floor of this farmhouse that Samuel’s letter was discovered when the house was being cleaned out some years ago. This letter and a few other more recent vintage letters are now in the possession of Danny Martin, the g-g-grandnephew of Samuel Anderson.
This letter was written in Warrenton, Virginia, a month before the battle of Fredericksburg. We learn that Samuel was detailed to General John Curtis Caldwell’s Headquarters and had been since the Battle of Antietam. This duty would have entailed providing an escort for the general or his immediate staff as well as serving as a courier.
[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Danny Martin who made it available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]
Transcription
Camp near Warrenton, Virginia
November 11th 1862
Dear Father & Mother,
I now take up my pen to address a few lines to you to let you know that I am well & hope that you are the same. We are now advancing on the enemy & we expect a big fight every day. We have not been paid since I wrote to you but I think it will come soon. I have not much time to write so I will not say much. I hope you are suited with your move & let me know all about it & what you can do.
I have not seen John since the Battle of Antietam but I hear that he is well. I have heard [from] Joe 1 two or three times & he is well. John told me that he would send you money every payday. Let me know how James & Sarah is getting along.
There is no use of my telling you what we are a doing for you can see it in the papers better than I can tell you. I am on Gen’l Caldwell’s staff now & have been for a month & I expect to stay with him for some time yet so that I have a good time of it.
Gen’l McClellan bid farewell to the Army yesterday & Gen’l Burnside took the command. I hope the change is for the better. We can hear Gen’l Hooker’s cannon playing on the rebels while I am writing & I expect to march right away.
The weather is quite cool and we have had one snowstorm last Thursday. It snowed hard all day. I cannot write any more at present. Write soon & give me all the in and out of your home.
Goodbye, — Samuel Anderson
Direct your letter to Corporal Anderson, 6th N. Y. Vol. Cavalry, Gen’l Caldwell’s Headquarters, Hancock’s Division, 2nd [Army] Corps.
Write soon.
1 Samuel’s younger brother, Joseph J. Anderson (1846-1904) enlisted in March 1862 in the 11th New York Cavalry. He served until 21 March 1865.
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