The following letters were written by Isaac Hiram Every (1838-1920), the son of Hiram Leon Every (1809-1896) and Hannah Eliza Stoutenburg (1813-1898) of Kortright, Delaware county, New York.

Isaac was 23 years old when he enlisted in October 1861 to serve in the 8th New York Light Artillery. According to family lore, Isaac went to war as a substitute for his younger brother who had been drafted and judged by the family to be too young to serve. This seems unlikely, however, as he went into the service in 1861, well before passage of the Conscription Act and the implementation of the Draft. The family also say that he was mustered out of the service in 1864 suffering from a disease that took him more than a year to recover from once he was home. After the war Isaac married Esther Ann Ferguson (1847-1936) and relocated to LeRoy, Mower county, Minnesota.

The Battery left the state commanded by Capt. Fitch on 7 November 1861; proceeded to Washington, where it was assigned to Casey’s division; and was with the 4th Corps in the Peninsular campaign in 1862, sustaining a loss of 6 killed and wounded at Fair Oaks. It then performed garrison duty at Gloucester Point, Yorktown and Portsmouth, being engaged at Gloucester Court House and Baltimore cross-roads. A section of the battery served with the cavalry division, Army of the James, in the operations against Petersburg and Richmond in May, 1864. It continued in service as a veteran organization and was mustered out at Norfolk, Va., June 30, 1865, under command of Capt. Morton. It lost during service 1 enlisted man died of wounds, and 40 men died of disease and other causes.

In his first letter, Isaac mentions three of his siblings, Katherine (“Kat”) Every, (1840-1916), Stephen A. Every (1843-1927), and Jennie Every (1848-1918). The second letter was written while in the service but the content is limited to discussion of a legal matter.

These letters were made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by Laurie Every Manuse, a great-granddaughter of Isaac H. Every.

Letter 1

Washington [D. C.]
December 15th 1861

Dear Father,

Today is Sunday and while I sit in my tent and thinking of home, I thought that you would like to hear from me. Well, my health is good and I hope this will find you and the rest of the family the same. You may think it is wrong to write on Sunday but I thought I might do worse than that. And now I will tell you the news, but I suppose you have heard them before now and then they won’t be news to you.

There is a prospect of a large battle soon and Charleston is in ashes now and all of the troops are all ordered across the Potomac and there was 1200 regular cavalry went by our camp Friday and they have been agoing every [day] since then. We will remain here and guard Washington at present. Our troops will make a strike for Liberty now and it won’t be a feeble one either.

I got a letter from John Bradon and he said his regiment had orders to start at one and so you see they mean something now. And Father, I don’t know whether you can read this or not for my pen is poor but you can try try [to write] you know, and now you must tell Jennie to write to me. I have just got Kat’s letter and was sorry to hear that Uncle Charley was sick. Got a letter from Dock Kiff and he said that they were all well and Kat’s letter was the first letter I have heard from home in two weeks and I had just begun to think you had forgotten me.

And so Steve has got a new dog? Hope Sport will whip him every time he wants it, and I think he can do it. Tell Mother not to worry about me for I will take good care of myself and Father, you heard that I was sick. Well I was sick a few days when I first came here and so was they all. But I was not taken to the hospital for I was not very sick and now I feel better for it for we have to get acclimated to this place, you know, and that was all there was about it. So you see they can make a story about nothing for if I get sick, I shall come home, you know. But my health is good now and if I was there I might be sick, you know.

I must close for the present. Tell Kate I will answer her letter as soon as I get time which will be soon as the first of this week. It is warm weather here yet. Today is as warm as it is in summer there and we all go in our shirts sleeves. But we will go in barracks in a few days more. I send my love to you all. So now goodbye for the present. This from your son, — I. H. Every

Letter 2

Camp near Portsmouth, Virginia
July 7th 1864

Dear Father,

You will probably think I ought to have written to you before but could not until now and you wanted to know what they asked me in regards to the letters. I told he Captain that you wrote to me wanting me to state when I knew of the payment. I have now done so and he wanted to know if anyone else had wrote to me. I told him that my sister had wrote to me and that she wrote nothing that was anyway or I should say she wrote nothing about the lawsuit pending between you and Coan, only stating that you were sent by Orin Coan the letters I lost. Then also the one you sent they can’t make anything out of that they wanted me to state if I knew the time the money was paid. I told them or the Captain it was in the spring of 1858 in or about the middle of March. Also it was on the store stoop of Peters McC___ or in the store, I could not say which it was and that will have no bearing in the case. It will probably be sent off tomorrow. You can ask Squire Peters to let you see it and then you will know all about it. He will let you see it, I think. If not I will write the whole of the testimony down for you.

So write as soon as you get this if there is any more you would like to know but I don’t know as it will be of any account any way. I did not swear to the [bible] on it for I could not remember that and the Captain said it was not necessary. And now Father, you must not blame for it was some six years ago that this happened and a little over. Hoping this will find you well and in good health. Also the rest of he family there. My love to all.

I remain your true son, — Isaac H. Every

Write soon if you want to know any more. Goodbye.