The following letter was written by Joseph (“Joe”) H. Prime of Strafford, New Hampshire. Joe enlisted when he was 21 years old as a corporal in Co. F, 13th New Hampshire Infantry, serving from August 1862 until October 1863 when he was discharged so that he could be commissioned as a Lieutenant in Co. G, 7th US Colored Troops (USCT). He was wounded on 29 September 1864 in the attack on Fort Gilmer, a bulwark on the Confederate defensive line six and a half miles from Richmond. Two months later, Joe was promoted to Captain of Co. F in November 1864.

The 7th USCT was on duty at Camp Benedict, Maryland, until March 1864 when they were ordered to Portsmouth, Virginia, then to Hilton Head, S. C., and to Jacksonville, Florida. In August they returned to Virginia and participated in the siege operations against Petersburg & Richmond. “Fort Gilmer was yet another instance in which USCTs proved their mettle, getting farther with four companies than an entire division had been able to just hours earlier. Perhaps the best compliment came from a Confederate who was guarding the few men of Birney’s brigade who had been captured. When asked if blacks could fight, the Rebel replied: “By God! If you had been there you would have thought so. They marched up just as if they were on drill, not firing a shot.” After the war, another Confederate was willing to admit that on September 29th, “Richmond came nearer being captured, and that, too, by negro troops, than it ever did during the whole war.” [Source: Freedom By the Sword]

Transcription

U. S. General Hospital
Point of Rocks, Virginia
May 2nd, 1865 Tuesday

Dear Wife,

There is nothing going on here today, only the same daily routine of breakfast, dinner, and I suppose supper will come by and by as it is now in the afternoon. I have been playing a few games of cribbage today with Lieut. [Eugene] Judd of the 40th Massachusetts who is here wounded but is going to start for home tomorrow as he has a leave and has had it for three or four days but the doctor thought he was unable to start when he got it so he is going tomorrow. By the way, we played cribbage this forenoon until we had played two hundred and twenty six (226) games and then concluded we had played enough and went to reading Shakespeare.

By the way, I see by the papers that the body of Booth was sunk in the Potomac a few nights ago. By the way, I should like to know what David and Horatio thinks or says about the assassination of Lincoln. I am going to try tomorrow to get a pass to go to Norfolk to see if I can’t get my pay for the last month (April) and if I can, I will send you another hundred ($100) dollars out of that. I have not much hope, however, of being successful as I don’t know as Fowler has any authority to give passes to go down there.

I hear that the 13th New Hampshire Volunteers is going out to work on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad as they have concluded to have that railroad finished up soon so as to have connection between Richmond and Washington by rail. There is not more than a dozen officers in the hospital now as several went away this morning. There are only six to dinner and there is not more than six or seven that are here but can go to their meals. There is one man here in the hospital that has been here ever since I was here last fall. His name is Titcomb and I guess I have spoken about him once before. He has got the same disease that Lieut. [Charles A.] Hinckley of the 7th USCT was discharged for.

Well, I guess there is not quite so much chance for those Rebel leaders to get pardoned with Andrew Johnson for President as there was when Abraham Lincoln was alive. And I hope they will all be caught and hung—that is all the hurt I wish them.

Well, darling, I must close with a kiss for you from Joe.

Write soon, write soon, write soon, write soon.

[Included is a pass for Capt. Prime of the 7th USCT of the Officer’s Temporary Hospital at Point of Rocks to visit Fortress Monroe, dated 3 May 1865. The pass was signed by Hadley B. Fowler, Surgeon in charge.]

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