The following letter was written by Edward F. Tubbs (1841-1864) who enlisted September 11, 1862 and mustered into Co. I, 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry on 27 October 1862 at Erie, Pennsylvania. Edward mustered in as a corporal and was promoted to sergeant. Although one source erroneously states that Edward died of disease at Winchester, Virginia, in 17 December 1864, the truth is that he was among the 100 troopers led by Capt. William Miles of Co. I on a scouting expedition toward Ashby’s Gap on 17 December 1864. Mosby and his guerrillas ambushed this scouting party from a woods near Millwood, Virginia, killing Miles and about a dozen others, including Sergt. Tubbs. About 20 others were wounded, and nearly everybody else was captured. Mosby set one man free after slashing his face with a saber, allowing him to return to camp to tell the story of the ambush. The wounded and dead were recovered on the next day. Mosby sent his prisoners to Libby Prison.

Edward was the son of Irene Tubbs (1812-Aft1870) of Conneaut township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. Irene’s husband, Frederick Tubbs, died on 19 November 1842 after 9 years of marriage, leaving her to raise her children on the family 40-acre farm. Frederick, it seems, died a tragic death, have been shipwrecked and drowned in Lake Erie.

See also—1862-64: Edward F. Tubbs to Irene Tubbs

Many of Edwards letter were sold at auction in 2018. They were summarized as follows:

“Exceptional archive of 18 handwritten letters related to Edward F. Tubbs, a soldier in Company I of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry (159th Volunteers), dated between July 2, 1863 and December 13, 1864. The collection totals to 46 pages, with 16 of the letters written by Tubbs and addressed to his mother Irene Tubbs of Albion, Erie County, Pennsylvania. The content of the archive consists of Tubbs’s plans to visit home, new clothes and items he purchased, reports on his health, hospital stays, and camp life, his disdain for the war and his desire to see it through to the end. Highlighted sections from Tubbs’s letters are as follows: 

July 2, 1863, from Frederick City, Maryland: “I thought I would write a line to let you know where I was Harpers Ferry is Evacuated and we are on the march I suppose to reinforce Gen’l Mead I expect we will annihilate the whole Rebel army…they say our army is marching on to Richmond we have about 20 thousand men here it makes quite a show there is cavalry artillery & infantry all together.” 

September 25, 1863, from Beverly, West Virginia: “It is now over one year since I left home you know I said when I left home I did not think the war would last a year if I had had known that the war was going to last so long as it has I would never have enlisted I would have waited for the draft & stood my chance with the rest I never enlisted to stay over a year.” 

October 16, 1863, also from Beverly, WV: “I have plenty to eat drink & wear but yet I am not at home there is talk of the rebels coming but we have got so used to hearing it that we do not believe anything until we see it with our own eyes I have not much news our men have had a little skirmishing with the rebels at a place called Bulltown about 50 miles from here…patience and perseverance a strong heart & a strong mind are all that keeps the soldier alive.” 

October 31, 1863, from Camp Montgomery in Pittsburgh: “We left Erie on Wednesday and got into Pittsburgh the next morning…then we marched two miles to Camp Montgomery…When I got to Cleveland I saw a lot of squaws and almost all kinds of animals…I have seen the wonderful city of Pittsburgh…it is a large place but most dreadfully nasty it is the smokiest place I ever saw.” Includes an undated letter from Tubbs, presumably to his mother and written on the same day as the above letter, noting that he sent his clothes home and requesting that she forward all news to his friends. 

March 20, 1864, from Martinsburg, WV: “I found a rebel officer who had just come into our lines a deserter from Lee’s army he says he thinks the rebels are going to fight as long as they can but does not think that will be a great while longer he is going to take the Oath of Allegiance and live under the Old flag again…they say we are going to have a chance to reenlist this month or next but I guess I will wait until Old Abe reenlists before I do.” 

June 9, 1864, from Staunton, Virginia, relaying news of the Union’s victory at Piedmont, in part: “We had our fight on Sunday of June 5th we whipped the rebels and captured about 1000 of them, 52 rebel officers besides. I captured a rebel captain in our first charge. I could tell a big story but stories don’t fight Battles. Stanton has fallen & is holding a great many Yanks.” 

The archive features seven letters written by Tubbs during his stay at the state hospital in Gallipolis, Ohio, dating between July and September, 1864. Highlighted sections include: 

July 18, 1864: “I was at Charleston & in very good health but I was taken sick at that place and was brought down here so you see I’m in Ohio…there is about 100 sick & wounded soldiers here my disease is the fever.” 

July 30, 1864: “I am gaining quite fast I am in hopes to be able to join the Reg’t in a couple of weeks I do not know where our Regiment is but I expect they are in the vicinity of Martinsburg we had reports that Gen’l Averill was killed but the papers today say it is not so.” 

A particularly fiery letter from Gallipolis, dated August 9, 1864: “I walked down to the City of Gallipolis today…there is 3 [racial epithet] to one white person…if I had known that this [racial epithet] war was going to continue so long I never would have left home…I see this war as it is now it is nothing but a curse to be a United States Soldier men are less thought of than the black [racial epithet] this war is a speculation the way it is going on now but if God spares my life a short time I shall be out of it I will do my duty as long as my time lasts which I have sworn to do and then I shall bid them goodbye…I will own that I prefer peace to war but we want it right but I don’t fear them I have fought them in close contact when we were not over 20 feet apart the rebel lead whistled close but yankey lead and yankey steel makes them run…I have lain in front of their fortifications in plain open field when they had all man could wish to protect them while we had nothing to protect us but the great God of Battle.” 

September 13, 1864: “I now take my pen to inform you that the time has arrived for me to quit this bed of sickness which I have been impatiently waiting for I shall probably leave here soon.” 

On October 9, 1864, not long after his release, Tubbs writes from Martinsburg, WV: “I was very much disappointed in coming back I wanted to go to my company but I shall try and content myself here for a while…I see you have heard of Genl. Averill’s removal from this Command and it is very much regretted by all under his Command I don’t know who will command our Division after this the men say they won’t fight under any other General…I have no news today everything is progressing finely in the Valley & around Richmond.” 

Tubbs’s final letter, written from a “Camp Near Winchester Va” on December 12 and 13th, 1864, in part: “I am not I sorry to say well at present the weather is very cold at present about 6 inches of Snow on the ground and it is getting dark & w ill have to stop writing as I have no candle.” The following day: “After a hard ride of 25 miles in a very cold day & in about 5 hours time I will try to finish my letter we went on a Scout this morning but saw nothing the weather is very cold we are on about half rations now I had a cracker for my breakfast with coffee yesterday I had 2 now.” Tubbs passed only four days later on December 17, 1864, a little over two years after mustering into service; although the manner of Tubbs’s death remains unknown, the grim atmosphere of the above letter suggests that he likely succumbed to sickness, starvation, or the elements. 

The archive also includes two letters written by officers and addressed to Irene Tubbs: the first, written from Camp Blakely, a letter from W. W. Miles, Company I captain of the 14th Pa. Cav., dated April 14, 1863, who notes that her son, once “very sick with Typhoid fever,” has “very much improved [and]…in a very few days be able to report for duty”; and the second, written from Grafton, addressed by an officer named Edgar Peirce, dated November 25, 1863, affirming that “Edward is safe and sound, the regt are at New Creek about 100 miles from here on the R Road towards Harpers Ferry.” In overall very good to fine condition. Accompanied by several original mailing envelopes.”

The Special Collection & University Archives at Virginia Tech hold seven of Edward’s letters ranging from 1858 to 1864.

Transcription

Harpers Ferry, Virginia
February 17th [1863]

Dearest Mother,

I received your letter of the 10th date and was glad to hear from you and Nette. I am well and hope this will find you enjoying the same state of health. I got your letter yesterday so you will see it was 6 days coming. I answer every letter I get from you and have written some two or three that I have never received any answer to but we must expect some to get lost sending so many. I am glad you went to see Grandpa. I would like to see him myself. You tell me not to worry about you but I can’t help thinking that it would be better if I were there to see to things. I think it would be more pleasant for you although I am contented here, yet I think it will be more pleasant for us both when I get home—if I ever see that day which I hope I may.

The reason I did not write yesterday was because I had to go on a scout. We started in the morning but was ordered back to camp where we anxiously awaited orders to go but did not get them until 5:00 o’clock at night. We were then ordered to mount and go to Berryville—100 of us—which we did and reach that place about 12:00 midnight. We stopped there about ½ hour and, not finding anything, started back towards camp. Came about 5 miles and stopped and fed horses to a rich Secesh’s farm and then we started and went about one mile to a house and took a Rebel officer prisoner—he being at home on a visit. We then returned to camp, getting in about noon after riding a distance of 40 miles. But what did we care, we took a Reb. This letter will not go out today so I will finish tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 18th. Well Mother, after a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast of fresh beef, coffee, beans, soft bread, and plenty of good vinegar on the beans, sugar in coffee, you or perhaps amost anyone in a place where people pretend to live but I am satisfied with it better than I would be at home on biscuit and butter. We have good soft bread all the time.

Well, as I was telling about what I had to eat, I forgot to say I feel much better. You may [know] something how one will feel after being without sleep for 48 hours and on duty all the time. You will perhaps see a good many words put in that were left out when it was first written. You must not wonder after being so anxious to catch some rebs that were reported to be in the vicinity. So they were but left so soon that we did not get sight of them. When I am writing, I think more or faster than I write. That is the way I leave out so many words.

When I heard that George Patterson was dead, I felt that I had lost a friend. I did not think he would be killed in battle. Tears will come in my eyes when I think of him. Tell Seymour that I think it is well with him. At least I thought he deserves a home among the blessed. My prayer is that he may.

I do not think the war will last long. They say the Rebels are fighting amongst themselves in Georgia. I do not get my pay yet. If I do not get it before long, I shall rebel I am afraid. I have enough to eat so you so you need not send me anything. I think it would cause the sickness to eat too much. But I must hasten to a close. I received all the letters that you sent stamps in. I want to you to write and tell me if Bliss’s folks hear from Soutlin. I want to know. There is a good many sick in camp at present although there is none dangerous. You tell me that Dexter’s folks got my letter but had lost it and that before. they had answered it he told me when I got away to write to them. I done so about 6 weeks ago and they are these where they can get things to write with. Maybe you think that is alright but I don’t. They have received my first and last letter. They may write to their friends if they have any which they used to pretend to have in Andover. I am a friend to the friendless. I thank God that my mind is not all taken up with the things of this world so much that I, being poor myself, that I cannot listen to the poor. But that is enough of that.

The weather is cold with snow but not so cold as it is in our country. I have had some hoecake baked by a nigger wench. It was good. Where we took a bite that night, I got some apples to eat. Their apples are good in this country. To me they are but I guess I have written about enough for this time. Give my respects to all that think well of a soldier. This letter goes out today and ought to reach home Friday. Nothing more at present so good bye.

From E. F. Tubbs to Irene Tubbs

P. S. I wrote to you in my other letter to give thanks to Miss V. Bliss for her respects to me. If you do not get that maybe you will her if she wishes to write to me I will answer it if I get it.