The following letter was written by 2nd Lieutenant Samuel (“Sam”) M. Royer (1838-1921) who mustered into Co. C, 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry on 17 October 1861. Samuel was the son of Samuel Royer (1792-1856) and Martha Patton (1802-1881) of Springfield Furnace, Blair county, Pennsylvania.
Sam was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on 9 May 1862 and he resigned his commission on 1 December 1862 to return home and pursue a career in medicine. By the time of the 1870 Census, he was practicing as a physician in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania.
In March 1862, the 53rd Pennsylvania joined in McDowell’s advance toward Manassas Junction where they passed through the battlefield of 1st Bull Run. They were then transferred into Gen. Israel B. Richardson’s Division in the II Corps and sent to the Peninsula to take part in McClellan’s drive on Richmond which began with the siege of Yorktown. Royer penned this letter shortly after landing at Ship Point but not before he had a good look at the celebrated ironclad Monitor at Hampton Roads which he describes in detail.
[Note: This letter is from the private collection of Greg Herr and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]
Transcription
Camp near Ship Point
Sunday, April 13th 1862
Dear Mother and all,
I wrote you while on board the steamer Robert Morris but felt doubtful as to your receiving the letter though I hope you have read it ere this. We were four days on the water and to me it is altogether the preferable mode of traveling. On the afternoon of the 7th we reached Fortress Monroe and right sorry was I when we were ordered to put back. At the fortress is all life and activity and more. The place is beautiful. Here we had a fine look at the wonders of the world—the Monitor and Steven’s Battery. The Rebels said well when the Monitor was called “A cheesebox on a raft.” It looks very like a raft. The deck is flat and only about two feet of the vessel can be seen above the water, but I was told it draws thirty feet. On the deck is a round iron-plated kind of a coop about five feet high and large enough to contain four guns. This is the only armament on board. The two boiler smoke stack, whistle, and pilot house are merely seen above the deck so that it is impossible for balls to strike anything but the iron-plated coop and in the fight with Rebels, it was struck [ ] times, but was hurt none. Received a slight ding on the eight. It does seem impossible for such a machine to be hurt. There are no sails or any other fixins about it except what I have mentioned.
On the evening of the 7th, we headed up the bay and when about fifteen miles up, the bay grew rather boisterous and we anchored for the night. Early in the morning we again weighed anchor and moved on the Ship Point a short distance below the York River. Here we landed and moved across the country to our present camp, two miles from Ship Point.
The country here is altogether different from any I have yet seen—all one level begins—no mountains or hills. Yet there is an abundance of timber—all of one kind, pitch pine. The soil is sand and you may imagine the condition of the roads. I have seen the teams drawing their wagons along very smoothly when in an instant they would go down to the hub and when left, would go over the wheels. The principal agriculture productions of this region are corn and sweet potatoes.
I have written you heretofore of the many troops I have seen, but now I might say I have not seen many troops till [ ] from Ship Point to Crockett’s Mill three miles in the direction of Yorktown and as great a space north and south is one mass of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. There are a few inhabitants yet remaining in the region, all bitter secesh. They are awfully frightened at our forces. They cannot be made to believe that all the troops are from the north but really believe some are foreign. What can be the idea of concentrating such a force here is altogether a mystery. The supposition is that Yorktown is to be besieged and all the troops made prisoner. This it is reported can [ ] moving up as the road is being made and no doubt ere a week, the advance will be [ ] the rebels. The secesh here think their forces will evacuate and burn the town. What the effect of the news from the defeat in the West will have upon Yorktown is yet to be seen. It is to be hoped that a surrender equal to days of yore will be expected of the enemies of our country at Yorktown.
Monday morning, 14th
Today we are having the usual beautiful weather. Part of the artillery was moved yesterday in the direction of Yorktown. We will, I hope, hear in a short time of the end of the rebellion, no doubt yet. I am anxiously looking for the captain. The [ ] been called in and will certainly report this week. I am sending a root and some seeds of a beautiful evergreen. They should be planted in a box filled with moist sand. If the root does not grow, perhaps the seeds will. I am also sending a ring for Dot. It is made of a button which I found at Manassas on a coat belonging to Sergt. Finch of the 12th Alabama. 1 The shells I send also [which] I picked up yesterday on the shore of the York River. Also a piece of pine I have just picked from a little tree at my tent door.
We get oysters in superabundance. The boys are in the river all hours of the day and bring any bushels. We also get an abundance of sweet potatoes. Did you get your [ ]. Write me all the news. Tell [ ] to write. Yours, &c., — Sam
We are sending our letters by chance but hope they will reach you. Direct to Ship Point, Co. C, 53rd Penn. Vols., Richardson’s Division
1 I believe Sam has written the 12th Alabama but if he did, then Fitch did not die from wounds received from the Battle of First Manassas because they didn’t participate in that engagement. They did spend the fall and winter encamped near Manassas, however, and so may have died from sickness. Searching for soldiers named Finch in the 12th Alabama has not revealed the button owner, however. Only one John W. Finch appears in the muster rolls and he was a musician who did not die at Manassas. It’s also possible that the button was taken from a garment that did not belong to a dead soldier, found on the site.
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