The following letter was written by George W. Patterson who enlisted on 3 October 1864, at age 18, at Nunda, New York, to serve one year. He mustered in as a private, Co. I, 188th New York Infantry on October 22, 1864; promoted corporal, March 10, 1865; mustered out with company, July 1, 1865, near Washington, D. C.

The 188th New York left the state to join the Army of the Potomac on October 13, 1864. Initially, only seven companies left the state but company K followed in November. The army was before Petersburg, Virginia, at that time. The regiment was placed in 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps then under Major General Gouverneur Warren. The 188th New York remained in this assignment for its entire federal service.

On October 27, less than a month after first muster, the regiment went into battle at Hatcher’s Run near the Weldon Railroad. The regiment suffered 7 dead and between 39 and 46 wounded (depending on reports). On December 8, 1864, the regiment participated on a raid to Hicksford, Virginia, where two soldiers were taken prisoner.

February 6 and 7, 1865 saw the regiment at Hatcher’s Run again. During this battle the regiment suffered 5 dead, 21 wounded, and 3 missing.

The Appomattox campaign saw the regiment fight with its corps at White Oak ridge, Gravelly Run and Five Forks, when its casualties aggregated 45 killed and wounded. The 188th New York also participated in the final assault on Petersburg and was present at Appomattox Station on April 9 when General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, it reported that the 188th was the regiment that “busted up the confederacy.” They were given the honor of posting guard duty around the court house while Lee surrendered the confederacy to Grant.

Transcription

October 26, 1864

Friend Sarah,

I now take the opportunity of letting you know where and how I am. We have just left Albany today for the City of New York on a steamer. It looks very nice to get on board of a steamer and go down the Hudson river for 100 miles or so. In coming down from Rochester to Albany there were a great commotion raised among the men by the falling off of two or three soldiers from the cars and the report came in by telegraph that they were both killed. But when we got ready to start this morning, they both came on board the steamer.

There is some of the boys that left Rochester that is crying over their old homes and O my God, what faces they make up. I hain’t been homesick since I left home till I saw the faces that some of the girls made up when their boys left them and when I saw the faces that they made up I was homesick enough for I did not want to see it but they had us locked up. I couldn’t help it. That is the only that I can find fault with and they use us like a lot of thieves. The lock us up whenever we start to go anywhere. The night before we started to New York they took us all in an old house and locked us up and set a guard on us with orders to shoot any man that should try to get away but they did not keep us there long for we raised the very devil and we were a going to break out when the Captain came and let us out of prison.

Ed Blake ¹ is here yet with his teeth left and he will get to be Gigadere Brindle if he keeps on in the way he has begun. He has got so that he gives orders to the Lieutenant when we are on drill.

Give my love to Deborah and tell her that if ever I get out of the army, I may come over to old Charley’s but I guess not. I am now in New York and we are quartered in as nice a place as ever I saw. The barracks is as good as any house up in our place. We are a going to stay here this week and then we are a going to start for Battery Point and there we shall collect till our regiment has been in a battle and some fifty of them killed and eighty wounded. That is the way they stay in Rochester and I knew it would be for I never knew a regiment to stay where the officers said they would stay when they got up the regiment.

I close for I am ordered out to roll call and if we don’t come out when we are [called], they put us in the guard house. So goodbye. — George W. Patterson

Direct to Battery Barracks to the 188th Regiment, New York State Volunteers, Battery Barracks, In care of Capt. Pursall

¹ BLAKE, EDMUND W.—Age, 18 years. Enlisted, October 3, 1864, at Nunda, to serve one year; mustered in as private, Co. I, October 22, 1864; wounded in action, February 6, 1865, at Hatcher’s Run, Va . ; mustered out with company, July 1, 1865, near Washington, D. C ; also borne as Edmond P.