The following letter was written by Jacob E. Swap (1846-1925), the son of William Swap (1807-1881) and Amanda Karl (1805-1881) of Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Jacob was born in August 1846 and had only turned 15 years old when he enlisted as a private in Co. H, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Jacob served completely through the war and entered the Wilderness Campaign as a seasoned veteran before he was 18. In the contest at Laurel Hill on 8 May 1864, Jacob was wounded five times and taken prisoner. He had been exchanged and was being treated for his wounds at the US General Hospital at Annapolis when he wrote this letter on 31 August 1864—three and a half months later. His bravery on the field earned him the Medal of Honor in 1897.

Jacob’s letter was written to the father of one of his comrades in the same regiment (different company) who died in Richmond on 30 May 1864. He named the deceased as “Joseph” Huntley but the soldier by that name was 38 years old and a draftee in Co. K when he entered the service in 1863 and he was definitely not wounded in the Battle of Laurel Hill. In fact, he was transferred to Co. F and mustered out with that company later in 1865. My hunch is that the soldier that Jacob meant was actually Corp. Joel Huntley of Crawford county who served in Co. K and was listed as having been “killed at Laurel Hill on 8 May 1864. More likely than not, Joel was wounded in that action and taken prison, like Jacob, and taken to Richmond where he died nearly three weeks after the battle. I’ve seen similar cases where there were discrepancies with the date and location of soldier’s deaths.

[Note: This letter is from the private collection of James Campbell and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Transcription

U. S. General Hospital
Annapolis, Maryland
August 31st 1864

Mr. Huntley,

Sir, it is my most painful duty to inform you that your son Joseph Huntley of Co. K, 83rd PA Vols. is dead. He died in Richmond on the 30th of May. He was wounded in the hip and his left thumb was shot off. He died a very easy death and I sincerely think a Christian. He appeared to be willing to die.

His right hip was broken but he did not suffer much pain. You will find this letter with a testament which belonged to him. He had nothing else with him. You will find my address at the bottom of the page. Do not mourn your son for he died in a noble cause. I have lost one brother and am wounded myself. I am your most sincere friend. — J. E. Swap, Co. H. 83rd Pa. Vols.

Direct to J E. Swap, U. S. General Hospital, Div. No. 1, Section 2nd, Ward 21, Annapolis, Maryland