The following brief letter was written by 35 year-old 1st Sergeant William Bredow of Waterville, Oneida county, New York, who enlisted in Co. E, 81st New York Infantry to serve three years. He was promoted from private to corporal in February 1862, to sergeant in July 1862, and to 1st Sergeant in January 1864 when he re-enlisted as a veteran. In February 1865 he was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant and he mustered out as the Captain of Co. H in August 1865.
I believe that William Bredow was born in Germany in 1836 and came to the United States in 1843 when he was seven years old.
A small Confederate battle flag (24 inches by 25 inches) marked “Local defence/Richmond/Co. G/10th Va/10th May 1864″ and marked, Captured April 3rd 65 at Richmond by 1st Lt. W. Bredow, 81st NY Vols.” sold at auction recently for $55,000.
Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Greg Herr and was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.
Transcription
In front of Petersburg, Virginia
near Bermuda Hundred
September 16th 1864
Friend Tailiur!
I received your letter dated the 14th this month and am very much surprised to learn that you got no letter from me. I wrote one the next day as your brother-in-law Mr. Day in Hampton. The other I wrote the 11th this month. In the latter I answered you all the questions about payroll and so on and told you the news about our regiment. I hope you got both letters by this time. Your trunk is left by Captain [Lewis B.] Porter 1 in the storehouse in Norfolk.
I hope your leg will get well pretty soon and will not trouble you much. Everything is quiet here since you left. No excitement at all except this morning a couple boys were shot on picket by fooling with their guns. [John] Daily 2 out of Company B was brought in this morning about 5 o’clock shot through his buttocks, and now about half hour ago, [Francis P.] Graves 3 of Company I shot by Thomas McDonald 4 through the bowels.
Lieutenant [Maurice P.] Tidd joined the regiment yesterday. The boys sent their love to you. Hoping you got my letter by this time. I remain your friend, — W. Bredow
1 Lewis B. Porter was 30 years old when he enlisted on 5 September 1861 at Oswego to serve three years in Co. D, 81st New York Infantry. He was promoted to 1st Sergeant in August 1862, commissioned a 2nd Lt. in November 1862, and made Captain of Co. K in June 1864. He was wounded in action at Chaffin’s Farm, Va. two weeks after this letter was written and died of his wounds on 15 November 1864 at Fort Monroe, Va.
2 John Daly [or Dailey] was 36 years old when he enlisted at Oswego as a private in Co. B. in the fall of 1861. He was wounded “while on picket near Bermuda Hundred” and mustered out on 25 May 1865.
3 Francis (“Frank”) P. Graves of Rome, New York, was 19 when he enlisted in August 1862 to serve in Co. I with his brothers. He was wounded in action on 23 June 1864 at Cold Harbor but was standing duty on picket at Bermuda Hundred when he was “accidentally killed.”
4 Thomas McDonald was 18 when he enlisted on 14 December 1861 at Rome, New York to serve in Co. I. He was wounded in action at Cold Harbor on 3 June 1864 but survived the war.
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