The following letters were written by Johannes Lefevre (1837-1864) who enlisted at the age of 26 in Ulster county to serve three years in Co. E, 156th New York Volunteers. He was mustered in as second lieutenant on September 20, 1802; as first lieutenant of Co. B on October 31, 1863; and as captain of Co. E, December 19, 1863. He was wounded in action on October 19,1864, at Cedar Creek, Virginia, and died of his wounds on November 9, 1864, at Winchester, Virginia.

Johannes was the son of Josiah P. Lefevre (1811-1893) and Elizabeth Lefevre (1815-1899) of New Paltz, Ulster county, New York. Johannes attended the New Paltz Academy and then graduated from Claverack Academy in 1860. He followed this with scientific and engineering studies at Union College before entering the service.

All four letters were addressed to his captain, Matthias S. Euen, Co. E, 156th New York Volunteers. Captain Euen had been wounded at Port Hudson in June 1863.

To read other letters by members of the 156th New York Infantry I’ve transcribed and published on Spared & Shared, see:
John Stamford Thompson, Co. G, 156 New York (1 Letter)
Phillip J. Miller, Co. I, 156th New York (21 Letters)

Letter 1

Headquarters Provost Guard
from 156th Regt. N. Y. Infantry
November 2, 1863

Dear Captain,

Yours of October 18th was received last night. I was most happy to hear that you had so far recovered your health. I had once heard that you was very sick and it looked as though some fatality had possessed the officers of Co. E—two sick and the third unfit for active duty in the field. Now, however, things look much brighter, Lieut. [Alfred] Cooley has recovered very fast. He started for home last Thursday. I hope the bracing northern air will restore him permanently to health and strength.

Lieut. Peter Eltinge [Co. D] arrived here last Friday. I think his trip North has improved him very much. I never saw him looking better. I hope to see you looking well when you return. He has been mustered in as 1st Lieutenant & assigned to Co. D. My brother [Peter]’s commission as captain [of Co. H] came last evening and also [Charles B.] Western’s as 2nd Lieutenant [in Co. K] & [Edward Openshaw’s as 1st Lieutenant [of Co. E]. I understand that the Colonel has received notice that Cooley has been commissioned Capt. in Capt. [John] Donaldson’s place [in Co. G]. I think that news will help to restore Cooley’s health.

This looks as though the “deadlock” at Albany in regard to the granting of commissions in our regiment had given way. I hope it has so that other deserving officers may be promoted. The political news from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Iowa is indeed encouraging. I hope that New York will speak out tomorrow in no less decided and patriotic tones, and say to rebellion of the South & treason or Copperheadism at the North, “Thus far thou hast come, but no farther & here let thy haughty waves be staid.”

I am proud to be able to say that Co. E continues to sustain her former character and good name. We had two or three cases of some of the old soaks getting a little tight just after payday but I invariably found out about it and forced them to tell me where they got their liquor & then punished them besides. I had [44 year-old] Robert Wylie on a barrel one day for being drunk. It hurt his feelings awfully. In fact, it did mine too to have to punish so old a man. But it did the company good. He did not repeat it. I have seized upon & shut up a couple houses for selling liquor to soldiers. We have a new Provost Marshall here—a Lieutenant Colonel of an Ohio Regiment. He is very strict and severe on such places.

They have got up quite an alarm tonight on account of an expected attack upon this post. The outposts have all been withdrawn. The heavy rumbling of artillery wagons is heard and they are planting cannon in every street while heavy squadrons of cavalry go dashing through the streets. All this preparation must mean something. I can’t say that we are “Spilin’ for a fight,” but all this preparation does not produce the peculiar sensation it did last spring.

Captain, if you have time to visit Ulster county again, I wish you would call upon my people. I know they would be very glad to see you. Remember me to all my acquaintances & believe me ever sincerely yours, — J. Lefevre

---

Letter 2

Quarters Co. E, 156th Regt. N. Y. Vols.
Baston Rouge, La.
November 8th, 1863

Dear Captain,

It is only a few days since I wrote last but Sergt. [Philip T.] Decker wishes me to write to you again to account for his not writing. Sergt. Decker has been very sick for the last two months. At one time we did not expect him to recover. He is gaining quite fast now though he has a furlough and will go home [to Shawangunk] as soon as he gets a little stronger. He received your letter of September 29th a few days ago. He wanted to write to you very much but was not able yet. I am afraid he will never do much duty as a soldier again.

Jimmy Jansen is sick yet too. I have not heard from him lately. I learn Sparks has died on his way home. [Fred] Latting has been discharged [for disability] and the two drummer boys [James A Ferguson and John H. Moe] are about being discharged. [George N.] Bedford is in New Orleans yet. [Samuel] Kimbark we have lost track of. [James] Flanegan and [Henry] Bunton are quite sick in their quarters. The rest of the company are present and doing well. They speak of you often & wish that you were back again. I have just drawn forty-five dress coats for those who are fit for duty. They look splendid with them on. I wish you could see them.

I am expecting to be superseded shortly in the command of the company as I understand that Openshaw has been promoted to 1st Lieutenant in this company, vice Cooley promoted to Captaincy of Co. G. Openshaw is not mustered, however, and can’t be till Cooley is mustered out, so he can’t take the command over me unless I have a mind to yield it to him till Colley comes back.

Had I known last fall when I was in New Orleans that I was going to be “jumped” quite so soon, I don’t think I would have taken as much trouble as I did to get relieved & be ordered back to my regiment. I thought then that perhaps I would be sorry afterwards for doing it, but my pride in the company connected with your expressed wish overcame my better judgement. And now I see that I was a damed fool for doing it. I thought then that I would rather be a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. E than to have a much higher position elsewhere & I am prouder of the company today than ever. But I will never again decline a good offer.

Is there any likelihood of your being ordered to recruit if you can’t get conscripts? I should think that the prospect of another draft under the recent proclamation of the President would make recruiting quite brisk again. We would like to see you bring some recruits for our regiment but we would be glad to see you back even if you had to come alone.

Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain yours truly, — J. Lefevre

to Capt. M. S. Euen

---

Letter 3

Quarters, Co. E, 156th N. Y. Vols.
Baton Rouge, La.
January 10th 1864

I see by my memorandum that it is over a month since I wrote to you last. I did not intend that it should be so long between my letters but then it is very dull & monotonous in camp and with the exceptions of the recent promotions, there is very little to write about.

You seem to think that I was disappointed. I don’t think I said I was. I did not expect any promotion—at least till you got yours—and therefore I was not disappointed much at not getting it then. But I was surprised at least when I was told that there was a commission in the camp for me. True, Col. [Jacob] Sharpe had told me that he had recommended me but I did not expect that I would get it for a while yet.

It is too bad that all those who have been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant lately can’t get mustered. I hope the folks at home will hurry and fill up the regiment so that they can all get mustered. As it is, I don’t know what to do. It is rather expensive supporting the dignity of an officer without the pay. [Jacob S.] Eckert is mad and is trying to get home. I guess he has vented some of his passion onto you as he read me a part of a letter he was going to send to you. I told him he was wrong, for whatever you had said to him, you meant it for his good and he should take it so. He is very hasty and often abuses his best friends.

I should mention that I have been assigned to Co. B but have been left in command of Co. E & I hope I may be permitted to stay there. I took Co. E out on dress parade with the regiment the other evening at the request of Capt. [Alfred] Neafie (or Lieut. Colonel Neafie. It was the first they have been on dress parade for over five months. The Colonel who was present said the company looked very fine. Capt. Neafie (or Lieut. Colonel Neafie now, I suppose, I should say) wants me to bring the company over & join in parade with the regiment whenever I can. But it is not very often that our men are off duty at that time of day.

Corp. [Samuel] Kimbark who you know has been missing so long, died at the Barracks Hospital at New Orleans on the 24th of November.

When do you think you will get back here? The returns of the company are getting very much behind hand. I believe Mat. Hasbrouck has been doing something at the Clothing returns for last summer but they are still nearly six months behind & the ordnance returns are nearly a year behind hand.

If you are not likely to get back in some months, would it not be better to have an inventory taken ad have the things turned over to me, or whoever is put in command of the company? I have a list of what property there was on hand when Cooley left. I expect that Cooley will be back shortly and don’t know whether he will take command of this company again or not. But I hardly think he will. They will want him in Co. G as [William J.] Purdy has resigned. We have scarcely as many officers as companies in the regiment now. Only one captain present and he has offered his resignation. Write often and believe me ever yours truly, — J. Lefevre

---

Letter 4

Headquarters Co. E, 156th N. Y. V.
Baton Rouge, La.
March 1, 1864

Captain, dear sir,

Your favor of February 1st was received some days ago just before I was ordered to proceed to New Orleans in charge of about fifty Confederate prisoners so my answer has been delayed longer than it would have been otherwise. And since returning from New Orleans I have had the pay rolls & other matters which come at the end of the month to attend to.

You were not quite correctly informed about returns by Capt. Cooley. I don’t think it was intentional, however, on his part to deceive you about it, but only that his memory was a little affected by his recent severe illness. Your returns for clothing, camp & garrison equipage, were made out by Mat [Hasbrouck] up to the first of September & are all right of course. I took command of the company about the first of October & will receipt to you for all camp and garrison equipage your last return shows as on hand, & will date the receipts of the 1st of October if you wish it. Of course whatever I have drawn since that, I am responsible for.

The Ordnance is not quite straight. Your ordnance return for the 1st Quarter of ’63 was made out by yourself (judging from the handwriting) but for some reason or other seems never to have been forwarded to Washington—at least I found all three copies in your desk some months ago, before Cooley went home & spoke to him about it. He replied by saying he guessed it was all right & that I must not muss with your papers so I said nothing more about it.

Mat. [Hasbrouck] says he will fix it out for the next two quarters of ’63 in a few days. For the last quarter of ’63, I will make out the returns, if I can get you invoices of the stuff which was on hand when I took command of the company. I might have taken it up as “found in the company.” but I preferred to wait till I could get your invoices. Of course we are a considerable short on ordnance, &c., but I don’t think it will be very difficult to account for that that as lost during the summer campaign which was actually the case as none of the guns which were taken to the hospitals by those men who died or were discharged there ever came back to the company except six which I got a couple months ago form the hospitals in this town & then some of the plates and small equipments were gone.

Those guns which Holwick tells me were delivered to the Quartermaster of Port Hudson never came back either. I heard once that Co. F got some.

We have now within twelve guns as many as your return of March 31st shows on hand & about the same as to bayonets and cartridge boxes & a few more wanting of belts and plates. I have written out for Mat. [Hasbrouck] a short statement as to where I thought the losses had occurred but I suppose you can tell him better about that than I can. You remember four men of our company were taken prisoners at Brashear City, La. There were wounded on the battlefield of Port Hudson & a great number were sent to hospitals from the march. As to how many of thm lost their guns at these places, I can’t say. I do know that the five who died at New Orleans, we never got any guns or equipments back for the simple reason that we could not send after them.

Sergt. [George] Grim has had charge of the surplus ordnance on hand & I have had him or Holwick take frequent inventories of it to see that nothing was lost. I will let Mat. forward to you his statement as to what is on hand & if you will send me invoices for it, I will give you receipts & date them back to the first of October too, thus relieving you from all responsibility after that date. As to any before that, of course I could not go as I was absent from the company entirely. So much for business!

I am very much obliged to you, Captain, for your suggestion that I be retained in Co. E! for although it is not exactly my company any longer, still I prefer it to any other. Col. Sharpe told me that I should reain here till you come back at least, and perhaps longer.

The spring campaign is opening with very little probability of our being moved from here. We hear of Sherman’s operations about Mobile but as yet have nothing definite. The health of the company and of the regiment is very good. Have got all of sick Shawangunkites home on furloughs. I don’t know whether they will ever come back or not. I have sent to have [George] Crans arrested. I expect his folks will pitch into me for it but I can’t help it & what is more, I don’t care much if they do. I shall recommend his being reduced to the ranks the moment he gets back here.

I suppose you have heard that Corp. [Longinus] Bates has gone home on recruiting service with Capt. [Orville D.] Jewett [of Co. I] & several noncoms. I have two sergeants and two corporals for duty with the company. The rest are all detailed away or sick. Corp. Bates, I believe, is to be appointed Commissary Sergeant, vice [Samuel H. B.] Schoonmaker who has just received a commission as 1st Lieutenant in an artillery regiment [15th Artillery] of the Army of the Potomac.

Henry Hess has been transferred to the Invalid Corps. Robert Terwilliger is detailed in charge of the guard at the government sawmill in town. Write when you can. Respectfully yours, — Johannes Lefevre

To Capt. M. S. Euen