The following letter was written by William (“Will”) N. Horton (1842-1864) who enlisted at Elmira on 11 August 1862 to serve three years as a private in Co. K, 107th New York Infantry. He was promoted to a corporal in October 1863 and was killed in action on 25 May 1864 near Dallas, Georgia.

The 107th New York was recruited in the counties of Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben, New York.  It was noted for its efficiency and discipline, for being the first regiment from the North organized under the second call, and the first to arrive at Washington, in acknowledgment of which it received a banner from the state and a personal visit from the president. The regiment was stationed for a month in Washington D. C.—when this letter was written—before it was sent with Mansfield’s 12th Corps to Sharpsburg, Maryland, where its members tasted gunpowder for the first time. They later participated at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg before being sent to Tennessee to reinforce Rosecrans’ army and become a part of Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.

Will was the oldest son of Dr. Thomas Hyatt Horton (b. 1819) and Laura Ann Torrance (b. 1819) of Addison, Steuben county, New York.

Transcription

Camp Seward, Virginia
August 31st 1862

Much respected friend,

I thought I would write again and see if you would answer this letter. I have written quite a number of letters and I have not received a letter yet but I live in hopes that you have not forgotten me yet.

We are encamped at Arlington where we was when I first wrote. We have been encamped at Fort Lyons near Alexandria but they thought that the rebels was liked to come there so we had orders to march back in the rear. But they did not come for they had all they could tend to at Manassas and a little more. There was a great battle at Bull Run yesterday. Pope took 16,000 men prisoners. I have not heard what their loss was in killed and wounded. Our loss in killed and wounded was 8,000. They brought 12,000 prisoners in[to] Washington yesterday. We could hear the roar of the cannons very plain here. The orders was last night was that every man must have forty rounds of cartridges and be ready to march at a moment’s warning.

I have not been homesick but once and then I was sick. Time flies away very fast. I cannot hardly tell when Sunday comes but it seems quite a while since I parted with you. I would like to come up there tonight and see you but that is out of the question for I am down here in Dixie Land. But I hope that it won’t be many months before I shall be with you.

Chloe, you must excuse my bad writing for I have not got a very convenient place to write on. I have got an old box to write on, but soldiers have to take up with soldier’s fare. Chloe, write as soon as you get this and I will do the same. No more at present. So goodbye. From your Will

P. S. I will give you the direction again so if you do not get them you will know where to direct to.

William N. Horton
Co. K, 107th New York State Volunteers
Capt. [Allen N.] Sill

All our joys my soul remembered
How like quivering flames they start
When I feel the living embers
On the hearthstone of my heart ¹

¹ These lines are from a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called “To the River Charles.” It wasn’t published in his “Complete Works” until 1866.