The following letter was written by Alfred Henry Snow (1838-1915) of Co. G, 50th Regiment, New York Engineers. Alfred began his service as a private but was later made an artificer. The same can be said for Alfred’s younger brother, Harrison Snow (1840-1898) who joined and served with him in the same company. The 50th New York Engineers became famous for their ability to quickly build pontoon bridges, construct field fortifications, and to conduct sapper and mining operations, sometimes under enemy fire.

Alfred was the son of Asa Stearns Snow (1805-1882) and Mary C. Eighmey (1803-1900) of Caroline, Tompkins county, New York. He wrote the letter to his younger sister, Elsie Ann Snow (1844-1939).

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Transcription

[Hall’s Hill, near Arlington, Virginia]
October 4, [1861]

Dear sister,

I now take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well and hope that you are the same. [Brother] Harrison has been very unwell for about two weeks. He is getting better now. I am in hopes that he will get along now. He begins to get around now.

I suppose that you knew that Harrison and myself is soldiers. We left home the third day of September and I have wrote to them nine times and no answer have I got yet. Now I hope that you have not forgotten me. I know that I have not forgotten you. I should like to see you but I don’t think that I will see you very soon. We left home for Elmira. We thought that [we] would go home before we left there but they would not let us go. We stayed at Elmira two weeks, then we left for New York. We stayed there two days. The we left for Washington. We marched through Baltimore without any trouble. We stayed there two hours and took dinner, then we moved on until we reached Washington. We was so tired that we could hardly rest.

The next day we marched about three miles north of that city and then we moved five miles farther south. We stayed there a few days and then we came here to this place where we are now. We don’t know how long we will stay here—perhaps not long. We are on Hall’s Hill in western Virginia about fifteen miles from Bull Run. The rebels are encamped about five miles from here but there is no one here afraid of them. We have got about two hundred and seventy thousand around Washington. They have got lots of them around in other places and lots of them coming yet. They will have a battle before many days—it can’t be put off many days longer.

Now you must not forget to write to me as soon as you get this. Direct your letters to Camp Lesley, Company G, 50th New York Volunteers, in care of Captain [Walker V.] Personius

My pen in poor,
my ink is pail,
my quill come out of
the gander’s tail.

No don’t forget to write to me and let me know how you and the rest of you are getting along. I have not heard from you in a long time. From your brother, — Alfred H. Snow

to Elsie Ann Snow

You must excuse my bad writing for you know that I am a poor hand to write. So good day.