The following letter was written by William E. Boorn of Co. E, 26th New York Infantry. Companies A, B, C, and E were raised in Utica county and accepted into the service by the State on 17 May 1861 for a term of two years. The 26th New York Infantry was sometimes referred to as the 2nd Oneida Regiment. The regiment was present at Cedar mountain and participated in the campaign in Virginia under Gen. Pope, losing in the second battle of Bull Run 169 in killed, wounded and missing. On Sept. 12, it was assigned to the 2nd brigade, 2nd division, 1st corps, Army of the Potomac, and was active at South mountain and Antietam.

At the battle of Fredericksburg, the regiment met with its heaviest loss. Out of 300 members engaged 170 were killed, wounded or missing, of whom 51 were mortally wounded. After the battle winter quarters were established at Belle Plain and occupied, except during the “Mud March,” until the Chancellorsville movement in the spring of 1863, during which the regiment performed advance picket duty. It was mustered out at Utica, May 28, 1863, having lost 108 members by death from wounds and 42 by death from other causes.

It should be noted that William’s name appears as William E. Bowen on the company roster though his signature appears to read Boorn. William was twenty years old when he enlisted. He had subsequent service in Co. C, 14th Artillery.

Transcription

Camp near Belle Plain, Virginia
January 9th 1863

Dear brother,

I received your letter the seventh and was glad to hear from you. I am glad to hear that all are well. I am sorry to hear that father has hurt himself. I hope it is not very bad.

We have had a big fight at Fredericksburg but I am not hurt. Safe and sound as ever. We are in winter quarters now and I hope that we will stay here until spring. My regiment has only three months and a half more to stay in this service and then we are coming home to see you. When we started from Utica, we had nine hundred men. Now we have only about one hundred men—all killed but them.

It is very fine weather here now but very cold nights. We have not had much snow yet. I seen John and Henry Garrett ¹ the other day. They are well as ever and all the rest of Trenton boys. I am writing in an old log house plastered with mud. I cannot think of much more at present.

When you write again, can’t you put in the letter some black thread to sew on some buttons for I cannot get any thread here as we cannot get anything here. So I cannot think of much more at present. So goodbye. I hope this will find you all well as it leaves me. I send my best respects to all that may ask of me. From your brother, –William E. Boorn

Write again and send me the thread.

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¹ I believe these boys were in Co. E, 97th New York Volunteers.