The following letter was written by William Gage Besse (1843-1914), the son of Constantine D. Besse (1813-1891) and Lucy Woodcock (1809-Aft1864) of Wayne, Kennebec county, Maine. William enlisted in 1864, age 21, in Co. K of the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry and on February 14, 1865 was transferred to Co. K of the 1st Maine Cavalry. He was discharged August 1, 1865 and returned to Lewiston to live.

Readers will notice that though William served in a cavalry regiment, in 1864 they were dismounted and used as infantrymen at Yorktown and Portsmouth, and even in the trenches at Bermuda Hundred in this case.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Camp about 5 miles from Bermuda, Va.
May 29, 1864

Dear Mother,

I take my pen in hand to let you know that we are all well and hope that these few lines will find you the same. I received a letter from you today and was glad to hear from you. I was glad to hear that they had got a new Division in Lewiston. I was glad to hear that Father and Lyman was safe. I got them stamps all right.

Fort Monroe is about 180 miles from Washington so they say. It is near the mouth of the James river, Va. If you look on the map you will see about where it is. We are now at the front of Gen. Butler’s army, probably not more than 20 miles from Richmond. Some say it is not more than 16 but I don’t know. We are getting along first rate. We left our camp at Bermuda last Thursday about dark and marched to the front. We laid on the ground that night. In the morning we moved to the breastworks and pitched our tents. We are guarding the breastworks and doing picket duty. Part of our company is on picket now. The rebel works are in plain sight of a fort a little ways to our right. Bill and I was over there Friday. The sharpshooters were firing and they fired three shells over and they went over our heads. They will make a big noise but I thought the little ones was the worst for I could not tell when they was coming.

George got a letter from you today with one dollar in it. I got a letter from Bro. Cilley today with three postage stamps in it. We have got the mail but twice since we left Washington. Mr. Cilley said he would send me a paper once in a while so you see he is very clever. We don’t have a great deal to do here. We have to sleep with our rifles loaded with 15 charges laying by our side so as to be ready for the rebs if they come over to see [us]. We have to turn out at three o’clock in the morning under arms and stand in line till daylight so you see that we are early risers out here.

I should like to know what the name of the new Division is. I must close now. Give my love to all the folks. Write soon. From your son, — William G. Besse