The following letters were written by Charles E. Howard (1842-1868) who enlisted at Lawrence, Essex county, Massachusetts, to serve in Co. K, 14th Massachusetts (Infantry) Regiment on 5 July 1861. This regiment was converted to a Heavy Artillery unit on January 1, 1862. They were officially made the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery as Charles writes in his letter of 8 February 1862. There were 2552 men that served in the regiment through the war. The unit suffered 486 fatalities; 215 KIA or mortally wounded, 115 died due to disease or accident, 156 died as POWs along with 4 MIAs presumed dead.
Charles was the son of a stonecutter named Eli Bangs Howard (1811-1851) and Rebecca Bartlett Dow (1810-1874). 17 year-old Charles was the only child living at home in Lawrence with his mother, a dressmaker, when the 1860 US Census was taken. Living in the same household was Rebecca’s mother Abigail (age 69). Charles survived the war but died of consumption in 1868 at age 26.
Letter 1
Friday, August 30, 1861 [Fort Albany, W. D. C.]
Dear friend, cousin Emeline,
I received your letter a few moments ago and was very glad to hear from you. I never once thought of hearing from you but I have often thought of you and often wished very much to hear from you. I do not know whether I shall come home next week or not for they are agoing to send me home sometime and if they are agoing to send me home, I will let you know so you need not answer this letter. But if they do not send me home next week, I will let you know so that you can write. Tell Mother that she need not send me that box yet but wait till I send a word to her so as to let her know whether I am coming home or not.
The rebels are only 3 miles from us and have great force. We have got a balloon on our side so we can see the rebels and tell how they are getting along. They have got a rope attached to it so that they can draw it down and they have got a telegraph wire up to it so as he can tell them what he sees. They have killed a great many of our soldiers and drove in our pickets. The people are moving away from where the rebels are for they can’t stand it for the lead bullets fly too fast. They have had a battle with them since I have been out here and we are hoping that they will come so that we can have a chance at them. Our boys are getting up a plan so that they can give them a trap. They are opening out so as to let them in and then they will give them some hot lead. It is in this way [sketch]. Then they will enclose on them like that [sketch]. Then they will give them fun enough.
Tell Aunt Terrah that if I do come back that I shall come and see her and you and all the friends that I have got there, If Olive Ann gets back before I write again, you tell her that I send my love to her. Tell Grandfather that if I get a chance at the rebels, that I will fetch one down for him. And tell him that I will take good aim at him for him.
We live pretty well except that we would like better living [food]. If I can, I will send you the sketch of the place and the fort. If I do not come home, you must write a good long letter, will you not? I should like very much to see Olive Ann & Abby but I suppose that Abby does not get down that way very often. If I only knew the street and place in Cambridge, I would go and see her if I come back. How does Sumner get along? Does he think of enlisting in the army? If he does, tell him that I am in the army and that I can tell him all he wants to know about it. Tell him that I have seen harder times out here since I have enlisted than ever he or I ever saw before. Tell him that if he wants sour bread and stinking meat & tea made out of beans & tea, to come out here for there is plenty of that stuff out here. Tell him that I advise him to stay where he is for he has got a good home and he does not know anything about laying in the rain on the ground as we did when we went to camp the first time.
Have you seen the picture of the Massachusetts 14th coming through Washington at night? That was us and it was hard, I tell you. And we had to lay on the ground all night in the rain and we were wet through & through & everything that we had even wet too.
Has Sumner’s sister got married yet? If she hant, tell her that she better not till the war is over for it is too hard times. You tell me if she has not got married when she will so that I may dance at her wedding. If I am not there, tell her to send me a piece of her wedding cake for it would taste so nice to have it come from such an Old Maid as she is.
I am sitting at the foot of an old stump of a tree and I can see all over Washington City. The Capitol is not half finished nor the Washington Monument. There are three artillery in sight. There was one of our soldiers broke his leg by falling into a trench that is dug around our fort to stop the rebels from coming in. He slipped for it had rained all day yesterday and it was muddy & slippery. He broke it above his knee.
You must not forget me if I have gone for a soldier for the times are hard and now is just the time not to forget me. Tell me when you are a goin’ to get married so that I can come and see you. If you get married before I get there, do not forget me. Tell A[bbey] and Sarah that I went [and] shall go again when I get back for I can learn to play with the band and they will take me back again. Tell her that there is lots of generial [?] and that it grows in bunches like this [sketch]. It is very large. I got some that was a foot in height and was as large as ever I saw in my life. In 10 minutes I got more than I could hold in my hands.
There is a skirmishing party agoin’ out just now to look after the rebels. I have seen Uncle Abe Lincoln & General Scott since I have been here. I have plenty to write but I have no more room so I must close. You must excuse my writing for I have not got any chance to write but I guess that you can make it out. So goodbye. Wait till I write again. From your friend & cousin, — Charles E. Howard, Fort Albany. Washington D. C., Co. K, 14th Massachusetts
Letter 2
Headquarters Heavy Artillery
14th Mass. Regt., Co. K
February 8, 1862
Dear Cousin,
I have a few leisure moments now to answer your letter which I received a week ago. You must excuse me for not writing before for I have not had much time. We are changed into heavy artillery so we do not have much time to write. We have just returned from drill and my arms are so tired that I can hardly handle the pen. We are called the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, Battery K, but we go by the name of the 14th Mass. Regt., Co. K. Our letters will come either way. We have to drill on the big guns every day that is fair. We have nothing but mud, mud. The mud in some places is two feet deep. That is the reason why the army do not make at attack. Our major and some more men have gone to Lawrence to recruit more men for this regiment. I think that we will all be at home next fall.
Ask aunt what she will sell me a whole cheese for. If she will sell me a whole cheese, mother will put it in my box and send it to me. How does grandfather get along? How does aunt sell her butter? I would like to see you and all of the folks. Tell aunt that if I live to get home, I will come and see her. Have you got much snow there? We have not more than one inch, if that. In some places the mud is 3 or 4 feet deep. You never, nor I never saw the mud so deep as it is in Virginia.
Tell Sumner that I want him to write to me. Tell him that I know Freeman Harley and his brother. Tell him that I see them most every day, sometimes work with him. Give my love to the girls that aren’t married yet. When are you a going to get married? Send me the marriage card when you get married so that I can see who you are married to. I do not know when I shall get married. There are plenty of Niggers out here and if Sumner wants a Nigger, send him out here and I will show him some.
The dinner has just come and you would laugh to see them run to get it. They run like pigs.
We have a shoemaker in our house so he mends all of our shoes but we have to pay him 50 cents for it. I will write a few lines to Olive Ann in this letter. Why does not Olive write to me? She has not answered my letter that i wrote her. Give my love to all. From your cousin, — C. E. Howard to C. J. H.
Dear Cousin, I now write a few lines to you hoping to hear from you soon. Have you. seen or heard of Abby yet? How does she get along? Tell her that I should like to see her. Tell her to write. I want to hear from her and you. very much, How does her mother get along? Tell Abby that I will answer her letter if she will write.
The Boys are eating dinner. I think that the war will all be over next November and we will all be at home. I heard that you. and Emeline went to the meadow and had a good time skating and then went to a party. I wish that I had been there. You must of had a splendid time. Was Abby there? When I read her letter and heard that you had a good time, I wished that I had been there. Tell Emeline that I wish that when she goes to a party, [ ] to have a good time for me. Won’t you write soon as you get this? From your cousin, — C. E. H.
