The following letter was signed “J. W. Hamilton” and I’m inclined to attribute it to James W. Hamilton of Co. G, 3rd Maryland Infantry though I am unable to corroborate his identity by anything in the letter. I believe James was from Baltimore, Maryland, but I could not find an ancestral record for him. Whomever wrote the letter likely belonged to Gen. Nathaniel Banks army and so I looked for soldiers named Hamilton among the regiments in the II Corps who participated in the 9 August 1862 battle at Cedar Mountain though the author was not present for the battle because he accompanied the baggage train as a guard and arrived in camp “near Culpeper” on 12 August where Pope “had taken up what he thought was a strong position in the triangle formed on the left by the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, on the right by the Rappahannock River and at the bottom by the Rapidan River. While awaiting reinforcements and pondering a move on Richmond, Pope separated his forces, positioning Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel’s division at the foot of Cedar Mountain, Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell’s division north of Rapidan Station, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks’ division near Culpeper and Brig. Gen. Jesse Reno’s division near Raccoon Ford. In doing so, Pope unwittingly presented Robert E. Lee with an unparalleled opportunity to crush his army.” [Source: Pope’s Narrow Escape at Clark’s Mountain” by John Lam]

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

Camp near Culpeper, Va.
August 13th 1862

Dear Sister,

I am well and happy at present for I am in sight of the Rebels at the foot of the mountain. I have been marching for 3 days and nights. I was detailed for baggage guard last Saturday [9 August] and have guarded it on the march. The first night the baggage train marched 9 miles and halted for to feed at 2 o’clock in the morning. At sunrise we started again, most damned tired, I tell you. We marched all day and half the night. I stood picket guard until 4 o’clock in the morning. Then the train started on the march again and we marched all that day and then at night I had to stand guard all night again. Last night we got in camp and they had a face to detail me for guard around the camp.

On the march the troops—all but the guard—was on the lead of the train and they took all the chickens and ducks and geese and turkeys that they could find, besides beehives and apples. The guard was about one day behind and they could not get much of anything but milk and such like. We have had a good time on the march this time.

Last night we landed in camp in sight of the battlefield where Old Jackson—the Rebel—and Old Banks fought all day last Saturday [9 August] and part of Sunday [10 August]. Banks won the battle but Jackson is getting ready to try him again. They say that the rebels lost one thousand, five hundred and our loss was eleven hundred. If Old Jackson wants more fun, we are ready to give it to him for since last Sunday over 30 thousand men have put up their tents within five miles of him. It is consoling to one to stand in hearing of a battle with his gun in hand, loaded and waiting for orders to march to the field of battle. We are under such orders and expect orders to go every hour.

While I am writing, my knapsack is packed and everything that I have is in readiness to go and I am in readiness too. Old Jackson has got to fight this time. He cannot run for he has no track to run on. We have them all.

I wish that you could have one look at the Union troops that is here in sight of the field of battle but you cannot and so I will look at it for you. It will be a good thing for us if we can take Old Jackson and his whole army and if he stands fire, we will do it. There is so much noise in camp that I cannot write any more this time. Write as often as you can and direct as you always have. From your brother, — J. W. Hamilton