The following letter was written by Alfred Wanamaker (1832-1909) from his regiment’s encampment near Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House in Virginia in late October 1861. It was addressed to him wife, Melissa A. Webster (1840-1901). At the time of the 1860 US Census, Alfred and Melissa were residing in Flemington, Hunterdon county, New Jersey where he was employed as a blacksmith.

A veteran’s card indicates that in September 1862, at the time of Lee’s Maryland Invasion, Alfred served for a couple weeks in the 17th Pennsylvania Militia, Co. C, reporting from Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

It isn’t clear what regiment Alfred was serving in when he wrote this letter since the 17th Pennsylvania Militia was not activated at the time. His service record at Fold 3 and Find-A-Grave obituary yields no additional information but it must certainly be the same individual.

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

Arlington House, Virginia
October 29th 1861

Dear Wife

Having received no answer from you since I wrote you, I thought I must write a few lines to you. I was somewhat disappointed in not getting a letter today from you. I thought you would write on Sunday and I would get a letter this Tuesday but the mail came but no letter yet. You may have sent one but it has not reached here yet. I hope you will not forget to write once a week at least for if I can hear from you all once a week I will try not to complain as long as you all keep well.

Last Sunday I thought I would take a trip over to Washington and two or three miles the other side to [where] the New Jersey 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th regiments are encamped and I saw Gardiner Stockton and Ed Forker and Ed told me that Capt. [Andrew] Craven’s Cavalry was over on the hill about a half mile from there so I did not stay long with him. So I went to Capt. Craven’s company [M] and who do you think I seen? I think you can give a pretty good guess. If you can’t, Lib can. I saw Jonathan Black, Jesse Black, Jack Fesmire, John Duck, and above all I saw Simon. Tell Libby I was sorry I had not brought that dogtype [daguerreotype] along with me. It would of pleased him so. They were very glad to see me. I also saw Pat Garman that was at Kenderdine’s Mills. They were all well. I got there just before lunch as I could not stay until church was over. They did not go. The Captain said they need not go to church when they had friends to see them from old Bucks [county]. They must always pay particular attention to their friends that call to see them. He appears to be a very fine man.

Today just before I began to write, a soldier got killed by a tree falling on him. He belongs to the 14th Massachusetts. He with some others was cutting down a tree. He started to run and the tree caught him.

You may think we have some soldiers here when I tell you the Generals say to speak within bounds that there are now at this time over two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers within the sound of a cannon and more coming every day. You may show this to Mr. Rice and Barson and all the rest of the family if you please. Tell them the reason I don’t write to them is because it is such a task for me to sit down and write a letter that I don’t write to you as often as I would like to. Tell Mr. Bice he must write to me. I would like to hear from him. I will have to close.

Give my respects to all enquiring friends. Tell H. H. Martindell I received his kind answer and will write again soon. Tell Mr. Cooper this a great place down here. The hardest thing I have to witness is the rough treatment of horses. They often go three or four days on four quarts of oats—musty oats at that. I could write a half day about things that I see and hear but don’t think it worth writing. I must quit. Hoping this may find you as well as it leaves me. Abel is well. I see him every night. I want to see you all about Christmas. Goodbye. Yours affectionately, A. Wanamaker