These letters were written by Alfred Bergen Hutchinson (1840-1921), the son of George A. Hutchinson (1810-1885) and Ida Van Nest Bergen (1813-1851) of Trenton, Mercer county, New Jersey. Alfred enlisted on 19 August 1861 in the 5th New Jersey Infantry and was promoted through the ranks to 2nd Lieutenant of Co. D. When Alfred first enlisted, he entered in Co. E with his brother-in-law, Captain Henry Harrison Woolsey (1836-1864).

The 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Olden, Trenton, New Jersey, in July 1861, and was mustered in on August 22, 1861. It participated in a number of important engagements, including the Battle of Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Second Battle of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg.

Alfred wrote all three letters to his younger sister, Sarah M. Hutchinson (1842-1897). Many more of Hutchinson’s Civil War letters can be found in the Special Collections of Chapman University. See Hutchinson & Woolsey, 1861-1888.

Letter 1

Camp near Falmouth
April 14th, 1863

Dear Sister Sadie

This is a charming spring morning & I imagine I can see you all at Homedell walking about the yard, or some of you sitting in the house with windows hoisted. How I would love to be with you enjoying this splendid weather.

Last week we had a Grand Review. President Lincoln came down & reviewed several corps at the same time. I would give a great deal to have you see such a review. Although I have seen several Grand Reviews, it does not fail to awaken the ideas to the grandeur & vastness of the event. It takes hundreds of acres to give enough room for the troops. The ground is rather uneven & as far as we could see were the troops & flags—a perfect sea of men. You would hardly think there were so many men in the United States. The column passes the President by divisions front—that is, two companies abreast. In this way, regiment after regiment passes & hours are consumed or nearly a day passes & the one who reviews them is tired waiting for all to pass.

Your interesting letter came last night but I had been expecting it several days. You said you expected to hear of our moving every day. Your expectation will soon be realized for we are under marching orders. Our orders came this morning. Every officer & man are to carry eight days rations with them. What do you think of that? The men are ordered to leave nearly all their clothing with the Quartermaster & carry their rations in their knapsacks. The officers are to leave their extra clothing also & to carry their rations the best way they can.

The whole cavalry force left yesterday & also some infantry. It is expected that these forces will get in the rear of the enemy & then we will attack them in front. I hope we may be successful & capture & destroy the whole rebel force in Virginia. As we go out again, I feel the danger we must be subjected to, but God is my shield. I know if we call upon Him, He is ever ready to hear. His eye is upon us at all times, in prosperity and adversely, in security and in danger.

My chum, Lieut. Flannigan, will send on the order & his discharge & wishes father to draw his state pay & send it on by Adams Express. Put it in an envelope and direct it to Lieut. J[ohn] M. Flannigan, Co. K, 5th New Jersey Volunteers. Even if we move, the express company will keep it all safe until he calls for it. He wishes it sent without delay. Harry is well.

Now, dear sister, I must close. Give unbounded love to all the dear ones and I am as ever your own brother, — Alfred

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Letter 2

[Camp near Falmouth]
June 6th, 1863

Dear Sadie,

Yesterday our usual quiet was disturbed by receiving orders for a march. We packed up & the regiment formed line, then stacked arms in readiness to march at a moment’s notice. At night we received orders to take in our arms and be ready to move at daybreak in the morning. Morning came but we did not go & here we are now, waiting & not knowing what moment we will go.

Yesterday afternoon heavy cannonading was raging along the Rappahannock & our troops are crossing again. A part of the 6th Corps is over this morning. I hope & pray that we may meet with better success this time than heretofore. The crossing seems to be conducted about the same way it was last time. Part of the troops above and part below Fredericksburg. Now and then a cannon booms forth today showing that something is going on & that either one part of the other is not quite satisfied with the proceedings. I dare say we will cross in a day or so.

Hutch and Breasley were over here yesterday but they left rather abruptly upon hearing the army was on a move. When they left camp in the morning, all was quiet & their orders must have come in suddenly & must have started in a hurry for one of our men who had been over to the 6th Corps came home a little after noon & said the 6th Corps was crossing the river. Then Hutch and Breasley started in a hurry. They said their men did not want to go into another engagement & if called upon to go, threats of stacking arms were made as they think their time is out. They seem to think they will not go home before the 15th of June. Conn was well.

We were paid off a few days ago. I sent $80 home by Col. Cook, $30 to repay Marianna for that she sent to me by Harry. The $50 to be invested by father as he thinks best. Harry received encouraging news from Thirza a day or two ago. I sincerely hope she will continue to improve & if she goes out to Homedell, no doubt you all will soon be about again. I fear I will not be able to get home very soon as leaves of absence are not granted at all. However, perhaps after this move they will grant leaves again.

There is an establishment near our camp where they take Ambrotypes. Nearly all the officers of our regiment went over tis morning to get their pictures taken. I had mine taken. They are rather inferior work yet is it a pretty good picture after all, only I look so cross. A stranger would think me very ill-natured from my picture. I will send it on to you.

I received a letter from Annie V. C. yesterday. Harry is well. Before you receive this, we may be fighting desperately, or we may be in Richmond. With unbounded love to you all, I remain your loving brother, — Alfred

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Letter 3

Brandy Station, Virginia
January 2nd 1864

My dear sister Sadie,

Your delightful missive reached me this evening. It gave me great pleasure to hear that my loved ones at home were well and that they were all enjoying themselves to so great an extent. I think you all must have had a regular jubilee on Christmas. You certainly had presents in profusion. How I would have enjoyed being with you. I have been so very busy of late that I have hardly had time to eat or sleep. But today my most confining labors ceased. You know I am recruiting officer for Vetran volunteers. I gained fifty men & you ought to have seen the heaps of papers it took to muster these men. It seems to be absolute foolishness to make so many rolls, &c., but it had to be done & I did it. I feel richly remunerated for when I took the rolls up to the Division Headquarters today, I was highly complimented. The mustering officer said they were the most complete & neatest & best papers that had been made out in our whole division. I wrote nearly all CHristmas day but had time to partake of dinner for we had roast turkey. Almost all the officers were out of camp so Simon & I sat down and layed to & the proportions of Mr. turkey diminished perceptibly.

We live high on buckwheat cakes & sausage. We have everything necessary for our housekeeping apartment—bake iron, dutch oven, &c. Yesterday (New Years) we intended keeping open house, but we did not have satisfactory arrangements so we had New Years by ourselves until after dinner which was roast turkey again. After dinner, all the officers of our regiment excepting one, procured horses & away we went, a fine squadron of cavalry on a high horse to make calls. After dark we found ourselves in the camp of the 14th New Jersey, a full three miles from home. In every tent we visited, we were warmly received although it was utterly cold without & we were treated generously with hot punch, whiskey raw, whiskey sour, gin, brandy, cake, candy & varieties—especially of the drinking order. We had a grand old time. The fun was not in riding back to camp after midnight though. The roads were in a miserable condition, so rough that we were compelled to let our horses alk slowly the greater part of the distance & we all came near freezing. In fact, I did freeze one of my little toes.

The weather has not moderated yet for as I write, the ink freezes in the pen before it is transcribed on paper. I called on Gen. Mott the evening before he returned. He was pleasant & hospitable, more so than I ever knew him to be before. He gave me a synopsis of his visit home & all the news he possessed concerning Homedell. He had a tedious journey back, so many detentions. Col. Sewell is in New Jersey having been detailed as Superintendent of the drafting operations. I understand his headquarters are at Trenton. You must get a view of him. All of our men who reenlisted as veterans have gone home on furloughs of 35 days & we are somewhat lonesome. Six of my company have gone.

I judge from accounts reviewed that Conn is still favored with a goodly portion of your friendship, if I am forbidden to say love. He must have a lingering hope of retaining your heart yet or he would not continue his attempts. You say Ellie looks bloming this winter. How I would love to see her. Does she seem to have pensive moments at times while at our house? And you imagined she was thinking of me? Perhaps, could you look upon me at times, you might imagine the same thing & if you judged that I was with her in spirit, you would not be very far wrong. Ellie will not always be so reserved. When I come home to stay, she will change, I doubt not.

An order came out a few days ago stating that supernumerary officers could get a leave of absence of 35 days providing they would signify in writing their willingness to serve three years longer/ I think I might be called supernumerary now as I have only four men for duty, and receive the leave. But three years is too long a time to suit me to remain in Uncle Sam’s service, although 35 days at home just at this time is really a tempting bait. I will accept ten days leave in February & not bind myself further.

Sunday afternoon. I have just been re-reading your last letter & I must confess it makes me feel somewhat sober to contemplate the many pleasant times you are enjoying these holidays & here I sit missing all the fun. However, I am not cursed with a despondent or melancholy nature, than Providence, & am looking on the sunny side of events & let come what will. I’ll be gay & happy still.

It is quiet in camp today—too cold for preaching, but I have a stock of good religious papers on hand which afford a diversion of the mind from wars & rumors of wars, and besides, they are interesting, profitable, and pleasurable. So you see I am not entirely destitute. When does Harry expect to return. I hope (for his good & his wife’s) not this winter.

Sadie, will you please send me a ccatalogue of music for the pianom with the address of the firm. I want to send for some pieces to present to some of our mutual friends. It would be most desirable if you could procure one, from some firm in Philadelphia. I received a letter from Emily New Years day & took it as a precious present & the only one. In future I will be able to write oftener as the rush of business has subsided. I close by wishing you all a Happy New Year. Ever your fond brother, — Alfred