The following letters were written by Charles H. Dunning (1841-1865) of Milford, Hillsborough county, New Hampshire. Charles was born in Nashua, the son of Thomas Dunning and Mary Hutchinson. His letters do not speak of his parents so it is assumed that they were both dead. The 1850 and 1860 census records enumerate him in the household of his Uncle Benjamin F. Hutchinson (1814-1900) who was married to Eliza Richardson (1816-1901) of Milford. It was to his Uncle Benjamin and his cousin Mary Elizabeth Hutchinson (1846-1873) that he addressed these letters, mentioning one or twice his grandmother Azubah Tarbell Hutchinson (1780-1863) who lived with Benjamin’s family.
Charles wrote all four of these letters from hospitals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while serving in Co. F, 9th New Hampshire Infantry. He enlisted on 15 August 1862 and was mustered out on 16 March 1863, discharged for disability. After returning home, Charles lived less than two years. His death on 6 January 1865 was attributed to consumption.
The two hospitals from which the letters were written were Turner’s Lane Hospital and Mower General Hospital in Chestnut Hill (suburb of Philadelphia), the latter not opening until January 1863.
Letter 1
[Turner’s Lane Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.]
Sunday, December 21st 1862
Dear Mary,
Your letter was received last Wednesday and I was of course glad to hear from you. My loneliness has been some better while I remain indoors, just as it was at home when I was not at work. But I presume it will come on again as bad as ever for I commenced work yesterday in the dining room. The Steward wanted a hand and I wanted exercise and it is too cold to go out much so I accepted his proposal to help him a while. My work is assisting to set the tables and waiter at meal times. I have plenty of exercise now. I get up at six and work pretty hard till 10. Then rest an hour, then dinner occupies my time till 2 and supper from 4 till 7. I don’t know how long I shall stay. The Steward wants me to be detailed for a year but I fear that in a few days I shall be too lame to be very spry as a waiter.
After trying six times, I made out to see Dr. [Edward Swift] Dunster. He told me be would examine me today but I have but little faith in his doing it. It takes a great while to get anything done here unless he has some influential friends to push the matter. There are men here who are utterly disabled and always will be and have been trying for months to get a discharge but there is no sign of their getting one at present.
I notice that Congress has passed a bill for facilitating the discharge of disabled men in the hospitals and I hope it will be carried into effect very soon.
The man from Rhode Island who was trying to get his discharge that I wrote you about some time ago has got it and gone home. I think money did it. He was the soundest man in the ward when he went away.
I am very anxious to hear from the New Hampshire Regiment and from Charles R. since the Battle [of Fredericksburg]. Please send me a paper containing the list of killed and wounded if you can. The papers here contain only the names of Pennsylvanians. Several of the wounded have been sent to this hospital. They say is is the most terrible battle of the war so far and it amounted to nothing. There must be a screw loose somewhere. I think it is at Washington.
I have not heard from Henry, Pierce, or Charles for a long time. Mary, tell Mrs. Turner for me that no engagement nor anything that could be construed to that effect had ever passed between Miss Lovejoy and myself. Our acquaintance and conversation has never even approached that matter. I am very sorry if she has given anyone reason to believe to the contrary. I never intended to certainly. If she has told this untruth our acquaintance is most assuredly at an end. Love to Grandma and all the rest. From Charles
Monday morning. The surgeons had a surgical operation to perform yesterday so there were no inspection or examinations made. I shall keep trying until I get an examination of it till next July.
The boat is which David and his regiment were embarked was compelled to put into this fort for repairs. They came in last Monday. I read of their arrival in the morning’s paper Wednesday and went down to see if I could get aboard and see David and Mr. Hussall, but the boat was out in the stream about half a mile and I could get no one to row me out so I had to give it up. I don’t know whether they are here now or not. I shall go down and see tomorrow if nothing happens to prevent. — Charles
Letter 2
[Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania]
Evening of January 11th 1863
Dear Mary,
I have been reading the papers all day and have neglected to write til now and the gas light is so dim that I cannot see planly so I think I shall write but a short letter this time. Last Sunday when I wrote, it was snowing but it did not continue long and we have had a week of splendid weather with one quite cold day. Now it is warm and pleasant as April or May. This is an exceedingly open winter thus far here and I presume it is in New Hampshire.
I was much pleased with Emri’s letter and will answer it very soon—as soon as I can hunt up something to write about that will interest him. Uncle Benjamin says Aunt Eliza wants me to write something to be read at the Soldier’s Aid Meeting. I am sure I would if I knew anything in the world what to write. If there is anything that you would like to know, I would like very much to tell it if I could. But I am sure I cannot sit down and write what I happen to think of what I see andhear around me in a manner that would be interesting, still less instructive to you. If you can give me an idea of what you want to know, I might have some foundation to start upon.
I am getting along about as usual with a fair prospect as far as I can see of remaining here during the war. I spoke to the Steward about detailing me here and he says that now no men can be detailed so as to receive extra pay. At the commencement of the war they did som but now the orders are that all soldiers shall be sent to their commands as soon as they are able and that citizens shall be employed about the hospital. He said they preferred soldiers to citizens and kept those that they liked who were able to work and covered up the breach by calling them patients. So if I stay, I can only get $13 per month, board and clothes, or $16.50 and clothe myself. I do not know but this is the best place I could find during the winter months. If I could go home in the spring, I would be contented to stay but I suppose I shall not have the privilege of exercising my own choice in any way.
David and his regiment have gone. They are ordered to report to Gen. Dix at Ft. Monroe. I did not see Mr. Hassall. He was out every time I was there. It comes nearer home than ever to hear of the death of Jim Murphy & Brooks. I cannot make it seem that they are dead. It may not be our Jim Murphy. It is a very common name among the Irish. If you have not heard in any other way except seeing the name in the paper, I shall still hope it is not him.
I have not shown the Spirit Pictures to many of the soldiers for the reason that it would expose me to a great deal of ridicule for nothing. The pictures are to me no test whatever and if I show anything to a shot tic [?]. I want is to be a test. In the first place, the pictures are very imperfect. If you had told me the pictures were those of yourself and Emri or anyone else, I should think I could see a resemblance and if I had ever seen Dr. G’s children, I should not be able to tell whether they looked like them or not. Show me a picture that I can recognize of someone in the spirit world and I should have some courage to exhibit it for I could swear that I knew the picture to be perfect, But to show them this picture that doesn’t look like anybody in particular, but does look like anybody you please and say that somebody says it is a picture of somebody that I never saw nor heard of, why I think the skeptic “couldn’t see it in that light.” But would see in me a spooney and I think I should be one.
This would be a very easy matter to humbug in and charging $7 for a picture that don’t cost 7 cents looks very much like it. But whether genuine or not, I wouldn’t give much for a picture of any friend if I was compelled to write the name under it in order to know who it was.
I heard from Henry by the way of another friends at the same camp yesterday. He expected to get a job for the winter building the barracks for the new camp. I heard from Charles about two weeks ago but nothing from Pierce for a long time. David said he would write to me as soon as he arrived at his destination. I write a great many letters for the soldiers who re disabled or never learned to write for there are many of the latter class among the soldiers. I wrote one today that was a task for me. It was a love letter for a soldier who can neither read nor write. He would not tell me what to write but said I knew better than he did. I suppose he thought from the number of letters I write that I was posted in the business. I didn’t know whether to lay on pretty thick or not so. I took a medium ground. I have had the privilege of reading several of this sort and shall probably read the answer to this last one. I have made out a pretty long letter but have not said much after all. I am not in a writing mood tonight at all. From Charles
Do you have to pay for my letters that are franked?
Letter 3
Chestnut Hill [Philadelphia]
February 12th [1863]
Dear Cousin,
Your letter written last Friday came to me today. The one you wrote and misdirected is in the post office in the city I think as I see by the paper that there is one advertised for me. I have no means of getting it unless someone goes down and I do not suppose they will at present for money is scarce among the boys.
I wrote home last Tuesday when we were having very conflicting stories in regard to our discharges. Since then I have learned something more definite. Last week a Dr. Cuyler came from Washington with instructions to this effect. Any man is able to perform any kind of duty about the hospital or will be fit for duty in six months, will be kept in the hospital and not discharged. Those who are utterly disabled will be discharged and if there are any doubts, they will go against the patient. Those who happened to have their Description Lists here at the time of the other examination will be discharged for their papers were made out and sent to the General’s office to be signed before the new orders came. All others are to be rexamined by the board upon the new basis.
I was examined and pronounced by the first board for a discharge, but while waiting for my Descriptive List, the new orders came. So I may consider my hopes of getting home a flat althouh I have not passed the second examination. The board are now at work and will be at this ward this week, the Dr. says, and I shall do my prettiest to get a discharge, bt the probabilities are all against my getting it.
I don’t know but I may as well tell you what a “Descriptive List” is. It is a document giving a description of the soldier (to prevent mistakes and deceptions) and having an account of pay, clothing, &c. which he has received. You see a patient must have one of these when discharged to prove his identity and to ascertain the amount of pay due him. When a man enlists, three of these are made out, One is left with the state Adjutant General, one sent to the Adjutant General at Washington, and the other kept by the Captain of the Company in which he enlists. It is a durgeon’s duty to have a Descriptive List of every patient under his charge, but in the one horse way things were conducted at Turner’s Cave, mine with many others were not sent for. There is a bare (but very small) probability that I shall succeed in getting one at the next examination and I will write as soon as I can the result of it. I see by the paper that Burnside’s old Corps, now Smith’s, has embarked for Ft. Monroe. Our regiment is in that Corps. So if I or Henry go to the regiment, we shall have a good time getting there. David is down there (I suppose) and perhaps Pierce will see him. Goodbye for a while. — Charles
I received a letter from Henry this week. He was expecting another job building a hospital.
It don’t make much difference how you direct if the post master only makes out that the letters is to go to Army Hospital at Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.
I haven’t laid any plans for the future yet. I am in a quandary to decide whether to volunteer for guard duty here or apply to go to the regiment. Which had I better do?
Letter 4
Chestnut Hill
February 19th [1863]
Uncle Benjamin,
The letter from home came this forenoon. I was of course glad to hear from you. I am sorry grandmother is sick but hope she will be better very soon. I have wished many times that I had not written so surely that I was coming home yet I was almost as sure as though I had my discharge in my hands, and it was only by chance that the new orders came just at that time. I have thought just as Dr. Dearborn says that I was really discharged. In fact, all that was wanting was the form. I spoke to the Dr. this morning about that very thing and asked him why it was necessary for me to have another examination when others, examined at the same time and under the same rules were discharged. But just at that time, Dr. Cuyler came from Washington to inspect the hospita and found that men were being discharged who would soon be well and fit for service. He therefore repealed the decision of the board so far as he could, but those that had already gone in to be signed (and those were the ones that has Descriptove Lists) were too far along to be repealed. He said that now the board had instructions so that their decision will be final. They will not be at the ward till sometime next week.
I confess I have a little more hope of getting home since his examination for I know I can never do duty in the field and shall try hard to convince them of the fact. I should like exceedingly to have you come out here but I do not know as you can do anything to help along my discharge. At the other hospital you might for the Surgeon in charge had everything his own way and could discharge men when he pleased. Here all depends upon the decision of the board and I do not suppose you could influence them much. However, I have thought over a great many things that I should do if I get home but don’t know as I should undertake any of them, What had you thought of? Or had I better wait till I get there before I engage in anything?
I have plenty of the publications of the Tract Society to read but they do not get read much. Besides these, I get hold of a novel once in a while and have the daily paper. It does not take long to devour a book and I spend most of the time in trying to invent some way to kill time faster. I ought to be a proficient Euchre player for I play a good deal every day. We have a good band and I go into the corridor and listen to them a while every day.
Henry took pity on my want of money and sent me a dollar which I received today. I mean to go down town and spend a part of it tomorrow and visit a new acquaintance I have made since I came here. It is a gentleman acquaintance. To be sure, I should like a little more money but can get along without unless you have plenty to spare. I have not seen anyone that I ever saw before in the city. The Hutchinson Family [Singers] have been here several weeks and Mr. Currier lectured here last Sunday but I could not see them.
No snow yet. Tell H___ to write a Kind of a love letter for one of the boys every week and always read the answers for the fellow cannot read, of course. I stuff my ears with cotton. Goodbye for the present. C. H. D.
Spared & Shared 23 