The following letters were penned by David Hathaway Hinds (1844-1864) of East Livermore, Androscoggin county, Maine—a small, tight-knit and deeply patriotic rural community. Though historically and yet largely agricultural, the arrival of the Androscoggin Railroad a decade before the Civil War was opening new markets and industrializing the economy. Because so many young men like David enlisted to fight in the Civil War, many farms faced a severe labor shortage, forcing women, children and even elderly grandparents to pick up the workload. Unlike many families in the 19th Century, David’s parents—Elkanah Leonard Hinds (1811-1888) and Mary Hathaway (1816-1887)—did not have many children. The 1860 US Census that they had only five. They were in birth order: Revillo or “Vill” (b. 1841), Abigail or “Abbie” (b. 1842), David (b. 1844), Frank (b. 1848), and John (b. 1858).
When David reached the age of 18, he enlisted on 14 August 1862 in Company C of the 16th Maine Infantry. He sustained wounds during the Battle of Gettysburg, where the 298 members of his regiment received the perilous order to maintain their position on Oak Ridge at all costs to facilitate the retreat of the Union’s 1st Corps—an order executed with unwavering commitment, resulting in near annihilation for the regiment. The surviving soldiers, David among them, continued to fight in the Overland Campaign, remaining with his regiment until 19 August 1864, when he was captured in the 2nd Battle of the Weldon Railroad. Tragically, he succumbed to death three months later while imprisoned in Salisbury, North Carolina. No memoir, no biography recounts the life of this young man; only a collection of letters, cherished and preserved by his family, tells of his valor and sacrifice. Thus, David stands as the solitary voice articulating his personal narrative of loyalty and service to his country in the 16th Maine.
Letter 1
Fort Tillinghast, Virginia
Sunday, August 24, 1862
Dear Mother,
I have just got to a stopping place. The regiment arrived at Camp Casey Friday where we stopped until today when we was ordered to strike tents and pack knapsacks and marched about a mile and have pitched our tents and have had dinner. The place we left was called Arlington Heights. It is situated just across the Potomac about a half mile from Long Bridge on the road they retreated from Bull Run from. The weather was warm yesterday but not so warm as i have seen in Maine. The inhabitants here say it is growing cooler every day. There is a great many peddlers round here selling melons, peaches, apples, &c. They sell watermelons as big as pumpkins for 12 or 15 cents and give some away.
There is a great many government teams around here—all mules. We see 50 or 100 teams every day, four or six mules to a team. The drivers are part colored people and drive by sitting on the near hind one’s back and only have one rein to the near head one. The mules are a very interesting set of animals. they make horrid noises neighing. There is eight or ten teams here with our baggage. There is some large ones here. Tell father I saw one 16 hands high and not 4 years old. There is a great many of them larger than Black Betsy. You must have the stable put up right and hire somebody to do the work. I sent home a hundred dollars that will pay some. I shall send home some more in two months. Tell Frank he is father’s man now and he must do his best. I shall come home as soon as he wants to enlist.
I saw a private in the 7th Maine in E. P. Hinds’ company. He said he was a first rate fellow [and] liked very much by the company. I like the country here better than I expected. Have been well all the time. Was just weighed and my weight was 160 pounds so I think I am growing fat. The living is good enough. I had baked beans for breakfast and as good as you ever baked. But I don’t see any pies nor cakes excepting doughnuts occasionally.
I saw Uncle Albert in Augusta the day we left. I did not see Vill nor Lin [?] in Boston. You tell Vill where to direct when you write. Tell my little sister I will send her a bill to buy her a dress with if she can pass it. It is counter[feit] secesh money. You can buy it round here for 5 cents a bill so I thought I would get some for curiosity sake.
Tell Dixie that Da [David] is coming home as soon as he shoots a rebel. Direct to Washington, D. C., Co. C, 16th Regt., Maine Volunteers. If the regiment moves a hundred miles from here, the letter will come to me. I must close now for I am going to write to Hoss [?]. Yours son, — D. H. Hinds
Letter 2
Camp Whipple
Arlington, Virginia
August 30th 1862
Dear Mother,
I have to do something to pass away the time so I write a letter every day to somebody. I wrote a letter to Abbie the other day and one to William Henry yesterday.
I find this place as healthy a place as can be. There is not many in the regiment sick. They are tough and growing fat, I think. I gain in flesh fast. We live as well here as we did in Augusta. Can find tomatoes enough by going out of camp. They grow wild round here. We can get watermelons enough for 25 cents a piece and [paper torn]…There is peaches enough here at the sutlers so you see I can get fruit better here than I can in Maine. This regiment will be put into forts around here—one or two in a fort and what is in the forts now will go into service. I suppose there is a battle going on now near Centreville though you get the news probably before I do. I don’t like the country very well. It’s awfully dusty. Have not seen any rain but once and that was Thursday about 5 o’clock p.m. It rained very hard for about a half an hour, then it cleared away and dried off so the dust flew [paper torn] day as well as ever.
I seen some military punishment yesterday. They put a fellow’s knapsack full of bricks and made him lug it most all the afternoon. The offense was he got to fighting with another private and the Officer of the Day ordered him to stop and he spoke bad language to him and the Colonel arrested him. He was under guard a day or two before he received his sentence. There has not been one of our company in the guard tent yet and I don’t think there will be any.
I like all our officers well. Our 1st Lieutenant is Harry Austin from the Aroostook. Our 2nd [Lieutenant] is Marshall Smith of East Livermore. I suppose you know him. Our Orderly Sergeant is George D. Bisbee of Caxton. Our regiment was praised very much a coming. It was said that the regiment made the least noise and [paper torn] on its way than any other one that has been through. It was spoken of as the best appearing one that ever marched through the City of Washington.
We received orders the next day after our arrival to join Gen. Pope’s Army but they went and told them that his regiment was not drilled at all. They said they thought by the way it marched through the city it was as good a drilled regiment as was in the service.
I will write another sheet full when I get one from home. — David H. Hinds
Letter 3
Camp near Sharpsburg [Maryland]
September 25th 1862
Dear Sister,
As I have plenty of time, I will write you a few words to let you know that I am as tough as ever. I received a letter from you and Lizzie a while ago and have written an answer. I also wrote to mother Saturday.
The regiment is now in Rickett’s Division and in Hartsuff’s Brigade. It is in the same place as it was when I wrote to mother. We are camped in the woods. At night when the campfires are all burning, it looks like a camp meeting in East Livermore, only I don’t see any girls nor policemen. Our chaplain preached a good sermon last Saturday afternoon. He is a better minister than “brother Libby” or “brother Hatch.” He is a Baptist. There is prayer meetings every evening here somewhere on the ground. Your friend Stephen Morrill is one of the grand leaders.
There is a balloon about a mile from here. It goes up a little ways once in a while. the rebels are so still now that they don’t send it up to look at them but I suppose they are going to.
The corn is about ripe here and the orchards are most all gathered. As the soldiers have been here some time, it is ruleable here for the soldiers to “detail” (as we call it) all that comes handy if we need it. The apples here are as good as they are in Maine—if anything, a little better. I have made a great deal of apple sauce. We draw sugar once a day so I can get sweetening as much as I want. The beef that we get here is fresh. It is killed in the morning and brought in before noon and is all are before night so you see I don’t get any stinking beef nor salt junk. We draw as much bread as we like, and coffee. It is all ground and I don’t know what it is made of. It is not all good. W. I. [West Indies] coffee I guess.
I can buy cakes, cheese, raisons, and such like if I want to here at the sutlers’ but their prices don’t agree with me. Little cakes not much bigger than a silver dollar, they sell three for five cents, and raisons they sell some times at thirty cents a pound. and from that all the way to forty, and cheese is from 25 cents to 30. They don’t sell it here less than 30 cents but at Arlington they sold it for 25. That don’t sound much like hauling it to Pittston in the winter and selling it for 9 cents. I guess folks in East Livermore would grow rich fast if they could sell their cheese for 30 cents a pound or half as much. It don’t taste nor look much like mother’s cheese. It is all full of holes and tastes as though the roof of your mouth would come next. [rest of letter is missing]
Letter 4
Camp near Sharpsburg, Maryland
Tuesday, October 14th 1862
Dear Mother,
I received your letter containing a sheet from Lizzie today. I received that one that you and the children wrote a fortnight ago and I answered it and have written one to Revill and one to you since. I got one from Lydia Hinkley and Will Sawtell today also.
I have not been in any battle yet and don’t think that I shall very soon as the Brigade is a reserve corps and will not be called unless there is a battle near here and it is called upon as reinforcement. There is not much drilling done now. There was a brigade drill yesterday and today there was general inspection. The new general inspected us. Gen. Hartsuff was wounded in battle and now it is Gen. Taylor. There is quite a lot of pickets sent out every day and there is a great many of the regiment sick so that we shall not have to drill enough to hurt us. I guess that there is not over six hundred of the regiment fit for duty now. There has been quite a lot discharged and there is a great many in the hospitals. Some was left at Washington and some at Frederick City. And there is some over two hundred here that is not fit for duty. I stand it well yet. Have grown fat. I weigh one hundred and sixty-one. That is good heft for a little 18 year-old boy.
The boys from East Livermore are all as well as common. James Ridley is some sick and Calvin Beals has been sick for a week or so but is much better now. Dorill Hobbs is as well as ever. His folks are kind of worried about him and when I write, I will just state his case (be it painful or easy) and he will do the same for me when he writes.
In my last letter I wrote about getting somethings ready to send to me. I know nothing more now about where our winter quarters shall be than I did then. I don’t feel the want of any more clothes now much but I suppose I shall by next month if we stay in this place.
Tell Revillo and Abbie that they must write often and a good deal at a time. Tell Lizzie that I will write to her another time as I can’t write any more for it is growing dark and the mail goes out early in the morning.
Your son, — David H. Hinds
Co. C, 16th Maine Regt.
Washington D. C.
Letter 5
October 17th 1862
Dear Sister,
Yours was gladly received last evening and now I will endeavor to answer it. I received a letter from mother last Tuesday and answered it the same day. It was written since yours. I got a letter from Hoss last night. He says that the sick “woman” was a little too sick to go to the levee so he did not go. Poor boy. I pity him. I know what it is to [ ] with sick women and sleepy ones.
I have written a letter to Lydia this morning and have got two or three more on hand to answer so shall not write much this time. I wish you much joy in keeping school this [fall] as I believe it is in the neighborhood of the Goden’s. I hope that won’t be too hasty in taking care of the 100 cows that Lizzie wrote about. Give my love to all the galls in school (school marm and all). Tell Dixie that he must keep the boys at work as well as he can till I get home. I would like to know if you ride a horseback much. You must make Vill saddle Julia for you and when you get on to her, make her dance and rear as I used to. Write soon and a good deal to your brother. — Dave
Letter 6
On picket 3 miles from Warrenton [Virginia]
Saturday, November 8th [1862]
Dear Sister,
The last letter I got was one from Mother dated the 30th. I have written an answer to it. I suppose I shall find one in camp from you when I get there.
I am on picket here in the woods 3 miles from camp. Came out last night.
Are having a good time. Have eaten as much as a peck of shagbarks. They
grow here in all quantities and descriptions and a great lot of other nuts. I
helped catch two hogs last night and we have had plenty of fresh pork for
breakfast and diner and have some in my haversack to carry to camp. Since we have been marching in Virginia, the poultry yards suffer a little occasionally by the loss of chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese and many the poor sheep that loses its life by the knives of the soldiers. Sometimes a bee hive happens to come into camp and you would see the boys with a hard bread and a hunk of honey as big as your fist. I believe the best honey is that stolen from the secesh.
I don’t think that I am very far south yet for it snowed all day yesterday. At night there was an inch on the ground. But I can’t see any now as it is the warmest day that we have had for a week. There was a frost every night. Some mornings I have seen ice as thick as window glass.
I don’t know how long the regiment will stop at Warrenton. I guess not more than a week. When we start, I suppose we start towards Richmond. I am well. I find I can stand the exposure and marches as well as any of them. I saw Levi Garcelon at Berlin [now Brunswick]. The Maine 10th is there now. He said that [Eben] Cory Whittemore was at Washington in the hospital has a flesh wound in his side that he received in the battle of Antietam. Tell Lucy that Calvin [Beals?] is in the 2nd Maine Battery [and] has the privilege of riding a horse. He thought he could do more for his country there I suppose.
Orrel Brown has been some sick but is now with the regiment. He is getting smart. James Ridley is quite sick now [and] is in the hospital. For all he was so tough at home, he don’t stand any better than some weaker ones. Darill is well. He is as tough as ever. I will finish this letter when I get one from you if I don’t have to wait too long.
Thursday Nov 13—Not having a chance to send this and not receiving one from you, I shall finish her up and send it with mother’s. I left Warrenton the day I wrote the above. I hope you will have a pleasant school this winter. Write often to your brother, — Dave
Letter 7
Camp near Rappahannock Station, Va.
Wednesday, November 12th 1862
Dear Mother,
I received your letter dated the 2nd last night and was very glad indeed to get it. The last one I got before this was dated the 20th. I have answered it. I commenced one to Abbie the other day but could not finish it so I will send it now.
We are away down by the Rappahannock now in real rebeldom. We arrived here last Saturday night about midnight. We marched all the way from Warrenton that night after 4 o’clock. the distance we went was 18 or 20 miles. the rebels are on one side of the river here and we the other. there is some skirmishing carried on here between the pickets so when I go on picket, I have a lively time of it. There is not much inhabitants close round here—only one in a while a family of secesh who consist most all of negroes.
We have some good times once in a while here now as it is a practice to detail all you want from secesh. Pork is about as cheap here I guess as it is in Maine. We can get it by just catching and dressing. We don’t mind if it comes out of a pen or where, and sheep are here in all quantities so we get all the fresh mutton that we want. All the trouble with it is it is so fat that it is all tallow when it is cooked. Last night there was a good fat sheep brought in to our captain and it was divided around the company. The cavalry boys got it. They make quite a business getting sheep as they catch them better than we can.
Our knapsacks and tents were left at Arlington Heights but we took our woolen and rubber blankets but left everything else though I was lucky enough to take an extra pair of stockings so I am not so bad off as some of them. We did not get tents till after we left Sharpsburg. 1
I di not know how long we shall stay here. We are liable to move any time, I suppose. I don’t know when we shall get into winter quarters. I guess not very soon though it is not very cold here yet so I don’t need any clothes yet. When I wash my shirt, I wait till it is dry. My pants begin to wear out some. There is a big patch on one knee and the other is growing thin. I shall do that the same sometime. You need not worry about sending anything yet awhile.
Tell father that I was very much disappointed in not receiving a letter from him. I think the regiment will get paid off in the course of a fortnight. The boys from East Livermore are all well but James Ridley. He is not with us. He is in the hospital somewhere.
Tell Vill when he writes enough worth answering, I will write to him.
Brother Vill—I am quite surprised at your going to California. Think it will be very romantic if you do. If you want the revolver to take with you and think it will be ant protection to your brains, you may take it. I will make you a present of it. If you go to that place to dwell with the uncivilized people, you will want some protection. I am as well as ever. Dorill has got to be a corporal [and] is getting into the line of promotion. He was made corporal in place of James N. Brown, a deserter. The captain has not returned yet. Has been reported as missing. Today it is snowing. A night or two we had quite a thunder shower. Their weather here in Virginia is invariable. Please write again before you make your departure. Your brother, — David
1 David’s letter speaks on the regiment having only their blankets and no tents. They marched and camped through much of the wet autumn weather in 1862 without tents, overcoats, or proper gear, and were forced to wrapt themselves in blankets to sleep at night. This situation was so striking that other regiments sometimes mocked them and called them the “Blanket Brigade.”
Spared & Shared 23 