“I am Barbara Blake, the great-great granddaughter of Benjamin B. Hall [of Co. F, 105th Pennsylvania Infantry]. I have in possession two of his letters he wrote home right before he was captured and died in Andersonville, Georgia in 1864. I was informed that Brian Rhinehart from Civil War Records said you would be interested in publishing these on your site and transcribing them for research. I would love for my great-great grandfather’s letters to be used in this way. Two letters he wrote were passed down from mother to daughter and I think they may be the only letters he wrote as he was captured shortly after the last letter. Since he passed, I am the fourth daughter to possess them and will be passing them down to my daughter as well. There are two letters, one from April 1864 and one from May 1864 and his tintype photo. I had these copied a few years ago and the originals are between acid free paper to protect them. I also included my transcription of them, they were very hard to read, but you may be able to read what I could not. I think your project is wonderful.”
Benjamin B. Hall (1824-1864) was a 39-year-old farmer compelled to register for the draft in Mahoning Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, in June 1863. By this time, the war had persisted for nearly three years. On 29 February 1864, a leap year, the now 40-year-old Ben took the solemn oath at Pittsburgh to serve in the U.S. Army. Those who enlisted alongside him that day were not the youthful, idealistic volunteers of 1861; instead, they were middle-aged family men—draftees fully aware of the hardships and dangers that awaited them.
Ben’s service record is short. Prisoner of War records reveal that he died of “scorbutis” (lack of Vitamin C) while at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. His date of death was given as 17 July 1864, just four and a half months after he entered the service and only two months after his capture. It would be a full year before his widow could obtain the proof necessary to file for a widow’s pension. Her application reveals important facts about their family. It tells us her maiden name was Mary Ann Porter (b. 1838) and that she married Benjamin on 25 April 1857. Together they had two children, Elizabeth (b. 1860) and Susannah (b. 1863). Mary Ann was illiterate—signed her name with an “x.” The pension record also informs us, by testimony of Ben’s captain, that he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Spottsylvania Court House on 12 May 1864. He must have been mistaken, however, for Ben’s second letter reveals he was still with the regiment when he datelined it on 20 May 1864. That letter informs us that he was serving in the rear guard so my hunch is he was taken prisoner shortly after having sent off his letter. His fatigue may have added to the risk of capture as those lagging behind a marching regiment were often gathered up as prisoners by enemy cavalry.
Over the years I have transcribed several letters by members of the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry. These include:
Hillis McKown, Co. C, 105th Pennsylvania (1 Letter)
John Hillard, Co. D, 105th Pennsylvania (1 Letter)
William Henry Hazlett, Co. F, 105th Pennsylvania (3 Letters)
John Henry Woodward, Co. G, 105th Pennsylvania (3 Letters)
Robert Increase Boyington, Co. I, 105th Pennsylvania (1 Diary)
Letter 1
April 15th 1864
My well, beloved wife Mary and my lovely little children,
I am reasonably well at present and I hope those few lines of mine may find you all enjoying better health than your poor father that is far away from his sweet family. I hope the blessing of God may be with us now and ever. Mother, I want you to take good care of yourself and my dear children.
Mother, you must not work very much in your garden. When you get your lot ploughed, hire John to plant your potatoes and make your garden. Get enough potatoes if you can get them and try in time and get yourself a good supply of onions to set out. And I want you to let me know whether you got more ground added to your lot or not, and if [it] ain’t fenced, you can still get it done in time for turnips. I should like so well [if] you could a had it ready for potatoes.
Well, Mother, we all thought Mr. Barto 1 see’d a big sight when he was out in the six months service but I do tell you, if they send him from Camp Coplin [Copeland] to where I am, he will see something. The folks around home are getting scarce and the report here is they want the men this summer to make a close of it for to see the encampments between Alexandria and where I am now—a space of sixty miles.
Mother, I should like so well [to see] you and the children. Write soon and often. It does make me feel rejoiced to hear of you all enjoying good health. Nothing more at present, and [I remain] your affectionate husband to death, — Benj. B. Hall
To Mary Ann Hall and my sweet children
Give my compliments to all enquiring friends. Amen.
1 Possibly George Washington Barto (1840-1918) from Indiana county who served just a few weeks in Congress. I, 74th Pennsylvania Volunteers in 1862. His wife was Sarah Porter—possibly a relative of Ben’s wife.
Letter 2
May 20th 1864
My sweet and loving wife until death do separate us,
I long to see you and my dear children and I hope the Lord will spare us to meet together on earth again. Mother, I received your affectionate letter yesterday the 19th day of May and it found me very much fatigued from a long and double-quick march from 4 o’clock in the evening to about 10 o’clock the next day. Our Corps encamped there to that evening about 7 o’clock. There was a skirmish of the enemy cavalry and our artillery [who] got to fighting about 4 miles from us. Our Division was called back to reinforce our artillery that night and when the Division got there, the enemy retreated. We followed them and took some prisoners. They fought hard for a little while but it so happened we gained the battle with the loss of a good many men of ours.
We are expecting to have another engagement today there with the enemy. I hope they won’t for I am very tired at present. I am entirely run down. I would like to rest for a while now.
Mother, I have been in all danger. The Lord has saved me so far and I hope he will protect me from the dangers of this undertaking. There are a great many men run down from marching. Our officers want to kill men as fast [as] possible. The idea of the officers of the Potomac Army thinks that the ball and shell don’t kill the men off fast enough [so] they will double quick [us] day and night and that, of course, will help to thin the men.
Mother dear, I was so rejoiced to hear from you and the children [and] to find you all in good health. Mother, you have no idea of the comfort it is to me to hear from you and the children as long as you are well. When sickness comes to me, I feel lost and gloomy.
Mother, we are handy to Fredericksburg now. Our Division would have been there by this [time] if we had not been attacked in the rear. If the enemy stays there a while, it will rest us of the march. But they won’t stop long there now. Our army has advanced back, all of them except our regiment, 105th Pennsylvania, and [the] 63rd Regiment Pennsylvania. The two regiments of our Corps is holding the enemy from advancing over the river. 1
Mother, give my respects to all my well wishers. I give to them to know that there is no pleasure in soldiering but I can tell it with a sincere heart there is danger. Mother, tell Pots to stay and take good care of his mother while [she is living?] upon earth. Mother, do take good care of yourself and my sweet children while their Pap is absent and far away from you all.
Nothing more at present. I remaineth your sincere and loving husband until death do part us. — Benjamin B. Hall
To wife Mary Ann Hall and his dear little pets that I so long to see again. May the Lord bless us all. Amen
1 It’s not clear what river Ben is referring to but I suspect it was the Po or No River near Spotsylvania.
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