This letter was written by Henry L. Smith (1833-1864) of Hartland, Niagara county, New York. He enlisted on 4 August 1862 at Lockport, New York, as a private in Co. D, 129th New York Infantry. On the very day that Henry wrote this letter, the regiment was designated the 8th New York Heavy Artillery. He served in the defenses at Baltimore until 1864 when his regiment was sent to the Virginia battlefront and used as infantrymen. He was seriously wounded in the Battle of Cold Harbor on 3 June and died of his wounds on 16 June 1864 at Lincoln General Hospital in Washington D. C.

Henry was born in Le Roy, New York. When he enlisted, he was described as a 31 year-old farmer, who stood 5 foot 8 inches tall, with black eyes and dark hair. He was married to Ruth Ann Spoor and had two daughters, Celia and Melva, when he enlisted.

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Baltimore, Maryland
October 19, 1862

Dear Companion,

I now take a borrowed pen in hand to write a few lines to you to let you know that we are as well as usual and I hope that these few lines will find you the same. I received your letter a Friday and was glad to hear from you. The weather is still mild and pleasant.

There is quite an excitement here in camp now. Tomorrow there will be officers here recruiting for the regular service and there will be a good many that will enlist out of this regiment. I have been looking for that other regiment to come here from Lockport. We heard they was a going to leave Lockport a Friday and if they did, they would get into Baltimore last night. Today is Sunday and we have but little drilling to do. We have inspection drill about ten o’clock and dress parade at night about an hour each.

In the picture that James sent home you will see the regiment is on dress parade.

That seed wheat I intended you would pay for the whole of it and one half of it to be reckoned in with what we had paid for the land. I wrote that I had paid nine dollars and 37.5 cents for the stove but I thin kit was only $8.37 and a half cents. I think you had better let that fence go till next spring. It may be that I will be there to see to it then.

We have been expecting to go into the heavy artillery for about four weeks but have not been transferred yet. The Colonel is a going to Washington tomorrow but we do not know his business. There is a great many of the regiment wants to go into the heavy artillery but I have got my gun so it shoots first rate. I have spoiled the mark but yesterday morning I missed it. But if it had been a ghost the size of Jeff Davis, I would of scared him some. We shoot off our guns every time we are on guard. The Captain says that Tom Charles and David [D.] Ganmer is in Lapeer county, Michigan, and he has wrote to the sheriff to arrest them.

Margaret says she has to tend to all the widow’s now and George says that if there is anything happens to his woman, he will have her arrested and I think if there is any more patients fall under her care, she had better resign her commission and get married. And if she still insists on waiting till the war is over, the only one that I could recommend her to is Franklin Spalding. And if I was a paring apples, I am afraid she would think I was more of a detriment the first night than a benefit. If father Spoor can sell one of the colts at a fair price, he had better sell it. But keep Nelly and give two years time if they want it.

But no more at present. They are a getting ready for preaching. Give my respects to all enquiring friends. I am in hopes before long that I can send you a letter from the hills of Virginia as I hope the next move will be there. Goodbye, — Henry L. Smith