The following letter was written by Seth F. Clark (1837-1862) to his parents, George Howe Clark and Maria Louisa Smith of Roxbury, Norfolk county, Massachusetts. Seth enlisted on 22 May 1861 as a sergeant in Co. D, 1st Massachusetts Infantry. He was elevated to 1st Sergeant on 7 May 1862 and was severely wounded in the leg on 14 December 1862 in the Battle of Fredericksburg. His leg was amputated but he died in a Washington D. C. Hospital on 31 December 1862.

Prior to his enlistment, Seth was employed as a piano manufacturer with his father.

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Camp Hooker, 1st Regiment, Co. D
Lower Potomac
March 5, 1862

Dear Father and Mother,

I have just received your welcome letter of the 2nd and was glad to hear that you was well. I am well and in good spirits and are in hopes to pay the rebels a visit every day and pay them up for that Bull Run fight. We have not crossed the river as yet but may any day so you will see that we are not all prisoners as you wrote, nor ever intend to be as long as we are the 1st Massachusetts [Infantry]. You must [not] believe any story that you hear about our division that you may hear or see in the papers until you hear from me. Before we move, I shall write to you and let you know whether we have crossed the river or gone on some expedition.

That other picture I intended for you to keep until I came home for I want something to remind me in after life of the place I spent the winter of 61 and 62. Sgt. [Charles A.] Brazier has been appointed in Lieut. Warren’s [Walton’s] place. He was appointed the first of the month. There is nothing new in camp except Col. [Robert] Cowden has been presented with a sword, belt, spurs, boots, sash and gloves. There were presented by a Mr. Mason of Boston last night at dress parade. The sword is a splendid thing. Colonel was like a little boy with his first pair of boots. He had to show all his presents to the boys. He told Mason that after the rebels were cleaned out, that we should come home and clean out some of the political sneaks. The boys thought that was rather rough on Gov. Andrew and his friends.

The gun boat shelled out a rebel cavalry regiment last night down the river about twelve miles, Lately the rebels have been receiving a large lot of reinforcements on the other side of this river. The New York 1st Battery came down here two or three nights ago so we have got four batteries. Three of them are encamped next to us and the other other is down the river about six miles. The two Whitworth guns are mounted in front of our camp on the hill so you will see that we have got a plenty of artillery to protect our camp. Some of the boys brought into camp today a shell that weighed one hundred and twenty-five pounds that the rebels had thrown over to our battery. It had not burst and was an ugly-looking thing, I can tell you.

Give my love to all the boys and neighbors. Jim Miller has ben appointed drum major. 25 recruits arrived in camp yesterday for this regiment. Only one out of the lot for this company. From your son, — Seth

The following letter was written by 26 year-old George S. Campbell (1838-1931), the son of John Campbell (1811-18xx) of Boston. George was employed as a machinist when he enlisted as a private in Co. C., 1st Massachusetts Volunteers. His muster rolls informs us that he was wounded on 5 May 1862 in the Battle of Williamsburg and was absent from his regiment for a time but returned in time to participate in the Battle of Chancellorsville a year later. He mustered out of the regiment after three years and 9 days.

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Camp near Brandy Station, Va.
February 15th 1864

My dear cousin Alice,

I received a letter from you a short time ago but have neglected to answer until now for reasons that I have not had the materials to do it with, and besides, I have had no postage stamps to put on them to send them by. So I hope you will excuse me, won’t you. I will be more prompt in future if you favor me with your correspondence.

I am well and enjoying excellent health and hope this will find you and your folks enjoying the same blessing. I should like dearly to see that charming little brother of yours for I do so love little boy babies. I like the girls when they get larger.

So you are glad to bet back to Saugus again, are you? Well I should think you would. I wouldn’t mind if I was there myself just at present. I think it would be quite agreeable to me, don’t you? Are there many girls down there for I shall want you to introduce me to all of them when I visit you which will be in the course of three months or more. Won’t we have a grand time climbing up that hill you spoke about? You better believe I remember it—when you were so small that your Mother and I had to carry you up. But I suppose that the place has changed considerable since then, ain’t it?

How is that black-eyed Parker girl getting along—the one I sang for at your house one night at Chelsea? Have you been a skating much this winter? Has your Mother attempted to make a spread eagle of herself on skates? Tell her for me that our doctor has got a female horse out here and they call him Nancy, and he—excuse me, I mean she—can’t be beat. Will go her mile inside of 240.

We are having a snow storm today. It commenced about an hour ago. We had a Grand Review also today to please the women that are out here visiting their husbands at Corps Headquarters. So you see what we have to undergo to please the softer sex—march five miles with knapsack, haversack and canteen. I wish they would stay at home. This is no place for them. We have enough to do without their making more work for us, don’t you think so?

We came near having a fight the other day but missed it. Quite lucky for once. Since I left Boston last, I have been in three pitch battles and one skirmish—Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, One Mile Run [Mine Run], and the skirmish at Wapping Heights [Manassas Gap], Virginia, and so far have not received a scratch except a slight wound in my knapsack which tore a hole in my shirt and that was all. Lucky, ain’t I? But I don’t care about seeing anymore fighting. I have had my fill. Patriotism is below par with me. I want to go home and see Pa.

There is a rumor and I expect is true that the regiment is to come home on 16th of March. I am afraid if they keep us until the 27th of May, we will have some fighting but I hope they won’t.

I think it is real mean no one hasn’t sent me any Valentine this year. Have you had any yet? By the way, have you got a beau yet? What is his name? Tell me. I won’t tell anyone. Is he as handsome as me?

There, I have just finished my supper. I had toasted bread, butter & molasses. I had for dinner beaf a la mode yesterday. We had bake beans for dinner. I tell you we live like lords out here but I should like to get a hold of some of your mother’s mince pies tonight just to top off with for I feel as though I could do justice to one of them just now.

There, I guess I have wrote nonsense enough so I will draw to a close. Give my love to your Father and Mother and also to Grandmother and kiss the baby for me. Give my love to all the pretty girls. Send them all a kiss. So hoping you will answer this, I will now bid you goodbye until you hear from me again. So with lots of love and a kiss, I remain your cousin, — George S. Campbell

“A solger in the Army of the P-o-t-o-m-a-c”

The rose is red, the violet blue
Is pretty and so are you. Your valentine.

The following letters were written by Joseph Edward Kimball (1839-1896)—a machinist in Ipswich, Massachusetts, who enlisted at the age of 21 in Co. B, 1st Massachusetts Infantry on 23 May 1861. He was discharged on 10 January 1864 to accept a commission in the 3rd North Carolina Colored Volunteers (37th USCT) and also in the 116th USCT.

Joseph was the son of John Kimball (1800-1876) and Rebecca Gould (1804-1888). He had three older brothers and I can’t be certain to whom he wrote this letter.

Joseph’s tombstone inscription reads:

He Fought
For Love Of County
Not Of Arms;
And, With The Country Saved,
He Left The Arts Of War
For Those Of Peace
And To His Record As
A Good Soldier
Added That Of
A Good Citizen

One Who Never Turned His Back,
But Marched Breast Forward;
Never Doubted Clouds Would Break;
Never Dreamed, Tho’ Right Were Worsted,
Wrong Would Triumph…
Held We fall To Rise,
Are Baffled To Fight Better,
Sleep To Wake.

See also—1862: Joseph Edward Kimball to John Calvin Kimball on Spared & Shared 20

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Letter 1

1st Regt. Massachusetts Vol.
Near City Point, Virginia
July 6th 1862

Mt dear Brother,

I received your last letter while encamped before Richmond. Ere I had time to forward you an answer, the mails were stopped and the subsequent train of events have left me no time previous to today to tae up a pencil. As I have kept an account from day to day in my memorandum book of all that has transpired which I send with this, I will not attempt to go over again a recital of the fatigue, fighting, and losses which have befallen us during the last week.

We are now encamped on a plain near the James river. Probably we shall remain here for a week or two. The regiment is sadly decimated in numbers. Many overcome by the Johnnys were left behind and a large number were lost in the battle of Monday last. Major [Charles P.] Chandler, an officer dearly beloved on account of his gentlemanly and social disposition is wounded and in the hands of the enemy. This for fortune has spared me. My health is good. Spirits dull. Feel a little fatigued but a few days will bring me out all right.

I am very gratified for your kindness evinced in the tone of your last letter. I have no farther preparation to make then what I have made in case I am killed. As I have never been burdened much with worldly wealth, it’s not like one in my situation to arrange the matters. If I am killed, I can only say make my loss as light as possible to Mother and Father. I have spoken to you and Reg___ & Olivia. If I am wounded and not fatally so, I would wish that some means might be used to take me home to Massachusetts. The wounded are so poorly cared for here that a wound is more to be dreaded than immediate death. This is all I have to say on the subject.

I have one more favor to ask. I am informed by the Colonel that we are to be stopped here for a fortnight or more. The Express line is perfect to this point. I now have to ask that you will immediately forward me a box containing some tea, sugar, coffee, preserves, and a few other articles which you may think of. The fact is brother, we are all tired out, what with fasting, fighting, and fatigue. The coffee used in the Army is more injurious than beneficial. I kind of crave some of the home delicacies. One article further I would like—please enclose half pound of Navy tobacco. You may deem the latter request foolish, but it is nevertheless necessary. Tobacco is the only stimulant I ever used since coming into the Army. Please send the box on as quickly as possible and direct to here as “forwarded immediately.”

I did not intend to write you a long letter as I hardly feel in the mood to write. I mail with this my journal up to today, Please excuse these few lines. I will write again by Monday. My love to Emily. Your stationery came safely to hand, I am very grateful for your kindness. Your affectionate brother, — J. E. Kimball

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Letter 2

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Don Andrew and was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers
Camp Lincoln

July 9th 1862

My dear brother,

Since I wrote you last, I have been rendered unfit for duty by illness. The fatigue and exposure of the retreat got the best of me and I am laboring now under a kind of sickness which though not serious, will doubtless keep me from duty for a few days. My principal trouble is diarrhea with a soreness through the groin and back. You must not be alarmed because my trouble is not of a serious nature. The doctor is tending [to] me and I meet with the kindest treatment from my comrades. You shall hear from me again in a few days. I write now because I thought from my last letter you would expect another by this time.

Received a paper from you last night. Write soon. Please enclose in that put some lemons. The Express (Adams) comes way up the river. you had better direct to Hooker’s Division.

I am too weak to write much now. Am in good spirits and shall be all right in a few days. Affectionately your brother, — J. E. Kimball

P. S. We are encamped presently in a nice pine wood. My regards to Emily. Don’t let the folks know I am unwell.