The following letter was written by Sampson Smith (1826-1894) while serving as a private in Co. G of the 22 Virginia Infantry—a regiment that had been commanded by George S. Patton until he was killed on 6 September 1864. Lt Col John C. McDonald was in command when this letter was written in late December 1864.
The 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment (originally the 1st Kanawha Regiment) was part of General Gabriel C. Wharton’s Division. Following a devastating and brutal campaign in the Shenandoah Valley under General Jubal Early—which left the regiment with severely depleted numbers after the Battle of Cedar Creek—the unit went into camp between Fishersville and Waynesboro to endure the bitter winter months. This position was close enough to guard the vital Virginia Central Railroad.
Sampson was the son of Samuel Cameron Smith (1786-1859) and Nancy Jane Snead (1798-1871) of Alleghany county, Virginia. He was married Dollie Smith Walton (1822-1910) and made his living as a farmer and a shoemaker. He wrote the letter to Mathews Davidson Brown (1822-1905), the husband of Mary Adeline Smith (1831-1903). The couple were married in 1850. At the time of the 1860 US Census, Mathews was living in Covington, Alleghany county, Virginia.
T R A N S C R I P T I O N
Camp near Fishersville, Augusta county, Virginia
December 29, 1864
Dear friend,
It is again that I seat myself to write you a few lines to let you now that I am well at present & I hope when these few lines come to hand that they may find you & and all the rest of your family enjoying the blessings of health. Mathew, I can tell you I with the rest of the soldiers have had a very hard time since I left home. It have been move[ed] up and down the valley two or three times since we have come here. You know what sort of a time the 20th of this month was. We were on a march then and had to take the whether as it comes but I have had the good luck so far of not being in a fight yet & I hope I may never have to go into a fight while I have to stay in the army.
Mathew, I tell you, if you can keep out of the army, do it for God sake for you don’t know what a soldier has to undergo till you try it. We have not got to go into winter quarters yet but we are cutting logs to build our quarters now. I hope we will get in them now pretty soon but it is a bad time to build tents now for the snow is about 2 or 3 inches deep at this time and is pretty cold too. We are going to put up our quarters between Fishersville and Waynesboro about two or three miles up this side of Waynesboro off to the right of the railroad some two or three hundred yards. The 15th Regiment was working at their quarters yesterday & cut a tree on one of their men and killed him dead and last night two of our regiment cut a tree in camp after and fell it across a tent and two men that was lying in the tent asleep. One of them died just after daylight while the other one may recover but it is thought doubtful. They took him to the hospital.
Mathews, we don’t get more than half enough to eat. we draw all of flour sometimes or a 1b. of corn meal with the bran in it for a day. a lb. of beef a day we buy whenever we can, but it is hard to get anything at all. Mathews, tell Bollar to write to me & give me a history of his absence since I last saw him. Give my respects to all my enquiring friends, if any there be, & accept a portion to yourself and family. William Monroe [Monrow] sends his [regards] to you and family. Peter & Jo is well. I saw Jo yesterday.
Mathews, please do all you can to get me off for I want to come home so bad to make shoes for the people. Mathews, laying outdoors ain’t like when we were working in the shop last winter. Give my best respects to my folk at home and tell them I am well. Mathews, you must excuse me for not writing to you sooner. You must answer these few lines as soon as they come to hand and give me all of the news.
Direct your letter to Co. G, 22nd Regiment Virginia Infantry, Horton’s Division, Army of the Valley of Virginia.
Goodbye for the present, from Sampson Smith
To M. D. Brown
