This letter was written by Joseph Dicks (1837-1910), the son of James Dicks (1807-1887) and Mary Coffin Lytle (1814-1881) of Nether Providence township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He wrote the letter to his wife, Jessie Matlack (Worrall) Dicks (1838-1927) while serving in Co. K, 26th Pennsylvania Infantry. The couple were married in 1859 and had their first child in 1860 but he died in infancy. Jessie was pregnant with her second child at the time of this letter in late October 1861.

Muster rolls inform us that Joseph enlisted on 4 June 1861 and served his entire three years as a private in Co. K, 26th Pennsylvania. He mustered out at Philadelphia on 18 June 1864. After the war he became a dry good salesman in Chester, Pennsylvania.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Camp Sites [near Budd’s Ferry, Maryland]
October 31, 1861

Dear Wife,

I received your letter and one from Jennie last evening and I was glad to hear from you indeed for they were the first letters I have received since we arrived. We do not get the mail as often here as we did at Camp Union for we received it there every day and now we only get it three times a week.

I will have to give a description of the country so far as I have seen it, It is very thinly settled. You could go as far as ten miles and not see a house. And when you do see them they are not worth looking at. The very wealthiest class live in little old log huts without any furniture scarcely or carpet on the floor. And the land is the poorest kind. It is worth from 50 cents up to 50 dollars per acre. They have any quantity of slaves—and such wretches to call human being I never saw before. In fact, they are almost naked and about half starved. I believe slavery is a curse to any country and the sooner it is wiped out, the better.

The weather is very pleasant in the day time but it is rather cool in the evenings. But we sleep very comfortable as we have mowed some grass and put [it] in the bottom of our tents which makes it almost as soft and comfortable as a feather bed.

We are about one and a half miles from the Potomac. We can see the Rebels and their batteries very plain from this side and we have [had] two large bomb shells that they fired across the river which is about three miles wide at this point. One of our companies go down on picket every night. Our company has not been down yet. There is no danger as their muskets will not carry across the river and we have several gunboats a watching them besides. And we are stationed here to keep them from crossing into Maryland when our army advances on them from above.

I forgot to tell you how we fared in the eating line when we were on the march. We only received one days rations when we left and we marched on that for two days and then we received two crackers which had to last us until we got to camp. And then we received another day’s rations which had to last us until last night when we got any quantity of provision. Some of the boys were pretty near starved and they stole any quantity of chickens, geese, ducks, sheep, hogs, cattle and everything they could get their hands on. I had money enough to keep me in provision all the time for I bought crackers and cheese and we got coffee pretty near every day, morning and evening. ¹

We are all getting along first rate now and it is likely we will stay here for some time. We do not get the papers like we used to at Camp Union and therefore we do not get much news but I suppose there will be something done before long. I do not see any chance of promotion yet but I am in the croakers. I have a good set of tent mates and get along Bully. We have any quantity of fun. We are a going to be mustered today for payment and I suppose we will receive our money before long as the pay rolls are all made out, I believe. I will send you the money as soon as I can. Give my love to all the folks and keep a large share for yourself.

I will have to close as the paper is full and I hope to write a letter home. So goodbye Jessie. From your husband, — Joseph Dicks

In haste.

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¹ The 26th Pennsylvania marched to Budd’s Ferry, Maryland, on 20 October 1861 as part of General Joseph Hooker’s Brigade, having previously been at Camp Union near Bladensburg. They marched in company with Sickles’ Excelsior and the 2nd New Jersey Brigades. They remained at Budd’s Ferry until 1 April 1862.