The following letter was written by John Avery (b. 1839) of Co. D, 34th Massachusetts Infantry. At the time of his enlistment, John was 21 years old and was described as 5 foot 9 3/4 inches tall, with dark hair and dark eyes—a farmer. He gave his birthplace as Westfield and his residence as Holyoke. His enlistment on 9 July 1862 was for three years. He entered as a private but was appointed a corporal in May 1864, and was promoted to sergeant in January 1865. Muster rolls state that he participated in the battles at New Market, Piedmont, and at Cedar Creek, Virginia. In the Battle at Piedmont he was wounded in the foot, but later returned to fight at Hatcher’s Run, at Fort Gregg, and Appomattox Court House.

According to historian Dan Masters, the 34th spent most of the first year of its service in the defenses of Washington, D.C. and Harper’s Ferry, missing out on such battles as Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. They were a spit and polish regiment, and one veterans of the Army of the Potomac would refer to as “band box soldiers….Raised in the five western counties of Massachusetts, the 34th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry entered service in response to Lincoln’s call for 300,000 more volunteers in the summer of 1862. The regiment spent months serving in the defenses of Washington, D.C. before being dispatched to Harper’s Ferry on July 9, 1863 in the closing stages of the Gettysburg campaign. But it wasn’t until New Market that the 34th Massachusetts got into a stand-up fight with the Confederates and suffered heavily in that engagement, losing 39 men killed and a total of 221 casualties in the regiment. The regiment would see extensive action in the Shenandoah Valley in the ensuing months, taking part in the battles of Piedmont, Lynchburg, Snicker’s Gap, Opequon, Fisher’s Hill, Stickley’s Farm near Cedar Creek, and Cedar Creek a few days later. The unidentified drummer above is wearing a field musician’s uniform with a Massachusetts belt buckle. The piping on the jacket would have been light blue in color.” [See The Purple Heart of Hell: The 34th Massachusetts at New Market]

The 34th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry  was organized at Camp John E. Wool, Worcester, on August 1, 1862, under the command of Colonel George D. Wells and Lieutenant Colonel William S. Lincoln. On Aug. 15 the regiment left Camp Wool for the seat of war, reaching Hunter’s Chapel near Arlington, Va. on the 18th. Aug. 22 it proceeded to Alexandria and thence to Cloud’s Mills. At Fort Ellsworth, Fort Lyon, and Upton’s Hill the fall and winter and spring following were spent, the regiment having been twice temporarily brigaded with other regiments. Not until July 9, 1863, was it ordered away from the defenses of Washington.

John wrote the letter to his friend, Charles Cooley (b. 1841), the son of Elicher [or Elihu?] Cooley (b. 1808) and Laura Cowles (b. 1812) of Westfield, Massachusetts.

My thanks to Abbey Weber Jones for providing a first draft of this transcription.

Header Image: The winter camp of the 34th Massachusetts near Alexandria, Virginia. The regiment camped here from September 15, 1862 to June 2, 1863. In the background is Ballenger’s Hill with Fort Lyon on the crest. 

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

Camp Wool,
Aug 9th, [1862]

Friend Charley,

How do you do this morning? I [am] well and doing well and live well and have a good time and [am] glad that I am here in the United States service so that I shant be drafted. And I tell you as a friend, don’t be drafted. If you do, you will see hard times. We leave for the seat of war Tuesday, the 12th. I think we shall go to Washington. We have enough to eat and that good and better then we had to Mr. B. when we worked there. We drill 5 hours in a day. The rest of the time we have to ourself to do what we have a mind to do. I like it so well that I would not come back till I see the war closed. I like [it] much better than I expected to. You tell mother that I like [it] well and dandy and tell her not to worry for I should [have] been drafted if I hadn’t enlisted, and if had been drafted, they would [have] put me into the old ranks and gone far South. But now this regiment is to be kept back on reserve.

I wish you could see and hear our Battallion drill. You would want to go with us where there are a 1000 muskets and drums and fifes and their bands.  The band is now mounting guard and it is a splendid sight to enjoy—one that we [ ]. I will write soon after I get South, so goodbye Charley. Give my best respects to all.

— John Avery, Camp Wool, Co. D, 34th Reg.

P. S. I was home to Holyoke, [Massachusetts] the 6th. I had a good time with the two sisters that I told you about, perhaps for the last time. But I hope not. I made them a present to remember me. The felt very bad to have me leave them. It took the tears from the to part. I bid them goodbye for the last time, for the present.