Category Archives: Harrison’s Landing

2nd New Hampshire Infantry, Harrison's Landing, Seven Days Battles

1862: George Workman to Haas Wright

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The following letter was written by George Workman (1844-Aft1910) who emigrated from Ireland in 1859 and enlisted on 30 January 1862 at Colebrook, New Hampshire, to serve as a recruit in Co. F, 2nd New Hampshire Infantry. According to muster rolls, George deserted from the service in March 1863. In the 1900 US Census, George was enumerated as a teamster and boarding with the Willey family in Manchester, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He may very well have been the same George Workman enumerated as an inmate of the Alms House in Coos County, New Hampshire, in 1910.

The Army of the Potomac’s encampment at Harrison’s Landing.

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

Harrison’s Landing
July 20, 1862

To Mr. Haas Wright,

Dear sir, I will take the opportunity of writing a few lines to let you know how I am getting along and how I am situated at present. I am well at present & I hope that when these few lines reaches you that they will find you in the same as it leaves me at present. I am now in camp at Harrison’s Landing on the James River along with the regiment.

Dear Haas, I was sorry to hear when Samuel got a letter from home & heard that Mary was so sick & did not expect her to live. But I hope that she is recovering & is soon able to be up. I don’t like to hear of anybody being sick because there is so many sick and dying here and it makes me feel bad to think of it.

I have not much to write to you at this time as Samuel will have wrote you all the news about the battles we have had in the last month. It has been a trying scene for one to witness, for [in] one month more than 20 thousand lives has been lost in the last seven day fights & I myself has witnessed four of them 1 so you may guess I have had a hard chance for my life along with the rest. For them 7 days [of] fighting, I had only about 6 hours rest in the whole. Perhaps you will wonder how I stood it, but that ain’t the question. A man has got to stand it or else lay down and die.

Dear Haas, it would take me too long to tell you all that I know about this war & I shall have to draw to a close, but if ever I live to go back to New Hampshire, I will be able to tell you a long story. But time can’t admit of it now.

Dear Haas, we are in camp now & expect to be until we are reinforced, except the enemy may attack us. When these few lines reaches you, I want you to write to me and let me know if there is any of the boys enlisting now and what their names are. Samuel is well and is going to write pretty soon & wants you to write to him. Give my love to Mary and I hope when you are reading these few lines, she will be able to look over your shoulder and help you as it nothing but a crutch.

I will close by asking you to write and write soon & give me all the particulars you can. And if there is any balls to be at John Martey this fall or not because I should like to go to one in the dark. No more at this time. Yours with respect, — George Workman

Direct [to] George Workman, Co. Founder, 2nd Regiment N. H. Vol., Washington D. C.

1 The 2nd New Hampshire Infantry were engaged in four of the Seven Days Battles. These included the Battle of Oak Grove on June 25th, the Battle of Savage Station on June 29th, the Battle of Glendale on June 30th, and the Battle of Malvern Hill on 1 July 1862.

1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Harrison's Landing

1862: Walter Jones to his Mother

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The following letter was penciled by Sgt. Walter F. Jones of Co. L, 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery. According to roster of Battery veterans, Walter was living in Drakes Branch, some 25 miles south of Appomattox, in Charlotte county, Virginia, in 1889. Nothing more conclusive could be learned about him.

Transcription

Walter’s stationery includes a patriotic image of Maryland with State Seal, “To the Rescue!”

McClellan’s Headquarters
Harrison’s Landing, Va.
Co. L, 1st Connecticut [Heavy] Artillery
July 18, 1862

Dear Mother,

I am sitting on my overcoat. I can see nothing but men and horses for as far as I can see. We got into camp last night. It began to rain and lightning and kept it up all night. The boys look pretty tough. They are well—the most of them. The weather is very hot here. The boys lost everything that they had up to the fight. We fired into a Rebel Battery yesterday on the James river. No one was hurt. We can see the rebels on th other side of the stream.

There is 120,000 men in sight of here. This morning Burnside’s fleet lays just down the river, just off Newport News working round on the other side of the Chickahominy. We are within ten miles of Richmond.

We had a first rate time getting here. I stayed in Baltimore one day and Fort Monroe the same. It is time for breakfast now.

P. S. We had beef stake and hard bread. I cannot write any more. Give my best respects to all the friends. From your son. Respectfully yours, — Walter Jones

Harrison’s Landing, Va.

The boys was paid last week so I shall have to wait till next pay day.

81st New York Infantry, Fortress Monroe, Harrison's Landing

1862: Charles D. Wilson to his Family

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These letters were written by Charles D. Wilson (1846-1916), the son of Robert Wilson and Sarah Ward of Constantia, Oswego county, New York. Charles volunteered to serve in Co. K. , 81st New York Infantry. Charles claimed to have been born in 1843 when he enlisted in December 1861 but census records reveal that he was actually born in 1846 so he was probably only 15 or 16. He reenlisted as a veteran in 1864 and was wounded before Petersburg on 15 August 1864 and mustered out of the service on account of his wounds on 8 September 1865.

In 1880, Charles was a laborer in Oil City, Venango county, Pennsylvania, where he resided with his wife Libby Ryan (1855-1936). He later relocated to Jamestown, Chautauqua county, New York, where he died in 1916.

I couldn’t find an image of Charles but here is one of Pvt. Edward Fallen wearing the uniform of the 81st New York Infantry. Ed served in Co. C. (Al & Claudia Niemiec Collection)

Letter 1

April 4, 1862

Dear Sister,

I thought I would write a few lines to let you know that I got your letter while on the Potomac just after leaving Alexandria, or the mail was put on board just as we left. We left Washington and then went to Alexandria by land and stayed to Alexandria one day and then left for Fortress Monroe by the Potomac and steamboat and was on board of her two days. As we was coming down the Potomac, we seen a great many Rebel batteries along the river and when we got to Fortress Monroe, it was a grand sight. The fort covers one hundred acres of ground. It is of solid stone and some thirty feet from the top down to the water. It is straight up and down and all around the fort is a ditch like the canal and the water is very deep so that it is impossible for to get in or out except in one place where there is a drawbridge. We are about 11 miles from the fort right among the Rebels. We are the advance regiment. The Rebels are not two miles from us. Our pickets saw them last night. It is my turn to go on picket tomorrow and then we have our guns loaded all the time, ready for an attack any time. We are close to the James river where the Rebel ship Merrimack is now. Yesterday we heard their guns all day. She had a fight with one of our ships.

It is nice and warm down here. The grass has started and the trees are all green. It is a very wild country. It is all woods but in little spots. They are all secesh here. Every house has a secesh in it. So I must close now for it is supper time. You must write soon. From your brother as ever, — Charles Wilson

Direct as follows: Charles Wilson, 81st Regt. Co. K, N. Y. S. Infantry, Fortress Monroe, Va., in care of Col. Rose.

Letter 2

Headquarters, Co. K, 81st [New York] Regiment
[At Harrison’s Landing on the James River]
August 2, 1862

Dear Mother,

I received your letter last night but was sorry to hear you say that you had not got a letter for I wrote two since I got your letter. I had not had a letter from you in most 5 weeks and so I wrote again. As for that letter, I had not got it but I got the paper but no letter so I was not to blame. Tell Henry I sent him three letters and as you think I have seen enough of the war to be satisfied but I have not for I learn some things every day and you know that if I was there that I would be on the canal and that that would be worse and I can do better here than there.

As you wanted to know how we fared, I will tell you. We get potatoes and onions, beets and pork bacon, fresh beef, beans, rice, sugar, coffee, tea, and molasses and desecrated vegetable for soup. We live good now—better than we ever did before. We get hard bread—that is the worst of it. And as for clothing, we can get that whenever we want it. Every week if one liked to get it. So often they will not let a man go dirty and ragged. We are inspected every week by the general and we have got to be clean when we come out, as well as our guns.

I wish you would send me some postage stamps if you can for I cannot buy them for any price but I can get paper and envelopes as cheap here as there. I got them postage stamps that you sent in your last letter before this. I sent you some more money. I sent it with Robert Todd by Express. So write soon and all about the money. How much you get and how much you have to pay for it and I would like it if you could sed me some stamps.

We are in the same spot that we was before—close to the river. It is a nice scene to look off on the river and see all of the gunboats and transports lie at anchor. The river is full of gunboats. The Monitor lies off opposite us. So I will close now. Write often for I do. From your most affectionate son, — C. Wilson

Harrison's Landing, Peninsula Campaign

1862: J. W. Scott to his Mother

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This letter was written by a soldier named J. W. Scott but I am unable to definitively place him in a particular regiment. In his letter, Scot writes of having to burn “our” pontoon bridges and of expecting another train while at Harrison’s Landing. This leads me to conjecture that he served in either the 15th or 50th New York Engineers—both regiments being attached to McClellan’s Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign. The former has two soldiers by the name of James Scott but neither gives a middle initial on the muster rolls.

Transcription

Harrison’s Landing
James River, Virginia
July 9th 1862

Dear Mother & Sister,

Your long looked for letter has been received finding me well. I had began to think I would never hear from you again. I don’t see why you are not more prompt in writing. Letters from home are very welcome, I assure you.

We have had some busy times since falling back fro the Chickahominy River. We are now over 20 miles from Richmond but I suppose we will soon march again. You must not think that the Rebels have beaten us for they have not. We have lost a good many men in the fighting on the way here. Also immense quantities of commissary stores & clothing, &c. We destroyed our bridges and a large portion of our pontoon train as we had not teams enough to draw it so we cut & burnt it. We expect to get another train while here.

We are troubled very much for water. We have to use the river water most of the time. The weather is extremely warm but the nights are cool. We are encamped close by the river on the Old Harrison Estate. I have seen the house [Berkeley Plantation] to which President Harrison was born. The country is entirely barren of all kinds of produce. Nothing to be had eatable—only such as we buy from the sutler’s at enormous prices.

I will send Mother $10.00 when we get our pay which will be in about a month. I think the young ladies are marrying right smart. I don’t know what we soldiers will do.

I don’t think of much else to write [in] this except to have you tell John I will write soon. Give my love to all and accept a good share for yourself. Jim & George send their best wishes.

Write often. From your affectionate son & brother, — J. W. Scott

to Mother & Sister