150 Years Ago (1864 3/30)

Brattleboro, Mar. 30^th, 1864.

Dearest Abiah, –

I received a letter from you this evening. It came in last night. You were wondering why I did not write, and before you get this you will wonder more, I am afraid. The fact is, last Thursday I was ordered to go out with a detachment of recruits to the Army of the Potomac. Had to hurry to get ready There was no time to spare. I got back last night. I am well, but pretty well tired out. Have not been paid off yet. Expected to have been paid while I was gone. Left an order with Lieutenant Fisher. I will give you an account of the trip.

Left the barracks at 2 o’clock, went to the depot with about 30 recruits and 17 of the Invalid Corps, 15 recruits for the Army of the Potomac, 9 for the Mass. 64^th Regt Colored and 6 for the 9th Regt. The guard were 1 sergeant, 1 Captain, 5 men under the command of Capt. Kilborn of the 9^th Regt. We left the depot at 3 o’clock P.M. Kept right on in the cars to New York, reached the New Haven depot in New York at 2 o’clock Friday morning. Marched to the Park Barracks, got there at just 3 o’clock A.M., found the barracks that we went into empty, got some supper, placed the guard, laid down on a bench, but got not one wink of sleep. It was a hard day that we passed there, the recruits anxious to get out and see the city and the Sergeant no better than a stick. Went out myself twice and got something to eat. Could not eat in the barracks. The cooks were Irish women and as dirty as pigs. The food was good enough but I could not go it.

Left New York at about 12 midnight, reached Philadelphia at six next morning, it rained very hard. There was something wrong about the arrangements and had to remain there until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Took dinner at the Volunteer Relief Association, yes and breakfast. That is a nice institution, very nice and good, all just as clean as Philadelphia itself. I will enclose a little history of the institution. We were at Philadelphia on Saturday. They said that two days before they had a fall of snow 1 ½ foot deep. We saw none in the city, but saw large banks of snow where there had been drifts clear down below Wilmington, Del. Left Philadelphia at 3 o’clock, arrived in Baltimore at 8 o’clock evening, could not get the recruits through the city soon enough to go on to Washington, went to another relief association Oh! Dirtier than a hog pen wet to the skin. Our Sergeant at Philadelphia was sent off to Newbern, North Carolina and I had to take charge of the men. This was the third night from Brattleboro and not one wink of sleep.

Left at 4 o’clock in the morning for Washington, reached the depot at about 7 o’clock A.M. The Captain went off with the invalids and left the recruits, in my charge, said that he would be back soon, had to stand there about three hours after taking them to breakfast here I had a chance to see how the soldiers at the front look. A whole brigade of the 6^th army corps took breakfast at the Soldiers Rest just before we came their arms were stacked and the grounds around the Soldiers Rest swarmed with them. They left just before we did and many of them crossed the river with us to Alexandria. They looked pretty hard. There was not much show about them. They were called fighting boys. Most of them wore shoes. Many of them had leggins to keep the mud out of their shoes. They pitched in for the drinks pretty freely and many a fellow took as many as two to steady them on the march.

About twelve we started for Alexandria without recruits. That is situated on the Virginia side of the river, about ten miles below Washington. Took the boat in the lower part of the city, crossed the river. Delivered up the recruits to General Briggs. He called the roll and sent me off to the Soldiers with them. Reached there about 2 o’clock and now a word about that Soldiers Rest. It is about the cleanest, nicest place that I have seen. Everything is so nice and clean, plenty of good water comes into the building. The dining room is nice and clean. The soup and bread was good. The cooking apparatus was clean. It was on a large scale and all through the grounds were walks and all the slopes were grassed over and it was green. It looked good. At 3 we were ready to come back. The weather was so cold that we kept on our overcoats. The soldiers that were going on to the front all had on their overcoats. There was occasionally a yard that had green grass, but the country is covered with its winter brown yet, the buds are not much swelled yet, no green leaves. The Capitol grounds were very green and there were some Jonquills and Daffodils in bloom there, or some other flowers of the sort. I wanted much to call on Mr. Baxter, but could not. Passed through the next street to his boarding house. If we had staid all night I should have gone and seen him, but there was no other non-commissioned officer there and I had to take care of the men. We got back to the Soldier’s Rest about 5 o’clock. There were several blisters on my feet as big as beans. I had boots on. Will not catch me on such a trip again without shoes. I would not wear them if I was going to see the President, but I must finish this or I shall not get this into the morning mail. Have had a hard time cleaning up my gun, for it got all wet and very rusty and tomorrow is Monthly Inspection. It comes off at 11 o’clock. Shall commence where I left off and write the rest of this letter. You will think I have been sent to the front. Well, I have been most there. If we are not paid off pretty soon, I shall write to some one to let you have some money until we are paid. I think it will be some time, as we have always been paid before Monthly Inspection before.

Yours in love,

Charles.