ADRIAN FAY 1863 LETTERS
August 1863
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Camp “Distruction” Va [Camp Distribution]
August 6th / 63
Dear Father
Our stop in Fort Eathen Allen has come to an end. We left there last Sunday & came back to Camp Distruction (as we call it) & we are expecting now to go to our Regt evry day. Last night about 70 of the 94th came here from Gettysburg. They wer taken Prisoners there & Paroled on the Field & the Government wont recognise there Parol so they are being sent to the Field again. Thy Boys dont like it very well. They think they had ort to be exchanged first
before thy fight any more. Peet Davis Joe Gerow Edd Mercer is a mong them. Ed Booth was taken But he has gon home. There is a good many from the Old 105th here. But we are expecting to go to the Regt evry day perhaps with in a week we shall go if not to day. Well I have no news to write as I know of. I will write a gain as soon as I get to the Rigt. I am well. That is all the news I have got this time. Write as soon as you get this (or have Mati write & Direct to Co I 94th N. Y. V. Washington D. C.
Add
Co. I. 94th N Y V
Washington D. C.
Friday [August] 7th. We havnt gon yet. But I think we shall go to day or to morrow. We heard heavy Cannonading last night in the direction of Manasass. I shouldnt wonder if there was a fight some where. I came a crost Dan Reed last night. I have been here since Sunday & so has he. But I havnt hapened to find him untill last night. He looks as though he had been pretty sick But he is gaining now. I expect him down here this morning. He stays up to the Barracks. I was glad to See him & we went to meeting [religious service] last night. They have meetings here 4 times a day. Niram [or Hiram] Skeels is here too with the Boys. He was taking care of the Docters horse when he was taken. Some of the Boys asked him why he did not
get onto the horse & Skedadle & Nie [Skeels] says) Good God I didnt know a thing a bout it till they was right on to me. Dave Southwick was wounded in the head (the Boys say). Erast Wheeler has been back to the Regt. Seth [Wheeler] is Discharged. George True is Orderly Sargt. John Baly [Bailey] & I have been reduced to the ranks. Ab. Marvin is in the 5 Maine Battery.
(Well thats all)
Adrian
Co. I. 94th N. Y. S. V.
Rappahanack Station Va.
August 9th / 63
Dear Brother
I havnt had a letter from you since the one that had that money in. If you have writen I never have got it. Well, Trose I have got back to the Regiment a gain. I got here last night. I found a good many of the Boys here & some of them came from the Covalessant Camp with me. They wer taken Prisoners at Gettys Burg & was Paroled on the Field. But the Government would not Recognise the Paroll so they wer ordred back to the Front. The most of my Regt. was taken at that
fight & most of them have gon to Richmond, & all of the officers that wer taken have gon except the Col. [Adrian R. Root]. He is at Anapalas has comand of the Paroll Camp & he is trying to get the Regt there too to guard the Prolled Prisoners & I hope he will sucseed & will have good times there if he gits us there. Evry thing is quiet here at present. Our Armey is all along on this side of the [Rappahannock] River & considerable Cavelry & Artillery are a crost the River. The Reb pickets are in a bout 5 or 6 miles of here & a considerable forse at Cullpepper 15 miles from here. I saw Dan Reed at the Covlessant Camp yesterday. He has been sick But is better now. Ock lemmon [Oscar Lemon, 154th NY Infantry, from Great Valley] was there at the Paroll Camp. He is a Prolled Prisoner taken at
Chanslersville. Henry Ellis was killed there they say. I expect Charley Fields is a prisoner But I dont know. I havnt heard from him since the fight [Gettysburg]. But the most of his Regt [154th NY Infantry] was taken at that fight (at Gettys Burg I mean). He came through the first fight [Chancellorsville] all safe. We are expecting the Pay master here to day or to morrow to Pay us. I dont know wheather I shall get any or not & was not musterd last muster day But I guess that wont make any diference. Our Rigt has been consoldated & I heard a lot of our Corp. & Sargt. have been reduced to the ranks. I belong to Company I, 94th N. Y. V. now. The weather is pretty warm here now But I have got so used to warm weather I dont mind it much
We are laying now a bout 50 rods from where we fought a year a go the 21 of this month (& the Bridge that we Burnt) our folks have rebuild a gain & the cars are runing from Alaxander to the Bridge. I can see the Bridge from where I sit. Well I guess I have writen as much as you can Reed in a week so I will quit. Write soon & direct
Adrian Fay
Co. I. 94th N. Y. Vol.
Washington D. C.
I dont believe you can read this in five days.
Write darn soon
Rappahannock Station
August 13th / 63
Dear Mother I got back to the Rgt. last Sauterday night. We left Alaxandria in the Morning & got here a little after dark. I found a good many of the Boys left that used to belong to the Old 105. More of them than I supposed there was. Peet & Wm Davis Dave Southwick Wm Chapman, Ceph Childs are all here ... Nyram Skeels was sick & he stade back to the Convelessant Camp. The Boys thought that Southwick was wounded But he was not. He came out all right. (Cephus Childs was not taken Prisoner as Ed Booth told) You can believe much that he tells. Abner Marvin has been transferred to the 5th Mane Battery. He has not been seen since the Battle [Gettysburg]. The Boys are all tough & harty. We have the largest Company in the Rgt. & the Best officers too, I think. Capt. Rugers [Charles F. Rudgers] & Lieut [Frederick J.] Massey are sick so they are not with us now, But Lieut [Charles V.] Mesler is here with us. Edwin Thompson is acting orderly. His is all the Sergt. there is here now. George True is in the Hospital. John Larkin has Skedadled. George Williams is a Prisoner & gon to Richmond. Wm Thompson is discharged. Peet & Malcom McIntyre ar Prisoners & so is Bagus. Wm Mulligan is here with the Company.
Col. Root is not with us. He is at Anapalous in comand of the Paroll Camp. The Magor [Major Samuel A. Moffett] thinks he will get us there to guard Paroll Prisoners. (I hope he will). He is a “tip top” man & looks for the intrest of his men, more than any other Col. that We ever had. Well Mother we are encamped now within 50 rods of where we was the last of this month a year ago. & the Rebs wer shelling us for 3 days all the time. But I never thought then that we ever would Camp here in a year from that time. I think it is warmer this summer that it was last. But I stand the warm weather first rate & I am as tough as a Mule this summer. My shoalder dont trouble me But a little not half as much as I thought it would. We are expecting evry day to get our pay. The pay master has paid off part of our Brigade. Evry thing looks as natural as can be around here. I passed our old Camp ground at “Clouds Mills” & at “Cattlet Station”. They all looked as natural as could be only there was no tents there. We have got a first rate Chaplain now [Philos G. Cook] a better one than Bye Russell ever can be. He sees to all our mail as regular as the day comes & preaches evry chance he can get. Old Docter [David C.] Chamberlain & Doc. [John T.] Brown are here yet. But we dont have much use for them this Summer for there isnt hardly any of our Boys Sick. Well it is about noon. I shall have to go & cook some dinner. (Would you like a mess of Beens cooked in a quart Cup? If you do call in & take dinner with me.
Well I have been to dinner. I boiled my Beens untill they wer soft & then put them into a Spider & fried them. They wer first rate too. We have gust been drawing rations. We are supposed to have 3 days rations on hand all the time, so if an order should come to march we would be all ready to go at a moments notace. Our division has been a cross the [Rappahannock] river ever since the Cavelry fight [Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863] untill last Saturday then they came back. We have to furnish pickets now evry day to go a cross the River. It will be my turn I guess to morrow to go. I belong to the First Brigade Second Division First Armey Corps. If you know what Division & Corps I am in you can tell verry near where I am by reading the Papers. We had a hard shour of rain last night & the wind blew & bload our tent down & we came near geting wet. I tent with Peet & Wm Davis yet as usal. I had a letter from Mati the other day mailed the 3d of Aug. But she didnt write much only said that Ed. Booth had got home & that was a bout all. I saw Dan Reed at the Convlessant Camp & had a good long visit with him. He was hoping [hopping] glad to see me & I never thought of seeing him there. Ock Lemon was over in the Paroll camp. But I didnt get a chance to go & see him. There is about 150 of the 154th in the Paroll camp I should think. I dont know as there is quite so many as that
But there is verry near that many there. I dont know where Charles Field is. I have not heard any thing a bout him. I persum he is a Prisoner. Our Regt. lost a good many wounded & prisoners at the Battle of GettysBurg. There was only 14 or 15 killed out of the whole Regt. After they wer taken Prisoners Col. Root got pramition of the Rebs to take what then was there of the 94th & go & take care of our wounded & Bury the ded. They worked at two or 3 days. Our Boys got lots of things of the Rebs. Mulligun [William Mulligan] of our Co. has got over 200 dollars of Reb money besids others have got a good deal. I would liked to have been there. Some of the Boys got their Pockets full of watches & revolvers & they found some green Backs too. Well I have writen as much as I can at present. Write as often as you can.
Adrian
Fayette Furman is here. He paid me 80 cents for that Box. Mike Rily is not here. I dont know where he is. Erast Wheeler is in George town. He wrote to have the Leunt [lieutenant] send for him. He is in Prison I suppose. I guess he want want to Skedadle a gain. Tell Mati & all the rest of the Folks not to be Backward about writing
Rappahanack Station
August 19th / 63
Dear Sister Mati
I got 2 letters from you to night. One came last night while I was on picket & the other came to night. That one had been to Fort Eathen Allen. The paper Ma sent I never have got yet. I have just came in from picket. I feel some what sleepy. But I thought I would write to night while I had a good opertunity for we may march to morrow. We have orders to be ready at a moments notace. So we are lyable to start at any time. I have been
on Picket for two days. We have got a very strong picket line of Intfantry & then a bout a mild in our advance we have a Cavelry picket. Our Cavelry pickets & the Rebs are Close to gather so they talk to one other & are verry sosibal [sociable]. Yesterday one of the Johneys horses got a way & came into our line & when the Johnny missed him he comenced looking for him & he came near our pickets. He hollerd (Hello! Yanks have you seen a stray horse over your way? (Yes) Well will you let me come after him & then come back a gain? (Yes.) So Johney
came over & got his horse & then went back a gain. Then in a bout half an hour the Capt. of the Reb pickets came a long & talked to our pickets a quite a spell & complimented them very highly for being so kind to his pickets. That is better than to be shooting at one other all evry time one shows his head. Ma says she & Pa are a fraid I shant stand it here in the Field. You tell them not to be alarmed a bout me. I am tough & can stand it as long as any of the Boys can. We have lots of rations this
summer. More & better than we had last & I dont think we shall have much more hard marching to do untill cold weather if we do then. There is a good lot of the Army of the Potomac being sent a way to Charleston & I think the remainder will fall back near Washington & wate untill it is filled up with Conscripts & I dont think there will be any fighting unless we are atacked. The Pay Master was here the other day & paid off the Regt. But I did not get any because I was not here to [two] months & the Docter at the Hospital did not give me a certificate when I left there to show that I had been musterd & not Paid. I shall get it next Pay day
if I am here. I dont want you to send me any or any stamps now for I can borrow some of Peet [Peter Davis] or some of the Boys. Any of them will lend me all I want.
Tell Pa & Ma to be perfectly at ease & unconcerned a bout me. I shall get along Il bet. I understand taking care of No 1. Oh I wrote a little bit of a lie in my other letter. I said that Childs was not taken Prisoner. But he was. But none of the Co knew it untill the other day. He was in the Amblance Corps so they did not hapen to see him & he never told any one untill we asked him a bout it. But the Joneys did not care any thing a bout taking him a way for he was taking care
of the wounded & was doing them as much good as he was us by taking care of their wounded too. Peet Davis is here & got your letter & he answered it a long time ago. Peet is a Corporal & I have been reduced on the acount of the consoladation. But I dont give a cent. I had as lives be a Private as any thing els. Well it is all most 9 o clock & I shall have to put my light out at half past 9 so I will close for to night & finish in the morning if I can think of any more
to write & if I cant I will send it just as it is. Then Il bet you cant Read this. But it is better writing than yours any way.
Good night
A Fay
20th Well Mati I have had my breakfast so I will finish this. Il tell you what I had for breakfast. Fried ham & potatoes soft bread & Coffee with milk in it. Isnt that as good as you have? I dont see any signs of moving to day. But I think we shall move in a day or two. Wall thats all.
Write soon
A. Fay
Camp of the 94th N.Y.S. Vols. Rappanack Station Aug. 25th /.63
My Dear Sarah
I received your letter a week ago yesterday but have not had time to answer it. I hope you will not think that I have forgoten you by not writing before. I was on picket three days last week and had one days rest and then went on Camp guard and came off yesterday morning and I expect to go on picket again to morrow. Sati I would like to write you a good long letter and tell you all the paticulars. But I have
no time this evning. I dont get as much time to write now as I did when I was in the Hospital. I was verry verry glad to get your letter but it went a good ways around before it got to me. It came to the Fort [Ethan Allen] & then to the Distribution Camp [Alexandria, VA] & from there to the Regiment. But your letters are all bound to find me. I guess there has not one failed to reach me while I dont get more than half than my folks write me. I cant see the reason of that. We have lain here ever since I came to the Regt. I got here the 8th of Aug. But no one can tell how long we shall stay here. Sati one year ago to day our Regt left this place after laying here
for three days under fire of the Johneys guns. But little did I think of all that has transpired inside of that year, or little did I expect it. I wonder where I will be a year from to day. Will I be here do you think? I hope not. Sati, I was really glad to get back to the Co. again. The Boys was all so glad to see me, and asked more questions a bout what was going on at home than I could answer in a week. They seemed to think that I had gust come from home. There was a good many of our Boys taken prisoners at Gettys Burg but the most of them are with us now. They was parolled on the Field and the Government would not recognize them as parolled
prisoners so they was sent into the Field again. Some of them went home & some went to Richmond & some are here. But we have got about 250 men now for duty & we expect a lot of Conscripts in a few days. I wish we had a lot of those Copperheads down here. We would put them in the front & form a strong rear guard of Vols behind them and we would show them what a fine thing a “____” was. (I mean) Dont you think they would come to terms. They are falling in for Roll call & I shall have to stop writing and go and answer to my name and I will finish this in the morning if I have time before I go on picket.
Good night Dearest.
Write soon
Adrian
Camp of the 94th Regt. N.Y. S. Vol
Rappahanock Station
August 30th / 63
Dear Mother
I recd. your letter last night & one from Joe. & Lucretia [Field, his cousins]. I was glad to hear from them for they told me where Chas. [Field] was. His Regt. [154th New York Infantry] is in Alaxandria now. There was some of his Regt. came here into our Brigade the other day. They came to guard some Conscripts that was going to the 104th [New York Infantry] but non of them belonged to his Co. as non knew him as I could find out
But he is with his Co. & all right & I wrote him a letter to day. We are staying here at the station yet. I dont know how much longer we shall stay here. We are having good time now. We drill 4 hours in a day & it comes around so that we have to go on guard a bout once a week now. We did have to go on oftener But we dont have to furnish as many guards now as we did & we get lots of rations a plenty of soft bred more than we can eat. I have gust had a good dinner. I had Potatoes & Beets & “Sourcraut” Bread & fresh Beef & coffee. I guess Gen Meed [Meade] thinks he will feed us up pretty good now while we are laying still & before
snow flies. He will have us a fighting like Sons of Biches. Well if he feeds us pretty good we can fight all the better. Now may be you think I am gassing when I tell you I had Sourcraut for dinner but it is the fact we did draw it to day & beets & dried apple evry 5 days. I think them fellows that are Drafted had better come & not try to get exempt for I dont believe they live half as well at home as we are living now. There was 5 Diserters shot yesterday over in the 5 [Fifth] Corps. They were fellers that had enlisted Several times before gust to get the Bounty & then Disert. But they wer not sharp eneough this time. They was shot yesterday after noon
& I say ‘shoot’ them Darn them. ‘Shoot’ them. They are wors than Rebs. What will Aunt Fanny [Field] do if Joe & Santford [Field] both have to go? It will be tough for her. I dont think they will have to go. Erast Wheeler & Barnatt Southwick are here now But Barn thinks he will get clear for he was not sworn into the U. S. Servase so he cant draw any pay any way if he does stay untill he is sworn in. But Erast Wheeler is a (Son of a Bich). He has been raising the Devil with Wm Chapmans family since he has been at home. Chapmans wife sent him money to come home with when he came home the last time so Wm says.
[Written upside down on first page:]
Three Chears for
Fort Sumter
hip hip
Huzah
Rappahanock Station
Aug 30th / 63
Chapman found a letter in Wheelers knapsack that he had wrote to Wm wife & had not sent it yet. Wm brought it down to the Co. & read it to all the Boys. It was one of the strangest love letters I ever heard read. Wm watched around & when Wheeler was gon after water Wm went into Whelers knap sack and found his Wifes likeness & a shirt that used to belong to him when he
was at home. Wm brought them down to the tent & said he thought he would keep them. The shirt was gust what he wanted. The Likness he did not care so much about but he did not want Wheeler to have it. So he kept that too. When Wheeler came around & found out what Chapman had been a bout he looked rather “green.” I dont know how it will come out. They are both mad at each other. Wm says he shant send home any more of his wages to support Wheeler with. She has sent Wheeler money too since he came to the Rigt. Money that Wm has sent home to support
his Children with. Condem such a woman. If I was in Wm place I would shoot the ‘Skedadling’ “Wheeler” & her too if I could get a chance. Oh Ma I sent you a likness of a couple of Boys. I dont know as you have got it yet or not (Firmans & Fays. Pretty good looking Boys. He had one & I one. He sent his home & so did I. Well that is all the News I can think of this time. Only we muster to morrow for pay & I guess we shall get our money by the middle of next month if we are not on the move then. Write now. Dont wate so long as you did be fore
if Mati gits home tell her to write a good long letter & tell all the paticulars she can think of. If any of you are sick let me know. Oh tell me if you know where Sal. Halladay is. Dan Read is in the Invalid Corps. We have got the Spring Field rifle now. I like them better than I did the Austrian rifile. Our old Flad [flag] is all cut full of Bullet holes. Lieut [Charles] Mesler is in comand of Co. I. Magor [Samuel A.] Moffitt comands the Regt. Col. [Thomas F.] McCoy the Brigade Col. of the 107th Pa Regt.
[Written upside down on first page:]
if there is any thing more that I have not writen tell me & I will write it
A. Fay
Adrian Fay Civil War Letters – Transcribed by Phil Palen
Pages in PINK are transcriptions of Xerox copies of letters sent to Phil Palen by the late Hollis Harvey Reed of Philadelphia, great-granddaughter of Adrian Fay through his daughter, Hollis Fay Fellows.
Pages in GREEN are transcriptions of originals owned by Phil Palen donated to St. Bonaventure University.
Pages in BLACK are transcriptions of originals owned by Patrick Gallagher donated to St. Bonaventure University.
Phil Palen added periods and initial capitals in these transcriptions, but did not change spellings.