ADRIAN FAY 1864 LETTERS
July 1864
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Adrian Fay Home Page
Camp Near Lighthous point [Virginia Beach, VA]
July 28th 1864
Dear Mother
I recieved your letter last night and was glad to hear from you. I am giting tough as a bear again. I am rather poor. I dont think you would hardely know me if you could should see me. I have quite useing tobaco. I dont cair a snap for it. I could get plenty if I wanted. A most evry barn is full of it but I dont like it to chew. I smoke some times. You wanted to know if we dont suffer for water.
Well some times we do but as a genral thing we have had plenty. You see a man on a hors can find warter if it is within two miles. When I get dry I take five or six Canteens and fall out and run my Old hors untill I find some water. I sufferd the the most when I was sick for water for I could not ride fast for feer my boots would get filled but the boys use to get it for me as much as they could. This quick step [diarrhea] is a fine thing. It maks a fellow ... so once in while. Thank the lord I am all right goin. We have got a nice Camp hear in
woods with plenty of water clost by. I must write to Jane King to day. She is one fine old gal I believe. Phebe Cook writes to me about once in two weeks so I hear from Mansfield of ten enough. Wilon Marcum [William Markham] and I wrote to Uncle Asa afew days a go. You must have to write when he gets the one we wrote to him. I think the rebs will use Adrian well as they can. The sitisons [citizens] say they take all the prisnors to Gorgia but they say it is not any more sickly then it is hear. I had rather be where he is
then to be in these darned old breast works up to the front. A man cant look but what some Sharp shooter will peg away a him and then about evry night we can hear them charging some plase hear the muskets roar all night. I am glad I am not an infantry man. When we fight it is done in a hurry. I dont know some times I think we never can whip the rebs and then again we hear some good news then we think it will not last long. We dont get much news lately. We cant get papers evry time we want them. I got the freeman [Cattaraugus Freeman, Ellicottville] Asa sent me but there wont no news in it after all. It does us good to get any thing from home. The boys are geting lots of things from home now by mail. They get hats shirts and most evry thing that can be done up in a smal bundle.
Ask Mary what she thinks of that letter I sent her. I have just been out blowing my bugle. Now I must fold my Old ... and get some supper pretty soon. There is four of us mess to gether. Two sargents black smith and bugler. The Sargents by potatoes and Soft bread and fish and I cook it. We live high I tell you. We have plenty of pickels and sourcrout beens. Oh we are doing well now. We dont know what to do with our selves hear. I write most of the time. I was to write when my hand dont tremble.
I am a ging [going] to have me a good set of writing tools when I get my pay if the Sutler comes. Then wont I write to evry body I can think of when we are in Camp. The rumor is now that the vetrans are agoing to to be put to gether and those that their times is out this fall put them to gether. They say they are agoing to send the vetrans to tenasee [Tennessee] but I dont believe these Camp rhumors. I thought I would let you see how the lies go hear in Camp. Well I must quit for this time. Marcum is snorting away hear like some old hog. Will Marcum is one of our Camp liers [liars] ... knows just what is agoing to be done. Condem it. I know it. Just dark. Good night.
How are you dirty paper. I am short so I shal have write on this to you. I suppose you wont cair. I am in hopes we shal get our pay in afew days then I can get me some things I very much nead. My portfolio is worn out. I shal have to get me a new one and a Spider and Coffee pot. I have got me a sesesh [secessionist] cup and plait that I took from a pretyest girl you ever see but we dont Cair for girls when we want dishes and grub. You may think I am hard hearted but I dont take any think from the poor. I shal loaf about 40 dollars on private
horses. He would payed for him self if we had drawn pay untill the first July but we only get pay up to the first of May. I dont Expect I can send much home but I will send all I can for I suppose pa needs it. Evry thing is so high. I suppose this will answer for you and pa to. I will try and write some to Asa. I will write to Charley in a day or two if we dont move. We may stay hear two weeks and we may leave before night. Well I must stop. From your Son Montrose Fay Co B 9th N. Y. V. Cavelry
END OF 1864 LETTERS
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.