Letters of a Civil War Soldier: Chandler B. Gillam, 28Th New York Volunteers, with Diary of W. L. Hicks

By Ellen C. Collier

This book blends two first-hand accounts of life in the Union Army during the opening years of the Civil War.

Chandler B. Gillam wrote his wife faithfully during the two years that he was in the 28th New York Volunteers. His letters described the regiments food and housing and discussed generals and politics. He yearned for his home and worried about his farm.

W. L. Hicks kept a diary which he entitled , History of the 28th New York Volunteers. His manuscript was found amid the hundred letters in the Gillam collection. Hicks recorded the regiments organization, activities, and leadership changes, and told stories about military life.

Gillam and Hicks were among the first to enlist when President Lincoln called for volunteers after South Carolina fired on Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861. They and almost 800 other men from Western New York were formed into the 28th New York Volunteers. Like most volunteers, they were eager to fight to suppress the rebellion and save the Union. They did not think the war would last long.

After a month in training, the regiment moved to Washington, D.C., where it paraded before President Lincoln on July 4th. It then marched to Martinsburg and areas near Harpers Ferry. Placed in a division under General Robert Patterson, the men expected to march forward to Winchester and prevent the Confederacy from reinforcing southern forces in Manassas. Instead, Patterson marched his division back to Charlestown. When the Union lost the first battle of Bull Run, morale sank, and Gillam wrote on August 6, 1861, that if all the Gens. do as Patterson did, the war will last a good while.

The waiting for action continued through the fall, although grumbling decreased after Maj. General Nathaniel Banks replaced Patterson in command. On October 21 the regiment marched to Edwards Ferry where they saw the sad results of the Union loss at Balls Bluff. Gillam wrote on October 23, Our men will not show much mercy when they go into battle which will come off this week. His hopes for action were again disappointed.

By the beginning of 1862 it was clear that Stonewall Jackson would be the main challenge of the 28th New York. In April 1862 Company I of the 28th participated when Jackson attacked General James Shields in a battle for Winchester. Gillam wrote the rest of the 28th was not involved in that battle but they took part in the chase.

After Shields Division withdrew, Banks men were the only Union forces left in the Shenandoah Valley, while Jacksons forces were reinforced. On May 25, the Confederate forces attacked the right wing of Banks Division. Although the left flank where the 28th was fighting was holding its own, its leader, Colonel Dudley Donnelly, received orders to retire. The 28th was the last regiment to leave the field. Gillam and Hicks wrote of Winchester citizens adding to the Confederate shelling by firing from their windows.

Winchester continued to change hands and by June 7 the 28th New York was back in Winchester. Gillam wrote of the May 25 fight, Well, I have had a chance to be in one fight. I tell you the shells and solid shot dont sound very nice whistling over a persons head and the bullets flying round his head; it is not very nice music.

The regiments second battle in Virginia was at Cedar Mountain. In July 1862 General Banks forces moved toward Warrenton, and Confederate forces under Jackson sought to cut them off. The First Brigade moved toward Cedar Mountain and Banks sent orders to hold the position. When the rest of the corps arrived on August 9, the First Brigade was ordered into the woods facing a cleared wheat field. Across the field was another woods where the Confederates had artillery. The First Brigade advanced through artillery fire and hand to hand combat and captured two cannon. Confeder

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 5, 2005
• ISBN: 9781465329486

Ellen C. Collier

Chandler B. Gillam, a farmer from Byron, New York, enlisted immediately when President Lincoln called for troops to put down the Confederate rebellion. W. L. Hicks, a clerk from Canandaigua, New York, also signed up eagerly. They served in the 28th New York Volunteers till the regiment mustered out in June 1863. After the war they returned to their former occupations. Gillam’s letters and Hicks’ diary were edited by Ellen Clodfelter Collier, a former Specialist in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. She is a graduate of Ohio State, American University, and the National War College.

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Copyright © 2005 by Ellen C. Collier.

Edited by Ellen C. Collier

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Contents

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF LETTERS AND

DIARY ENTRIES

Endnotes

In memory of Margaret Gillam,

Marian Lambert, and Martha Lambert Clodfelter,

who saved these letters so many years

PREFACE

This volume contains approximately 90 letters written by Chandler B. Gillam while serving in the 28th New York Volunteers during the first two years of the Civil War, plus a dozen letters written by other soldiers to Gillam in the last two years of the war.

The letters, kept neatly in a shoe box for more than a century, were passed down from Gillam and his wife Sarah Larned to Chandler P. Gillam. Neither of Chandler P. Gillam’s children, Grant and Margaret Gillam, had children, and Margaret bequeathed the collection of letters to my aunt, Laura Marian Lambert. She in turn willed the documents to my mother, Martha Lambert Clodfelter, who gave them to me with the request to find a home for them. I plan to donate the original letters to the Library of Congress.

Among Gillam’s letters was a manuscript of 51 pages, written on both sides and rolled into a scroll tied with a pink ribbon. On the front page was the title, History of the 28th Regt. N.York Volunteers, Army of the United States. The history had no identification of its author, but three letters in the collection signed W.L. Hicks indicated Hicks was the author. This was confirmed in A Brief History of the Twenty-eighth Regiment, New York State Volunteers¹ , by the regimental postmaster Charles William Boyce. Gillam had contributed an appendix which he described as From the Diary of Sergeant W.L. Hicks, Company E. The appendix contained entries from July 17, 28, 29, and August 9,1861, but the rest of the diary has not been published until now.

The letters and diary entries have been merged chronologically. The diary forms a helpful background for the letters, and the letters enrich the history provided by the diary. The volume is divided into parts representing seven time periods. An introduction at the beginning of each part provides background on the military situation.

The letters and history have generally been transcribed as written, except for dividing into paragraphs and separating sentences with periods or semicolons. Some cuts have been made for the sake of length and any omission has been noted with an ellipsis. Because of their frequency, misspellings and similar errors are not noted with a sic. At the beginning of each diary entry, a brief summary has been added in brackets.

The address in the upper left hand corner of a letter is the address that was on the envelope. Lack of an address means no envelope was found with that letter. The envelopes that were found usually had a three cent stamp and a postmark, but a few appear to have been hand delivered.

I would like to thank Dr. John R. Sellers of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress for his guidance and assistance, and Steve and Sandra Collier for reading and commenting on the manuscript at an earlier stage. I am also grateful to Mrs. Dora M. Jones and the Byron Historical Museum for furnishing me with a copy of the Gillam family history, and John C. Quinn for sending the model collection of letters entitled A War to Petrify the Heart, edited by Virginia Hughes Kaminsky. Finally, I thank my husband Edwin for his encouragment and support.

Ellen C. Collier

INTRODUCTION

The Confederate capture of Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 14, 1861, ignited the long buildup to the Civil War. On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln called for 75,000 militia raised by State governments to put down the insurrection. Chandler B. Gillam and W. L Hicks enlisted in companies formed to answer this first call for Union troops. Ten such companies recruited from upstate New York were mustered into service in Albany on May 22, 1861, as the 28th Regiment, New York State Volunteers.

The regiment spent much of the next two years in the Shenandoah Valley fighting Confederate General Thomas J.Jackson, known as Stonewall after the first Battle of Manassas. It became part of the Army of the Potomac and experienced the waiting and frustration that was typical of the early war years. It participated in four major battles: Winchester in May 1862, Cedar Mountain in August 1862, Antietam in September 1862, and Chancellorsville in May 1863. The regiment signed up for two years, and in keeping with that commitment was mustered out in Lockport, New York, on June 2, 1863.

This volume provides two first-hand accounts of the regiment’s experience. One is by Gillam, who described military life and his feelings about it in letters to his wife. The other is by Hicks, who undertook a history of the regiment in his diary.

Chandler B. Gillam

Chandler B. Gillam was born in Byron, Genesee County, New York, on July 19, 1833, the descendant of Charles Gilliam who came to New Jersey from Bedminster, England in the early 18thcentury.² On September 7, 1856, he married Sarah Larned.³ A farmer, he enlisted on April 27, 1861, and was mustered in as a corporal on May 9, 1861, in a company raised in Genesee County, N.Y. This became Company F of the N.Y. 28th. On October 7, 1862, Gillam was promoted to Sergeant Major.

Chandler Gillam wrote to Sarah faithfully and affectionately all the time he was away. He also wrote occasionally to his parents, Moses Gillam and Philura Tuttle, and frequently mentioned his four brothers and sisters, Orange, Harriet (called Hat), Altheda, and Henry. Harriet married Dwight Perkins on March 14, 1860, and Altheda married Arthur Jones early in the war.

The letters discussed everyday things—weather, food, clothing, shelter, events, and people. Chandler frequently described both what he ate and what he missed from the home cooking he knew. Money was a regular topic, with pay days being erratic, and Chandler worried about how the farm was doing and whether Sarah had enough money.

Gillam’s early letters showed the excitement of the men who enlisted early in the war and their initial eagerness to meet battle. In 1861 and 1862 Chandler frequently wrote how much he and his friends were enjoying themselves. Sometimes he was apologetic to Sarah about enjoying himself so much without her. It was probably the first time he had been away from home for long, even though he was 27. He had married at the age of 22 and kept his nose to the grindstone, working hard on his farm.

In his early letters Gillam thought the war would be over quickly, perhaps when Congress met in July 1861. Later, the taste of battle brought the realization of the large possibility of death and the probability that the war would last longer than expected. Gillam and his fellow soldiers became disillusioned, not with their cause, but often with their leadership.

Gillam consistently and ardently supported the cause for which he was fighting. To him the cause was clear: to end the rebellion and save the Union. The word slavery was never mentioned.

As the war wore on, the letters reflected Gillam’s concern about his farm, and his longing to be home. Even before Chancellorsville when the end of his enlistment was in sight, Gillam’s thoughts had begun to turn toward home. In several letters he questioned the quality of care being given to the farm by his brother Orange. He frequently instructed Sarah on action she should take regarding the farm.

When his two-year enlistment period was over in 1863 and the 28th New York Volunteers were disbanded, Chandler mustered out and returned home. He had considered re-enlistment, but Sarah was against it, and the farm was falling into disrepair. In addition, in November 1862 he wrote he would not stay in the army unless he received a commission. The captain of his company, Charles H. Fenn, told him he probably would have received a commission if the regiment’s beloved Col. Dudley Donnelly had not been killed at Cedar Mountain.

Gillam attended several reunions of the 28th Regiment, the last one with evidence being in 1896.⁴ He died at the age of 66 on August 19, 1899, badly injured by a bull, having become one of the best known and most respected citizens of the county, and a deacon of his church in Byron.⁵ Sarah was granted a widow’s pension for $12 a month beginning June 2, 1908, under an Act of Congress of April 19, 1908. The pension was increased to $20 per month under an Act of Congress of September 8, 1916, that included veterans’ widows who had reached the age of seventy years.

No letters from Sarah to Chandler were in the collection, probably because Chandler could not save them. He sometimes referred to losing a letter to weather or military conditions or being forced to leave all belongings behind before a march. Certainly her letters would have been cherished, for Gillam’s letters made clear how important mail was to soldiers away from home. Almost every letter Chandler wrote expressed joy on receiving a letter, a lament for not hearing from someone, or a request for Sarah to write or tell a family member or friend to write.

A portrait of Sarah may be gleaned from her husband’s letters. His letters were filled with his memories and feelings for her. He expressed gratitude when she tried to keep his spirits high, and on occasion when she became discouraged, tried to cheer her up by reminding her of his love and appreciation.

Sarah must have been lonely with Chandler gone for two years. While during much of the war she continued living on their farm in Byron, for long periods she returned to her family in Poland, N.Y. about 150 miles east of Byron. Her pattern can be seen from the letters. Gillam’s letters to Sarah were addressed to Byron, Genesee County, N.Y., until July 12, 1861, then to Poland, Herkimer County, N.Y. until October 1861 when she returned to Byron. In February 1862 she went back to Herkimer County until January 1863, when she returned to Byron permanently.

Sarah and Chandler had no children, and that likely was a disappointment since the couple seemed to enjoy them. Chandler frequently asked about the children of family and friends or commented on their activities. The war filled their void by bringing them an adopted child. In 1862, Gillam’s sister Hat and her husband, Dwight Perkins, had a son whom they named after Chandler. Dwight, formerly a cooper, or barrel-maker, was mustered into the army in Byron on July 29, 1863.⁶ He was wounded on May 5, 1864, and died in September 1864⁷ at the age of 30. Several letters from him to Gillam during 1863 and 1864 are included in this volume. With little money and having two other children, Hat allowed Chandler and Sarah to raise little Chandler, who later took the name of Chandler P. Gillam.⁸

An essay written by Sarah verified the portrait painted by Chandler. Entitled Remember Me, the signed but undated essay is included in the last section. It revealed her as a sensitive, intelligent, and religious person with high moral values. In it she wrote of being in a foreign land, far distant from loved and cherished friends, and the home of childhood… One can easily imagine that she waited for letters from her husband with the same interest and eagerness that he waited for hers.

W. L. Hicks

W. L. Hicks, the diary author, was the regimental clerk of the 28th New York Volunteers. His first name was Washington, but he signed his letters W.L. and those initials are used throughout this volume. Hicks mustered in on May 22, 1861, as a private, was promoted to corporal on March 17, 1862, and to Sergeant on May 18, 1862.

As soon as the regiment was organized, Hicks began writing his diary which he entitled History of the 28th New York Volunteers. He wrote fairly regularly until the first week of September 1862 when the Regiment began its march toward the battle of Antietam. His manuscript was divided into two parts. The first half covered from the organization of the regiment in Albany on May 18, 1861, through its retreat from Winchester on May 25, 1862. The second half covered the regiment’s experiences in Virginia from June 2, 1862, through September 4, 1862, when the regiment crossed the Potomac River back into Maryland. His last entry was dated September 1, 1862, but like many entries, covered several days.

Hicks was captured at Chancellorsville in the Spring of 1863 and sent to Libby Prison. He and other prisoners from the 28th were paroled on May 11, 1863, and reached Lockport, N.Y. in time to be mustered out with the regiment on June 2, 1863. Just before the battle, many of the men gave Hicks their money for safekeeping, thinking he, as regimental clerk, would not be going into battle. Hicks managed to hide the money and returned it all to its owners when they were mustered out at Lockport.⁹

Nevertheless, while a prisoner Hicks lost his diary. Fortunately he had given a copy to Gillam. In a letter of May 23, 1863, Hicks asked to borrow Gillam’s copy and said that in return he would furnish Gillam with a copy of the remainder when he finished it. Letters of August 28, 1863, and March 9, 1866, indicate Hicks returned Gillam’s copy and made another copy for himself, which he also subsequently lost. Hicks still intended to complete the history, but apparently did not.

On August 31, 1863, Hicks reenlisted in Company A of the Second New York Mounted Rifles, the closest thing to a successor of the 28th New York Volunteers. In this second enlistment he was a private most of the time, until his new officer, Lt. Col. Joseph N. Wood, promoted him to sergeant on May 1, 1865. In a letter to Gillam of March 9, 1866, Hicks claimed that the previous officer had kept him a private in the belief that Hicks would not stay in the Adjutant’s Office if he were promoted. Hicks also said that after two years of campaigning under General Ulysses S. Grant, he now considered that in the earlier service in the New York 28th we had a pretty good time generally. He was mustered out with the Second Mounted on August 10, 1865.

Hicks was not married during the war. In his letter to Gillam on March 9, 1866, he mentioned that one thing that made his post-war life bearable, even pleasant, was a nice young lady works at the same desk with me. Thirteen years later, on September 10, 1879, he married 35 year-old Runama Travis at Port Jervis, N. Y. They lived in Canandaigua, N. Y., where Hicks died on June 10, 1885. His widow was receiving a pension of $25 a month when she died on October 31, 1919.¹⁰

Despite Hicks’ criticism in his history of Generals Patterson and Pope and other officers, his letter to Gillam of March 9, 1866, raises doubt whether he criticized them as much as he felt warranted. He referred to a short book written by Major N. Ward Cady, an officer in the New York Second Mounted who was court martialed¹¹ . Hicks objected to Cady’s account, saying that There was no embellishment about it; it was a plain statement of facts, but Maj. Cady had no business even to tell the truth, where it was going to cast the least shade of reproach upon a Superior Officer. Truth should not be spoken at all times especially in Military life. Maj. Cady found it so to his cost.

Gillam and Hicks had many similar experiences as they were in the same regiment. Nevertheless, they also had differing perspectives because they served in different companies. Their writings reveal the feelings of ordinary Union soldiers who served during the frustrating first two years of the Civil War.

I

SUMMER 1861:

ORGANIZING AND TRAINING

. . . the prevailing opinion here is that we shall be disbanded this fall, I hope that this trouble may be settled and peace may once more smile on the face of our glorious and beautiful but troubled country

—Gillam, June 2, 1861

The 28th Regiment of New York State Volunteers was organized under the Act of April 16, 1861. Ten companies, listed by officers and counties in the first diary entry, were formed and mustered into service in Albany on May 22, 1861, for two years. Colonel Dudley Donnelly, from Lockport, N.Y. was the leader and the favorite regimental officer. Chandler Gillam served in Company F, raised in Genesee County. W. L. Hicks served in Company E, raised in Niagara County.

On June 1 the regiment moved to Camp Morgan, a training camp three miles outside of Albany named after then Governor of New York Edwin D. Morgan. The regiment contained many friends since it was made up of men from the same area of New York, and initially at least there was no social dividing line between officers and men. One of the first things Gillam’s tentmates did in June was invite some of the officers for dinner.

It was not until June 23 that the regiment received the Remington rifles it had been promised. The very next day, the regiment received orders to move to Washington, where the presence of Confederate forces in nearby Virginia required reinforcement of Union troops. Several weeks earlier, in April, a mob in Baltimore had attacked a Massachusetts Regiment on its way to Washington, but the 28th Regiment passed through Baltimore without incident. After marching before President Lincoln in the impressive 4th of July parade in Washington, on July 6ththe 28th Regiment moved to Martinsburg, then in Virginia.¹

The 28th regiment became part of a Division under General Robert Patterson. When General Irvin McDowell planned an attack on the Confederates defending Manassas, he gave Patterson the task of preventing the 11,000 Confederate soldiers in the Shenandoah valley under General Joseph Johnston from reinforcing the Confederate forces at Manassas. Instead of moving forward toward Winchester as his men expected, however, on July 17 Patterson ordered his forces to move to the rear (retreat) toward Charlestown. The Division was on its way to Bolivar Heights, Maryland, on July 21, 1861, when the Union suffered its defeat at the first Battle of Manassas.

Eager to fight but without the opportunity, morale sank and the men grumbled a great deal over everything from food to leadership. Hicks wrote on July 21 the grumbling ceased shortly afterward when Patterson was replaced by Maj. General Nathaniel Banks as Division commander. Gillam wrote on August 6, that if all the Generals did as Patterson did, the war will last a good while.

On July 28, the regiment crossed the Potomac at Harper’s Ferry, back into Maryland. In August Gillam was stricken with a fever and spent several days in a boarding house in Berlin, Maryland, near Harper’s Ferry. When he recovered he traveled by train to Frederick, Maryland, and rejoined his regiment.

[Diary entry of W. L. Hicks]

HISTORY OF THE 28TH REGT. N. YORK VOLUNTEERS

ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES

For years previous to the breaking out of the rebellion of 1861 the political leaders of the south had been seeking a pretext for disrupturing the Union and forming for themselves at the south a separate and independant government. The election of Abraham Lincoln to fill the office of President was considered a sufficient cause for them to withdraw: and State after State in rapid succession passed the ordinance of secession and arranged themselves in open hostility to the Federal Government.

Among the earliest that responded to the call of the President for troops to aid in the suppression of the rebellion may be counted the 28th Regiment of New York Volunteers.

May 18, 1861. [The 28th Regiment of New York Volunteers was organized at Albany.]

The Regt. was organized under the Act of April 16, 1861 to serve for the period of two years. The Regiment was organized at Albany N.Y.

As would indicate from the choice of Field and Staff, a great portion of the Regiment was raised in Niagara County though not all.

Company A Elliott W. Cook, Capt., Daniel R Witcher 1st Lieut., John Repase Jr., 2nd Lieut. was raised in Niagara County

Company B William W. Bush, Capt. Alfred B. Judd, 1st Lieut. John C. Walch 2nd Lieut was raised in Niagara Co.

Company C William H.H. Mapes Capt. William P. Warren 1st Lieut, Frank A. Wicker 2nd. was raised in Niagara Co.

Company D Edwin A. Bowen, Capt., Geo. Davis 1st Lieut & La Fayett Chaffee 2nd Lieut was raised in Niagara Co.

Company E Theophilus FitzGerald Capt., Walter Brown, 1st Lieut & Harvey Paddleford 2nd Lieut was raised in Niagara Co.

Company F Charles H Fenn Capt., William W. Rowley 1st & Geo. M Ellicott 2nd Lieut. was raised in Genesee Co.

Company G David Hardie Capt., James O. Nickerson, 1st Lieut., and William M. Kenyon 2nd Lieut. was raised in Orleans Co.

Co. H John Waller Capt., John C. Terry, 1st and Lee M. Brown 2nd Lieut was raised in Sullivan Co.

Company I Theodore P. Gould Capt., Justin C. Ware 1st Lieut. & George A. Bingham 2nd Lieut was raised in Niagara Co.

Company K Henry H. Paige Capt., Volney Farley 1st and James D. Ames 2nd Lieut was raised in Niagara Co.

Four days after the organization, the Regiment was mustered into the U.S. Service. The companies until the 1st of June was quartered in buildings in various parts of the city and went into Camp (Camp Morgan) where a majority of men formed their first acquaintance with the military life. Officers and men alike were unacquainted with the duties pertaining to the positions they had voluntarily assumed. But the same patriotism that had induced them to abandon the comforts of home for the discomforts of the tented field; also induced them to persevere, the Officers in qualifying themselves to command and the men in perfecting themselves in all those qualities that combined to make the good Soldier; Efforts were made to procure efficient Drill masters, but were made in vain. The only alternative remaining for the Officers was to perfect themselves as best they might from the various authors on military tactics that came to hand, and after having learned themselves, instruct the men under their commands!

Notwithstanding all the difficulties that presented themselves, the men made considerable progress in drill and in learning guard duty. As yet we had only arms enough to arm the guards, but those arms were in constant use. When the new detail was preparing for the tour of duty, squads were all the time practicing the manual, so that at the time of the issue of arms the whole Regiment had acquired considerable proficiency in the use of the rifle.

[Letter from Chandler B. Gillam]

Albany, June 2nd 1861

Dear Sarah,

We are now in camp and what a glorious time we are having; I am enjoying myself lots, that is as well as I can without you and you know. We left the barracks yesterday morning at eight o’clock. We are encamped about four miles south of the city of Albany within one-half mile of the Hudson River; there is two regiments (Col. Davis & Col. Donnelly) encamped in the same field; there is about 45 acres in the field; there is about 500 tents. Don’t you think it is quite a city they have all raised up. The best of the draw; I wish you could have been here and seen us put them up. They look so nice…

Charles, George Hamilton & Leander Hamilton & myself rooms together, all top top fellows. We have got our tent fixed up first rate; we’ve got 2 bundles of straw on the bottom and we got a large bundle of hemlock boughs and laid them on the straw; we’ve been out in the country this morning and bought enough carpeting to cover over the bottom of our tent so you see we have a nice carpeted room; our clothes all hang up, our blankets all done up nice, and I have to use a blanket and newspaper to write on… .

But dear Sarah I hope we shall not be separated very long; the prevailing opinion here is that we shall be disbanded this fall, I hope that this trouble may be settled and peace may once more smile on the face of our glorious and beautiful but troubled country, and that we may go home and enjoy the society of dear and beloved ones at home, how good it will be, will it not dear Sarah; methinks I hear you say yes. You tell me to do my duty, you may be sure I shall do that and without shrinking.

I have just recd. your letter since I commenced this to you, it came up this morning. Oh, how glad I was to get it. The Ensign calls off the names of all that has letters. He distributes them; you may be sure I started and ran when he called my name… .

Our company are getting ready for dinner; I wish you could see us (we do not cook our victuals) get our victuals; we get a tin plate with some meat on it at one window then march to another and there we get our Bread and at another our knife & fork, the next butter salt & pepper at the next, coffee at the next, pickles & beets most generally. As for washing I can get that done for six cents a shirt and 3 cts a collar, dear enough, I shall not get many collars washed.

I think we shall beat you on a camp meeting, we shall hold ours longer than yours; how I would like to see you. Has there been any thing said by Sherwood’s folks about you or me since I came away; if there has I want you should let me know it; I don’t know about keeping late hours without Rita; is he officiating in Vickerson place.

I should like to had some of the cock you had for dinner. I have not had any pie or cake, only what I have bought, since I came away from home. We are having very warm weather here now, good camp weather. I have recd. every letter you have wrote I guess… Charles & I have been together ever since we came to Albany; our company have all been together… Tell Henry we have a grand place to in seeing steam boat & schooners are going up & down the river all the time… Some of our company has just been relieved from guard, there is now 1 hour guard duty from our regiment. Chas. H. Fenn, eats with us.

. . . When you write to me direct in care of Capt. Fenn 28 regiment of volunteers; give my love to our folks and Dwight & Oranges, and ever think of him who shall as long a life is spared him will forever think of you; don’t fail to write as often as you can.

C.B. Gillam

[Letter from Chandler B. Gillam]

Camp Morgan

Albany June 4th 1861

Dear Brother,

Charles recd. your letter yesterday. Our Capt. (that is Charles H. Fenn) was down to the city and brought it up with him. We was very glad to hear from you and that you are all well. We are enjoying ourselves first rate. I like camp life very much. I had rather by half be here than at the Barracks although we are kept very strict here. I don’t know how long we shall be here, probably till the middle of July or longer. You must come down as soon as you can.

You see by my writing that we are in camp. We left the Barracks Saturday June 1st. We are now about 4 miles south of the city. There are 2 regiments encamped in the same field (ours under Col. Donnely) and Col. Davis. We are 1/2 mile from the Hudson river on the west. The first night we were here it rained all night. There were seven of our company detailed for guard duty. They were out all night in the rain.

Charles will have a time of it tomorrow. He is Seargent of the guard. He has to report at 7 tomorrow morning for breakfast. He goes on at 1/2 past time. He will be broke of his rest for twenty four hours. I think he will need something to stimulate him. I have not been on duty yet. I shall be in a day too; I shall be ready when my turn come… .

I hope this trouble will be settled when Congress meets in July and that we may all go to our homes again. We have just returned from dinner and while there I heard that some of the soldiers in Col. Davis regiment had been poisoned and that two of them are in the hospital now, the doctors examined it and pronounced it poison, that is the report. I don’t know how true it is, but if true it will be seen to.

Our camping ground contains about 75 acres. It belongs to a man by the name of Naswell. There are four of us together in one tent, Charles, Leander Hamilton, George Hamilton, they are from south Byron. We have got as good a tent as any one on the ground. The bottom is laid over with boards, then covered with straw and hemlock boughs, and all covered over with a carpet which we bought out in the country. Our tent is about 9 feet square. We are to have some of our cloth[e]s tomorrow or next day, we can see the Catskill mountains from here.

We had a tent warming last night; we invited a few of our friends in to see us; our guests were Capt. Charles D. Fenn, Major Mitchell, Capt. Hardee of Albion & Lucien Ware of Niagara Falls; we had a rich old time. I must prepare for drill. Yours with much respect,

C.B. Gillam

[Letter from Chandler B. Gillam]

Mrs. Sarah E. Gillam

Byron, Genesee Co.

N.Y.

Camp Morgan June 7th/61

Dear Sarah,

You will no doubt like to hear from me as often as you can, and I want to hear from you as often as you can write. You don’t know how I like to rec. a letter from you. It has been awful bad weather since we’ve been in camp. It has rained most all the time since we came here; it rained last night. The sentinals have to stand out rain or not.

We have not got any cloth[e]s nor money yet and don’t know when we shall. The officers have told so many storys about our cloth[e]s & money that we can’t put any dependance on their word; some of them boys are ragged as they can be and are ashamed to come into the ranks to drill; some of them says they will not drill until they have their cloth[e]s; I don’t blame them at all. You know what Mitchell said when he came