1861: Henry H. Howard to Friend Lydia

This letter was written by Henry H. Howard (1838-1863) who mustered into Co. C, 1st Minnesota Infantry on 29 April 1861 when he was 23 years old. He was a private when he entered but was promoted successively to corporal, sergeant, and first sergeant prior to the regiment’s arrival at Gettysburg. Historians will remember that it was the 1st Minnesota that was thrown into the breach in the Union line on the evening of the second day to thwart Longstreet’s attack on Cemetery Ridge. What many don’t realize is that the 1st Minnesota also played an important role in turning back Pickett’s Charge on the third day as well. Between those two days, the 1st Minnesota sustained 215 casualties out of the 330 men on their roster, Henry being one of them. He was most likely wounded on July 3rd as Co. C was selected as the 2nd Division, 2nd Corps Provost Guard and did not participate in the charge of the regiment on July 2nd. Wounded in the left arm in the fight at the Angle, Henry was taken to McKim’s Mansion Hospital in Baltimore where he died at 10 AM on the 10th of July of gangrene [see These Honored Dead].

In this early-war letter written from Camp Stone near Edwards Ferry, 35 miles northwest of Washington, where the 1st Minnesota spent the winter of 1862-62 guarding the upper Potomac, Henry informs his friends back home that he had just come under enemy fire while on picket duty as artillerists from both sides threw shot and shell at each other across the quarter-mile wide Potomac River for an hour, accomplishing nothing. A little over a week later, on the 20th of October, the 1st Minnesota Infantry crossed over into Virginia at Edwards Ferry as a diversionary tactic while the main action occurred at Balls Bluff, four miles below.

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Jim Doncaster and is published by express consent. The image in the header is the winter encampment of the 1st Minnesota at Camp Stone.]

TRANSCRIPTION

Camp Stone
October 10th 1861

Friend Lydia,

I received your kind letter of the 11th [and] was greatly pleased to hear from you and the rest of my friends. I hope you will excuse me for not writing sooner. We just returned from the advance picket yesterday on the Potomac where we were in speaking distance of the enemy. On the morning of the 5th, we received a few shots from the enemy. They had planted a piece of ordnance during the night on the hill on the opposite shore which was brought to bear on our line of pickets. As soon as a number of the boys had assembled together to eat their allowance of pork and hard bread and coffee, they opened fire on them but their piece was ranged too high to take effect on them—the first shot thus giving them time to deploy on the right and left. The third shot struck the ground just previously occurred by the boys. I had just arrived with a lot of fresh beef for the boys which they ate after the fright very heartily. Some of the shell and shot came too close to my head for comfort but it was but a few moments until General Stone had taken a position on the hill with three twelve-pounders and was a playing on them in a manner that gave them to understand that we were not fighting on a non-resistance principle. But before he got his guns to bear rightly upon them, they fell back under the cover of the hill. The firing was kept up for about an hour which I think satisfied their curiosity. The firing of the enemy done no damage wit the exception of two artillery men which were slightly wounded.

We have had a great deal of cold and wet weather lately which is very disagreeable to those that have no shelter for their heads. This occasions bad colds, some cases of ague and fever. David Little has been sick but getting better now. My own health is good. We expect to see the Second Regiment here in a few days. 23 recruits arrived here yesterday for this regiment. We need many more to make our regiment complete. We are expecting everyday to be ordered across the river into Virginia which will cause a hot contest as the enemy are in large numbers on the opposite shore but we have full confidence in success. Our strength at this point is about 15,000.

I hope the Second [Minnesota] Regiment will get here in time to cross with us. ¹ You stated that Mary and Fanny had been to see you and think that I should like to of been with you. I hope the time may come when we may have the privilege of enjoyments like the past. I thank you much for the respect you have shown towards me since I have been in this far distant land of the enemy.

Give my love to all the friends. I have the honor to be your friend, — Henry H. Howard

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¹ The 2nd Minnesota never joined the Army of the Potomac. In fact, the 1st Minnesota was the only Minnesota infantry regiment to serve in the Army of the Potomac and fight at Gettysburg.