This letter was written by Pvt. William Truax (1841-1862) of Co. B, 126th Pennsylvania Infantry. The regiment was recruited in Juniata, Fulton, and Franklin counties during the summer of 1862. Its term of enlistment was nine months. Many of the men and officers had served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry, a regiment whose term had expired. The regiment arrived too late to participate in the Battle of Antietam. While encamped near the battlefield in the weeks afterward, the 126th received its regimental flags and was reviewed by President Abraham Lincoln. The regiment’s first battle came three months later at Fredericksburg, where it lost 27 killed, 50 wounded, and 3 missing.
William was the son of Benjamin Truax (1812-1897) and Sarah Catherine Pittman (1819-1860) of Thompson township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania. According to his military records, William enlisted on 5 August 1862 at Greencastle and was with the regiment until his death from disease on 27 November 1862 at the Regimental Hospital near Falmouth, Virginia.
The three camp visitors mentioned in the letter were relatives of members of Co. B.
Signature of William Truax; the author was formerly misidentified as William Lomax, 2nd Maryland Infantry.
Transcription
[One mile from Sharpsburg, Maryland]
October 8th 1862
Dear friends,
I must try and write a few words to send you when I have a chance. I had been very well ever since I left home till within the last five or six days, I have been very unwell. I am a little better now but I am hardly able to write. I think I’ll get better after awhile.
We are in a very sickly place close to the [Potomac] river near Sharpsburg in Maryland. There are a great many sick in our regiment. A great many of them say they don’t think the surgeon does them any good, but I think he must have helped me some. I believe I have a touch of my old fever.
John R. Pittman, John Litten, and Abner Hess came down last evening. They invited [me] to eat with them and I did eat a little. I send this letter with them. I should have written to you sooner but I did not get it done right at first and we could not send a letter for the last three or four weeks unless we sent it with some citizen. We have not received the mail for three weeks for some reason or other it has been stopped. I suppose you think I left you very suddenly and without notice. I did—that is a fact, but hope it was not much disappointment to you. I gave my Pap no more notice that you.
If you like to do any settling that relates to me, you and Dad do it, I suppose. I hope this will find you well. I send my best respects to you all.
Yours respectfully, — William
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