These letters were written by Didier Gevrez (1844-1890) of Co. A, 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI). [Didier’s surname is spelled Georez on the company roster.] Didier enlisted in the company on 11 August 1862. In December 1863, he would be joined by his half-brother Lafayette (1845-1878) in the same company. Both survived the war and mustered out with the regiment in the summer of 1865.
Didier’s three letters give us only a snippet of the history of the 36th OVI from the fall of 1862, following the battles at South Mountain and Antietam in which the 36th were engaged. In the latter battle, the regiment was part of the brigade that stormed and finally succeeded in crossing Burnside’s Bridge over Antietam Creek after the bloody repulses of the morning. After crossing, they advanced on Sharpsburg and helped check the Rebel advance of A. P. Hill’s men.
Didier was the son of Theodore Gevrez (1810-1891), of French heritage, who married Jane Smithson in Marietta, Ohio, in 1833. After the war, Didier returned to Ohio and become a farmer. He later moved to Kansas, settling in Johnson county.
[Note: These letters are from the collection of Jim Doncaster and are published by express consent.]
Letter 1
Clarksburg, Va.
October 18th 1862
Dear Father,
I will write you a few lines to let you know that I am well. I received a letter from [brother] Lafayette the 16th. I was glad to hear that you was all well.
We went into camp on the Antietam the day after the battle, the 19th September. Stayed there till the 8th of October. Then we marched to Hagerstown 18 miles. Then 12 miles to Clear Springs. Then 14 miles to Hancock on the railroad. Got on the cars Friday night the 10th October. It rained all night and the next day. It was very dry before. We stayed on the cars at Hancock three nights. Then we run to Cumberland. [Stayed] there two nights, then to Clarksburg.
We got off the cars Thursday, 16th, and went into camp. I got twenty-nine dollars at Hancock and I will send it home to you when I get the rest. I think that we will get paid off soon now and I will send it all together. When I was on the cars coming through the folks was plowing and sowing wheat in Maryland. It’s a good wheat country. It was too dry for corn this year here. On some farms I seen two and three thousand bushels of wheat.
You have heard of the battles we had at South Mountain and Antietam. I have seen some papers—the Frank Leslie and Harper’s Weekly. They had a fair view of the Battle of Antietam where we charged across the bridge and up the hill and towards Sharpsburg. I got a Cincinnati paper the day we got here. It had a letter that General Cox wrote. He commanded the Division then. He left a week ago last Sunday for Kanawha. I have not heard from there lately. We don’t hear much—only when we get papers. Some of them gets papers from Marietta every week here.
I don’t know how long we will stay here or how soon we may leave. When I get my money, I will write again. I have been cutting hair ten cents a head. Yesterday I but 13. I am called out to cut hair again so I will close till next time. There is five sutlers here. Guitteau and son is here. They sell things very high, all of them. There is lots of little boys fetch in pies and sell them at ten cents each, butter fifteen cents, eggs 12 1/2.
Yours, — Didier Gevrez
Co. A, 36th OVI
Clarksburg, Virginia
Letter 2
Clarksburg, Virginia
October 20th 1862
Dear Father,
I will write you a few lines this morning. I sent you fifteen dollars and an order for twenty-nine dollars by Theodore. The twenty-nine was to be left at Marietta so you could get it but the pay roll was not made out right. That pay roll was made out when we was at Munson Hill the 4th of September. I got my twenty-nine dollars at Hancock the 12th of October and half a month’s pay the 12th. The pay master is paying off the regiment now. The boys get six months pay. Captain J[ohn A.] Palmer is going home and I will send my money by him. He is going to take the money for his company. I will send you thirty dollars this time and one dollar of the new kind of money they have for change.
We had a little frost this morning and there was two companies of volunteers come in this morning for the 11th Regiment OVI. They came from Camp Dennison. One of them told me that the camp was full of drafted men and they were being sent off to fill up old regiments.
No more at this time. I am going to Clarksburg this afternoon. It is a mile from here.
Yours respectfully, — Didier Gevrez
Co. A, 36th Regt. OVI
George Barker, Levi Putnam, Frank Duval and some more just came into camp.
Letter 3
Camp on the Kanawha
32 Miles above Charlestown
Dear Father,
I will write you a few lines this evening. We was two days marching from Summerville here, 33 miles. I was up to see the 92nd Regiment. They are camped at Gauley Bridge, 3 miles above here. They are all well and I eat dinner with Capt. Dudley and Jude Chamberlain. Jude is the sutler of the 92nd. They keep one company to work round the camp at a time. They had Unn Robison in the guard house for getting tight. He found a pint of whiskey while he was at work cleaning off the ground where there was an old tent and some other things. The 21st Regiment is camped above the 92nd and the 4th Virginia. Joe McGuire is in the 4th Virginia. I seen him. He is big as anybody. I expect we will go down the river some place to winter. I think the fighting is about over this winter.
Charlestown, Virginia
November 19th 1862
I will write you a few more lines. We are camped on the Kanawha at Charlestown. We left Clarksburg 25th of October. Went to Summerville, 101 miles. Got there the 2nd of November and left the 11th and got here yesterday, 65 miles from Summerville.
The 36th Regiment has been round. Capt. Palmer got here the same night we got into camp. He fetched Peter Hockenbery and William Rodes. They are handcuffed and in the guard house. Thomas Jackson came too. He told me that you talked of coming out here when we get into camp where we will stay awhile. I think we will go into winter quarters pretty soon. Then I will write to you and let you know.
I seen some of the Kanawha salt works. They are making salt by wholesale at some of the wells and some was burnt by the rebels. The wells are from Camp Piat 10 miles to Charlestown all along the river as thick as the oil wells on Duck Creek. No more at this time.
Your respected son, — Didier Gevrez
Co. A, 36th Regt. OVI
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