1863: Allen Lovejoy to Jonathan Lovejoy

Reunion Badge of the 121st New York

This letter was written by Allen Lovejoy (1838-1907), son of Andrew Lovejoy (1790-1850) and Sally Allen (1805–Aft1880) of Roseboom, Otsego County, New York—some 50 miles west of Albany, not far from Cooperstown. Allen enlisted in Co. G, 121st New York, in August 1862. At the time of enlistment Allen was described as a dark-haired, grey-eyed, 5′ 7″ farmer. Joining with him in the same company at the same time was his younger brother, John M. Lovejoy (1843-1900), who was wounded in 1864 but survived the war [see John’s war-time diary and six letters he wrote during the war]. Allen was transferred into Co. C of the Veteran Reserve Corps on 1 January 1865 and mustered out of the service on 3 July 1865 at Cleveland, Ohio.

Allen wrote the letter to his youngest brother, Jonathan D. Lovejoy (1846-1863), who served in Co. I, 152nd New York Infantry. Johnathan did not survive the war. He was discharged for disability after one year of service and died on 5 October 1863—some six weeks after this letter was written. [See 1863: Jonathan D. Lovejoy to his Mother]

[My thanks to Annaliese Vonheeringen for providing me with a first draft of this transcription.]

Transcription

Lovell General Hospital
Portsmouth Grove, Rhode Island
August 18th 1863

Dear Brother Jonathan,

I received your welcome letter of the 14th this morning & I was glad to hear that you was getting some better & was well enough to send a letter in your own hand writing again I hope you will soon get well enough to take your papers and bid Uncle Sam goodbye and go home and get well and be a help and comfort to Mother and Almira. I shall feel better if you get home, even if you are sick, than to know you was well & in the army, for I don’t think our folks will suffer if you get home as they did last winter for want of someone to take care of things. If you are at home—whether you can do anything or not—you won’t allow them to be run over [as] they have been after a years service in the army. I know that.  And I hope you will just stand up for their rights & yours. If you do get home, just stand upon your dignity as a returned Union Soldier & if you hear a Copperhead blow, just blow him as high as a kite—whoever he is. That’s my motto anyhow.

Well Brother, John has gone and you may as well believe I miss him too. But I got a letter from you & him both this morning & I have answered his and now I’ll have to scratch to get yours ready for today’s mail. I am glad they both arrived at once for then I can let each of you know how the other does as well as myself. I told John all about you & now I will tell you what he says. He says it was very hot there & he was very tired and sweaty. They left here Friday and got to New York Sunday morning & he sat down & wrote to me as soon as they got there. They are in Fort Wood on Bedloes Island, New York Harbor. They had a good time going down there & Dr. Cornick got berths for all the boys on the steamer so they had a good place to sleep. He says the barracks there are not very good & they have no chairs or stands as they do here. He says they expect to leave there for the south in a few days, but don’t know certain when.

He saw Capt. Bingham on the East river steamer when they were crossing from New York  to the island  He says your regiment is 7 companies at Fort Schuyler & 3 at David’s Island but her don’t know which place Co. I is at. His letter was short as he was very tired but I was glad to hear from him & no less glad to get yours too.

We had a very heavy shower here Sunday just night. It rained a perfect deluge & the wards looked as if they stood in the ocean—the ground was covered with water so quick. It rained all night & yesterday & last night was cold enough for a frost, only for the sea breeze.

I have not got any letters from home since I last wrote so there is no news to write from there & as there is nothing here that will interest you & as the hour is drawing nigh for the mail to close, I will close too, hoping this will find you well enough to take a journey to old Otsego once more, a free man. And I hope nothing will ever tempt you to leave home again—to enslave yourself when you can get rid of it. You leave two brothers in the service, & having done your duty like a man before age required it of you. Let some of the lay backs at home take your place and you rest from your labors & you will feel a conscious pride that you ever left a good home & kind friends in spite of a couple of brothers entreaties to serve the country of your birth and defend our Glorious Flag. All honor to such Noble Patriotism that is willing to defend Liberty with life. These are the feelings of an affectionate brother & may God bless & protect my noble brothers, Jonathan & John.

Write soon, — Allen

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1862: John I. Burlingham to Sister

This letter was written by John Burlingham (1841-1862) of Co. E, 121st New York Infantry—commonly known as the “Onesers” or “Upton’s Regulars.” John enlisted at Hartwick as a corporal and in this letter he describes the regiment’s journey to Washington D. C., arriving there on the morning of September 3, where they were provisionally assigned to a brigade under Colonel Augustus A. Gibson with headquarters at Fort Lincoln.

On the march to the South Mountain and Antietam battlefields, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Corps, but it appears doubtful that John fought in those battles. He died of disease on 26 October 1862 at Bakersville, Maryland—only a few weeks after writing this letter.

Fort Lincoln, Washington D. C.

Transcription

Fort Lincoln
September 9, 1862

Brother John & Sister Gib,

Well here is the Old 121 at Fort Lincoln. We got into Albany about 6, took supper, and started from there in the New World for New York. We arrived there about 9 the next morn, went into quarters there in Barracks in the City Hall Park and a fine place it was. We left there the next morn on the cars via New Jersey, Trenton, Newark, New Brunswick, Burlington and Baltimore. In Philadelphia we met with the warmest reception of any place on our journey. The ladies of the place prepared a nice meal for every regiment that passes through.

After we left there, things wore a different aspect and folks began to grow sulky and mean. We passed the bridge that was burned by the rebels last season. It was by a company of men. Finally we reached Baltimore in the morn. We dare not buy anything to eat of the citizens for fear poison but we got dinner there and started for Washington where we did not arrive until the next morn. We marched from there here where we now are and a forsaken country it is—bushes thicker than hairs on a dog. The land is a kind of a red soil. Well, I can’t describe it. Half the men down here don’t look like the honest and portly yankees of the North but they are a pale, thin-faced, sulky-looking set. There is one lives about 100 rods from our camp, but he cries out he is a Union man, but we know that he is not one and if he shows the least signs of secesh, we will give him some Enfield balls. But there’s no more of talking. I have got too much to do that I cannot write much yet. we are at work hard. Laid on our arms last night. That is all I dare write. So goodbye. We are about 9 miles from Washington. Direct to Mr. John I. Burlingham, Care of Captain Campbell, Co.  E, 121 Regt. NYSV, Washington D. C.

You will find 2 photographs at Mohawk that you can get. Keep one yourself and give one to Burlingham’s folks. Do it as quick as you can convenient for they have been there some time.

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1866: Millard Fillmore Irish to Alexander Turney Stewart

Unidentified Union soldier amputee.

This letter was written by Millard Fillmore Irish (1844-1898) who originally served in Co. F, 92nd New York Infantry from October 1861 to April 1862. He then re-enlisted in Co. E, 16th New York Infantry in August 1862 and was transferred to the 121st New York Infantry in August 1862 as a private in Co. E and then transferred to Co. F on 11 May 1863. His enlistment record indicates that he stood 5 feet 5 inches, had grey hair, and brown eyes.

Military records reveal that Millard received a gunshot wound in the left elbow on 1 June 1864 at the Battle of Cold Harbor. He was discharged for disability on 27 August 1864.

Millard was born in Colton, Saint Lawrence county, New York, the son of Smyton (d. 1892) and Emily B. Irish. After the war he lived in Pierrepont (1880) and Potsdam (1890). He died on 20 March 1898.

Millard wrote the letter to Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876), a highly successful Irish emigrant who was the proprietor of the largest department store in New York City at the time. He was incredibly wealthy and must have received many such requests for handouts.

[See also—1867: Henry Lyman Chamberlain to Alexander Turney Stewart]

Addressed to Hon. A. T. Stewart, New York City, N. Y.

Transcription

Albany, New York
December 17, 1866

Hon. A. T. Stewart
Sir,

I hope you will pardon the boldness that I have taken upon myself in addressing these few lines to you. Knowing of your kindness to those who need help I take this method of soliciting means of getting home to New York City. I am a disabled soldier who having lost my arm, am compelled to remain here in the Soldiers Home as I have no means of helping myself. I do not wish to remain here as I feel like I would like to do for myself with a little and I could accomplish this.

Hoping the above will meet with your kind consideration, I subscribe myself your humble servant, Millard Irish

Ward 2, Soldiers Home, Albany, New York

Late of Co. F, 121st N. Y. S. Vols.
Millard F. Irish

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