189th York Infantry CIVIL WAR LETTER - Mustered, Getting Guns Washington DC
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:194480 |
CIVIL WAR LETTER
This Civil War letter was written by Horace J. Hammond (1828-1903) of Cohoctin, Steuben county, New York. He wrote to his wife, Eleanor (1835-1919). Mentioned frequently is Oscar Hammond, their youngest child (1860-1938).In August 1864, Horace accepted a bounty from his county to enlist in Co. G, 189th New York Infantry. He mustered in at the age of 37 on 1 October 1864 to serve one year. His enlistment record indicates that he stood 5 feet 8 inches tall, had brown ...hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. He mustered out with his company near Washington D. C. on 30 May 1865 after 9½ months service.Hammond served largely at City Point, Virginia, the headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant. While at City Point, he was injured when a fellow soldier’s rifle discharged and the bullet became lodged in his leg. Doctors removed the bullet and Hammond recovered without having his leg amputated.A postwar picture of Horace J. HammondTRANSCRIPTION
Washington [D. C.]
October the 3d 1864Dear Wife, I sit down to write a few lines to you. We are all well—only my belly aches a little but that is nothing. Hoping this will find you all enjoying the same.Well that day that you left here [Elmira], we were called out and mustered for our pay and Saturday about five o’clock we was called out and paid and went down in the city about 15 minutes and then after dark we started for Washington. We went about 30 miles and laid there in the cars and the woods all night till seven o’clock the next morning. Then we started for Williamsport. Got there Sunday about noon. Then for Baltimore. Got there Monday morning one o’clock. Laid in the cars till daylight, then went down to headquarters and got breakfast. At eleven o’clock we started for Washington. Got there tonight before dark. Got supper and went to writing. In the confusion.Tomorrow morning we have two hours to see the capital and then we get our guns and start tomorrow night for City Point [Virginia]. Well, I put in ten dollars and when you write to me, [let me know] if you get. Then I will send some more. You must not write till you hear from me again. That won’t be long. Tell me how you got home and everything and all about the folks.We fared better than we did in Elmira for victuals. Tell Charles that I will write to him when I get time. I am moving too much now. I want to know all. I bought a testament in Baltimore. [It is a] bad place to write here tonight a sitting on the floor and going around. I would like to see you but when the year is out, then I shall come home to stay with you. Keep good spirits. We will take a boat from here down the Potomac and up the James river.No more at present but one word—they are wiping them out at Richmond now. Well I must quit and go to bed. Remember, don’t write till you hear from me again. No more at present. I remain your friend unto death. Goodbye for the present.— Horace J. HammondTERMS$3.00 postage in the United States. We accept Paypal. Postage combined for multiple purchases. Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise will pay a much higher postage rate!For International buyers: We are now using eBay's Global Shipping Program. We had too many packages sent via the post office go missing. So we believe this program will be safer for us - and for you.We're members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the Illinois Postal History Society.We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies or reproductions). Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog. We've been selling on eBay since 2001. BID WITH CONFIDENCE.
00085
This Civil War letter was written by Horace J. Hammond (1828-1903) of Cohoctin, Steuben county, New York. He wrote to his wife, Eleanor (1835-1919). Mentioned frequently is Oscar Hammond, their youngest child (1860-1938).In August 1864, Horace accepted a bounty from his county to enlist in Co. G, 189th New York Infantry. He mustered in at the age of 37 on 1 October 1864 to serve one year. His enlistment record indicates that he stood 5 feet 8 inches tall, had brown ...hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. He mustered out with his company near Washington D. C. on 30 May 1865 after 9½ months service.Hammond served largely at City Point, Virginia, the headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant. While at City Point, he was injured when a fellow soldier’s rifle discharged and the bullet became lodged in his leg. Doctors removed the bullet and Hammond recovered without having his leg amputated.A postwar picture of Horace J. HammondTRANSCRIPTION
Washington [D. C.]
October the 3d 1864Dear Wife, I sit down to write a few lines to you. We are all well—only my belly aches a little but that is nothing. Hoping this will find you all enjoying the same.Well that day that you left here [Elmira], we were called out and mustered for our pay and Saturday about five o’clock we was called out and paid and went down in the city about 15 minutes and then after dark we started for Washington. We went about 30 miles and laid there in the cars and the woods all night till seven o’clock the next morning. Then we started for Williamsport. Got there Sunday about noon. Then for Baltimore. Got there Monday morning one o’clock. Laid in the cars till daylight, then went down to headquarters and got breakfast. At eleven o’clock we started for Washington. Got there tonight before dark. Got supper and went to writing. In the confusion.Tomorrow morning we have two hours to see the capital and then we get our guns and start tomorrow night for City Point [Virginia]. Well, I put in ten dollars and when you write to me, [let me know] if you get. Then I will send some more. You must not write till you hear from me again. That won’t be long. Tell me how you got home and everything and all about the folks.We fared better than we did in Elmira for victuals. Tell Charles that I will write to him when I get time. I am moving too much now. I want to know all. I bought a testament in Baltimore. [It is a] bad place to write here tonight a sitting on the floor and going around. I would like to see you but when the year is out, then I shall come home to stay with you. Keep good spirits. We will take a boat from here down the Potomac and up the James river.No more at present but one word—they are wiping them out at Richmond now. Well I must quit and go to bed. Remember, don’t write till you hear from me again. No more at present. I remain your friend unto death. Goodbye for the present.— Horace J. HammondTERMS$3.00 postage in the United States. We accept Paypal. Postage combined for multiple purchases. Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise will pay a much higher postage rate!For International buyers: We are now using eBay's Global Shipping Program. We had too many packages sent via the post office go missing. So we believe this program will be safer for us - and for you.We're members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the Illinois Postal History Society.We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies or reproductions). Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog. We've been selling on eBay since 2001. BID WITH CONFIDENCE.
00085
