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Front Royal
June 3d 1862
Dear Mother after Marching for 10 days we found ourselves last night in front Royal all safe & sound. We left Sentervill I think last thursday. But we have been on the move ever since a week a go last saturday. I stood the March first rate. We have got Front Royal & a bout 200 prisoners. I expect our Regt will guard them & the village. We have got old [Stonewall] Jackson cornerd up here & we are a goin to give him Bud. I could hear the cannon roar
yesterday & day before. Gen Shields is enough for the old gag. I havent had a letter from home in a long time. I sent 30 dollars home last week I supose you have got by this time. I guess BP [Russell] sent it by check. It has rained for 3 days & we have laid on the ground two or 3 nights. But that is nothing. I can lay on the ground in the rain & sleep as sound as I could in a feather Bed. Now that is So. I dont know where we shall go to or where nor how long we shall stay here. I dont know
any thing only what I see & hear & that ant much. I expect we shall fight a little if Shields cant whip old Jackson a lone. But I dont want you to worry a bout me. I shall try & take care of my self the best I can & if I get killed I am no better than lots of other Brave fellows that have lost thier lives. But the Old Col [James M. Fuller] said this morning Boys you will all come out right in the end. Now Ma dont fret & worry about me. I shall write as often as I can. Tell pa to write & tell me how he gets a long
& what he thinks a bout the war. I think in a bout 2 months the war will be over with. I guess I wont write any more this time so good morning from
Add
June 12th 1862
Catlet Station a gain
Dear Father I recived your letter the 10 & was glad to hear from you & that you was all well. I was sick two or 3 days when we was at Front Royal. I had what we call the Va quick Step But I am well now. We came from Front Royal yesterday. We came on the cars. It took us 10 days to go there the way we went & one to come back. The report is that our men has cut old Jackson all to bits & killed Col. [Turner]Ashby. I guess it is true for Shields & [Gen. John C.] Fremont was after him the last news we had. I expect by the time this letter reaches you we shall be in some other place. But I dont know where it will be.
Have you got that money yet. I thought I would not lend it to B.P. [Russell]. I havent much confidents in him. He is looking out for No 1 to much for my liking. I thought my money would be safer at home than it would be to let him have it. I paid him 10 dollars & he got 15 for you. You can pay me the 10 some time. Let Mr Miller have it. He is the man I wish he would take all of my money as fast as I get it. I see all the Catt [Cattaraugus] folks are bound for the west. I think they had better come South. Va is a nice state. We have warm dys here & cold nights. But there is something a bout the climate that a man may lay on the ground all night & he will be wet with dew in the morning & he wont take
a bit of cold. In Catt if I should lay out on the ground I would be haff ded in the morning. There is a great deal of wheat raised here. The corn is 6 or 8 inches high. They are howing the first time. Hens & gees are very skers [scarce] here. The Solders take them. We dont call it stealing. It ant stealing. We call it Jayhocking. If we see any thing we want we Jayhock it. I helped jayhock some sheep the other day & the Gen ordered us to be put under guard. But they let us go a gan in the morning so we slept gust as well that night. Oh Pa I have been Promoted to third Corpral. What do you think of that? Mr [Theodore] Marvin is sick in Alexandry. Uncle James [Fay] is at Washington & Sant [Sanford Field] is here. He keeps home sick yet. He wants to be discharged.
We havent got half a Regt now. The Col [Fuller] said the other day that 440 was all the men he could muster. I dont know where they have gone to. There hasent but 2 or 3 died. Old Fuller dont know half as much as he did at LeRoy. The Lieut Col [Howard Carroll] is a good drilled man But he is a crabed sour old shit. The Boys dont like him. I guess we shall go to Fredricks Burg when we move next.
I have got lots of Postage stamps. I guess I will put 2 or 3 in for you. John Markham got shot in the ass. Sam Reed was doing something with his revolver & it went off & took John in the Ass. It did not hurt him much. He is walking around this morning. I shal have to stop for the want of paper. Write soon from Add
[In same envelope as 12 June 1862 letter]
Dear Mother
I have wrote so much to Pa that I dont know that I can think of any thing to say to you only to repeat over what I have writen. I would like to be at home a little while & have you make me a good warm dinner to day. I havent eat at a table since I left home only on them old boards at LeRoy. Our living is good enough But it ant home living. Tell Henry [Adrian’s brother] if he wears a gray coat it will make him Sesesh. He had orto have a Blue Coat. Tell Mary to put some stripes on his arm & make him an Ordely Sargent. These are the stripes [drawing of three stripes] & these are mine [drawing of two stripes].
How does Zack do. Does he hunt any. Tell Charley & Asa [Adrian’s brothers] to ketch me a good string of trout. Do they work any. Have you planted any Corn & potatoes. How many calvs have you got. Has Charley Fields [Adrian’s first cousin] pade any thing for that gun or does he keep it yet. He dont write to me yet. I wrote to him once. I guess I have written eneough for this time. Write & tell me all the news. I m ust write to Uncle Asa & ... as soon as I get a little time. So good morning
from Add an officer in the
U. S Armey
June 24th / 62
Well I supose you think that I am in a right Smart chance to see some fitin soon Moley? Well I dont know but there is. But some how or other I cant see it. They say Old Jack [Stonewall Jackson] is a dain to make an other lift on us by & by. But I guess if he does he will get his Belly full for there is a lot of us a round a bout here. We can see from our camp at night the fires of three or four Regt. Our men brought in a Rebel prisoner yesterday. I don’t know where they found him.
I am well & as tough as I can be. We drill in the Bayonet exercise in the for noon & then have the Battalion drill at 4 o clock & drill untill Six o clock & then have dress parade.
It is hard work to drill the Bayonet exercise. We have to get our selvs into all sorts of shapes. But it is a nice thing you may bet. Jim drills us. Both of the Lieutants drilled with us this fore noon. We had a hard rain last night & the creeks are very high. We have little small tents a bout large enough for 2 men. There is a bout 4 yards in our piece which each man has to carry with him when they march & 2 or 3 men put their peaces to gather & makes a pretty good shelter from the rain & the sun.
Pa, B.P. [Russell] feels kind a gritty at you. Edwin has been to Whig St. and he says the Whig Street folks told him that you had been telling around that Byron had lied to you. I told B.P. I did not think that was so for I had never heard you say sucha thing. I know it was a darned lye & there is sirtin ones on Whig Street that like to tell all they know and a good deal more. I don’t think the Elder [Byron P. Russell] will stay here long. He is getting awful sick of it & he talks of resining. So Sant told me. He hasent said a word to me a bout it. He was for making money more than he was for any thing els I guess & it dont pay as good as he expected. There is no one knows how long we shall stay here. Some say we are a going to Alaxandra as Provose guard. But I dont know how true it is. I dont know where Uncle Jim [Fay] is. The last I heard of him he was at Washington. Old [Theodore] Marvin is in Alexandria. Abner [Marvin] is dreaming around. He wants to be discharged. Poor little home sick fellow. Lime Glaser left us at Centervill when we was
a going to Front Royal. He thought there was danger a head & he would dig out & we havent seen him since. There is a shour of rain a coming. I shall have to stop & fix my tent or I will get wet. The male has just arived and I got a letter from Mary. She said she sent a letter the day before. I havent got that one. B.P. [Russell] told Sant (so he told me just now) that you had been telling that he had lied to you (& says he) I dont like it first rate) for he did not lose any thing by it. For all winter while he was at Leroy his famaly was suported & besides I helped him other ways so that I allmost lost my own position. Well he believes the Whig Street stories. He did not say who suported the famaly. Sant says that BP [Russell] is agoing Resine Sure & that he is a going to have him go home with him & I hope he will. I have got so Sick of hearing Sant move around that I don’t know what to do. I shall be glad when he has got home all safe & B.P. to. I dont give a darn how soon he goes.
I will send you some Sessesh money. It is not the gnuin [genuine?] exactly. But it goes among the Sessesh here as good as any. I will write to Ma next time or to Mary.
Adrian Fay Civil War Letters – Transcribed by Phil Palen
Pages in PINK are transcriptions of Xerox copies of letters sent to Phil Palen by the late Hollis Harvey Reed of Philadelphia, great-granddaughter of Adrian Fay through his daughter, Hollis Fay Fellows.
Pages in GREEN are transcriptions of originals owned by Phil Palen donated to St. Bonaventure University.
Pages in BLACK are transcriptions of originals owned by Patrick Gallagher donated to St. Bonaventure University.
Phil Palen added periods and initial capitals in these transcriptions, but did not change spellings.