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November 3d [1862]
Father we are all safe & sound yet & I thought I would drop a few lines this morning to let you know it so that you & Ma wouldent worry a bout me any more than what you think is is nessary. I dont know what the name of this place is. Rickets whole division is to geather here & there is a lot of troops a hed of us
They have been fighting some 6 or 8 miles a head of us for 2 days. Yesterday there was heavy canonading all day. We are expecting evry moment to march on to wards winchester. I supose there is a few Rebs between here & there. I cant write any more this time for we are all ready to march
So good Bye
Adrian
Oh I supose you have downed a buck by this time, havent you. We are having the finest kind of weather here. Mary said there was a good hunting snow last Monday & you had gon
to kill a Buck. I wish I could be there with my old Austrian rifle to chase the deer this winter. I heard gust now that our folks have taken Snickers gap [Virginia; Battle of Unison] with 5000 prisoners. Good for that. I hope it is true. If it is so we shant have to fight as soon as we expected to. There was when they was fighting yesterday.
John Reed told the Bigest lie I ever heard. If he said he lay on the Battle field 10 days I think that is a mistak. He staid about a mild from the Battle Field 8 or 10 days at a barn they used for a Hospital where there was 1000 or 1200 wounded men. Perhaps that was what he ment. He never lay on the Field a minit & I can prove that for I carried him off my self.
Bealton Station Va
Nov 14th 1862
Sister Mati
I received yours of the 2d tonight. Was glad to hear from you again. We are now encamped a bout 3 miles from Rapahannock Station where the Rebs Shelled us once. They say we are here to guard the [Orange & Alexandria] Rail Road. May be we shall. But there is no knowing what we shall do now little Mc[General George McClellan] has been taken from us. That is a ... on us. The Boys are all discouraged. I think it is a confounded shame that they couldnt let McLelland alone. He was doing well. But that was the reason.
He was doing too well. The solders all liked him too well & they was a fraid we would hurt the Poor Sesesh if Mc led us. Burnside is a good General no doubt. But the solders never will have the confidance in him that they have in little Mc. He was doing the thing up right. He had gained in a very short time all that Old [General John] Pope & [General Irvin McDowell] McDowel lost all last summer. But he has gon now. We had a review the other day by him & as he passed in front of our lines with his hat in his hand we could hear him say Good Bye, Boys, Good Bye.
One Regt in our Division stacked their arms & Declaird they never would fight if they couldent fight under him & he had to stop & make a speach to them & encourage them up again. Lieut [John C.] Whiteside Declaired he never would go into an other fight a gain if Mc left us & he sent in his resignation papers to resign. But they wer not axcepted so I dont know what he will do now. He is Capt. now & so is [Thomas] Steadman. [John W.] Shedd is Col & Capt [Richard] Whiteside is Lieut Col. Ajtant [Adjutant Daniel A.] Sharp is Maygor & Johney White is Adtant. Tell Pa a bout this. He
will know all of these fellows. Well Mati it is getting late & I wont write any more to night.
Saturday 15th
To day is a nice pleasant day & the Boys are washing their shirts & geting their grub &c &c. We had an inspection to day By a staff of Brigadeer Gen Gibins [John Gibbon] who is in comand of our Division now. He says our Brigade is a disgrace to Armey. He is down on [General Abram] Duryee & of course he dont like us. But he may talk. There is not an other Brigade in the servace that has done more fighting for the length of time they have been out than we have.
Camp near Stafford Cort house
Nov 20th 1862
Dear Mother I recd your letter several days a go But have had no chance to answer it untill now. We came here yesterday. There is an ever lasting sight of troops here. Some are encamped. Some are on the move. I dont think we shall stay here long. But where we shall go to is of course un known to us. I am still Blessed with good health all though the weather is bad & stormy. But it dont seem to affect me at all scarcely
I had a slight touch of the Rhumatism a spell ago But I have got over that & as sound as a 4 year old Bull now. I never thought when I was at home that I could under go so much hardship as I have. If any one had told me so I would have called them a lier. Some think that old Brawd Side [Gen. Ambrose Burnside] is a going to have us a bord of a trans pord [transport] before long. I dont care where he puts us. When I get out of the armey I will keep out a week or two I guess. All though there is somthing about Soldering that I like after all. But I dont know what it is.
It is raining so I wont write any more to day. But if I dont get a chance to send this to the offace will write more in the morning.
Sat Nov 22d
We are here yet doing the best we can. I was sargent of our Pioneer Corps yesterday. We are making a cordoruy road to the landing so that we can get our hard tax hardtacks] up here. I had to get up in the morning at 6 o clock & call the men into line. It was before Breakfast & it rained like the old hairey untill 9 o clock then it cleared off & we had a pretty good day after all. Lieut Col. [Richard] Whiteside & Capt [John C.] Whiteside [Thomas] Steadman & Capt
[Patrick W.] Bradley has gon to Albany. I supose to get recruits to fill up our Regt. Wall Ma there is no more to write as I can think of so I wont write any more this time.
Adrian
Camp near Brooks Station
Friday Nov 27th 1862
Dear Sister Mati
I received your letter yesterday & was verry glad to hear from you. But my gladness was renewd to night at the arival of the male. It brought me a good pair of glovs which is the one thing needful here now. It is cold eneough to wair an overcoat all day. It rains ocasionly & then clears off with pleasant days & frosty nights. It apears to me that 30 cents was a great price to pay for sending
them. John Way got a pair of glovs & mitins to night that was sent from home that only cost 9 cents. It was a good deal larger packidge than this one was. We have been here now most a week. I dont know how long we shall stay. But probly not long. They will have us on the move a gain the first we know. I am well as usal & the Boys are all well. Bash [Sebastian] Stearns is ded. He died 4 or 5 weeks a go [Oct. 31, 1862] with the feaver. The Davis Boys [William & Peter] are here & well. Cephus Childs is well & as fat as a hog. He ways 177 pounds (that is good wate.
[Thomas] Steadman hasent got back yet. I dont know when he will come. McCluer [Sidney McClure, Great Valley] has got home has he? The old fellow was mistakened about being in the Bull Run fight. He hasent been with the Regt since we left Center ville in July on our way to front Royal. He fell out the first days march & we havent seen him since. He might have seen Louis Rust at the Hospital. But I don’t believe it. Then you dont like Mrs. McCoy very well it seams. You rather like the Pedler don’t you. Why isent he in the Armey.
You & Sarah [Flint] have great times dont you. Can she pinch as hard as she used to? If she can I Pitty you. I Declair it does seem to me that Old Sam[Uncle Sam] never means to pay us. I guess he is Broke. They say the Pay master is coming every day. But he dont come yet. If he dont come before long I shall have to stop writing so often. How is times there. Ant it hard diging for you fellers this winter? Or is money so pleanty that you dont know what to do with it. Wall Mati I must close for it is time to go to Bed. I will wind up in the morn.
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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.
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