ADRIAN FAY 1863 LETTERS
April 1863
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Adrian Fay Home Page
Mc lellan Hospital
Nicetown April 7th 1863
Dear Sarah
I received your ever wellcomed letter last evning & was glad to hear from you. I have tried two or three times to day to answer your letter. But I can scarcely think of any thing to write you that will be interesting to you. There is no news here at all. Evry thing is going on the same it was when I wrote you last. I had a pass to day. I went down to the City. I have just got back. But I shant get a chance to go out a gain in 2 or 3 days.
I wish I could see you to night for I have got lots to tell you. More than I can possably write in all night. No Sati I dont think I shall ever be sorry or regret the time that I became acquainted with you or what I promaced you that night. But I am a fraid you will. Do you think you will? I should like to know what your mother said. Didnt she think you was a little insain to think so much of a Poor worthless Soldier Boy (or as ... says a Poor dud as I am). Sati I dont think I shall give you a lecture on cairlessness for that is gust what I deserve. But I should have given you a lecture on swallowing pins if you had not made a vow not to take any more into your mouth. That is a verry poor practice
& you deserve a good scolding or whiping evry time you put one in your mouth. Why Sati I should rather lose forty rings than to swallow a paper of pins. I should expect that they would kill me diddid. I should prepare a vegetable diet such as wormwood or wintergreen. The bugle is blowing for us to go to Bed so I must close for this time. Good night.
Wednesday night [8 Apr 1863]
Well Sati I will try to finish this now if I can. I declair Sati if it wont for you I do think I never should hear from my folks again. I havnt had but two letters from home since I left there. I guess Mollie has forgot that she has got a Brother in the Armey. I havnt had but one letter from
from her yet. I dont see why she need to be so much taken up with pedling as to forget her Brothers do you? Well Sati it is geting late & I must close. Please excuse this short & uninteresting letter & I will try and do better next time. Write soon Sallie and tell me all the news wont you Dear?
Yours as ever. Add.
Mc Clellan Hospital Phila
Nicetown April 10th “63
Dad & Mom & all the rest of you that dont think eneough of a feller to write to him. I am a good mind to give you all a darngood jawing for not writing & tell me how you are a geting a long. Wheather there is any of you sick as well as ded. I havent had but 2 or 3 letters since I left home & it has been more than a month now since I have heard from any of you only by the way of others. It is gall darn queer that other letters came all safe from Great Valley, and non from home. I don’t believe you write any. I am well as usal. I can eat all I can get & sleep half the time days & all the night time.
I dont know wheather I shall get my discharge or not. We havint been examined yet. I guess they will detail me for some light duty and keep me here. The Docter told me this morning that I would make a good orderly to go with dispatches & wate upon the Ladys when they come in to see the solders. The mail is gust going so I must stop.
dont write
Add
McClellan Hospital
Nicetown April 18th 63
Dear Mother
I received your letter of the 13th this morning & was glad to hear from you. I began to think that I never was going to get an other letter from home again. It has been a bout six weeks since I have heard from any of you untill to day ... lonly looking letter came stragling a long. I dont see why it is that they did not come. I got other letters from Shintown But non from home. I wish I could have got that letter from Emergene. I declair I
had all most forgot that there was such a being on earth. Tell her to write a gain and I will answer it amediately with out fail. What in the old cat is Mati doing over to Mynnts [?] so long. Is she at work there or is she tring to catch that Pedler? You said that Sarah told you that she had been down to Aggs and saw ther Baby. You dont mean to say that Ks folks have got a Baby do you? I declair, there is some quear things going on in Shintown. They say Mary Ward is going to teach our school this summer. I wish I could be at home this summer. I would have lots of fun. I would go to school evry day
You would nt have to whip me to make me go eather as you used to do. Do you think you would? But I guess there is no danger for I dont expect to get my discharge this summer. If I do I shall have it soon for they are examining here now and they discharge all the woorst caces and all that are not verry bad off they detail to do light duty in and around the Hospital. I shall eather get discharged or detailed for duty here and that is better than to go to my Regt for I have don all the fighting I am a going to do I guess. Well it is Bed time. I will finish this in the morning.
Adrian
Sunday 19th
To day is an warm pleasant day. It seems to bad to be Hived up here in the Hospital such nice pleasant weather. I want to be out in the fresh air & at liberty as I would be if I was at home or at my Regt. I couldent get a pass to day. But I am a going out By & by. I can do what we call runing the Blocade. That is to clime out of the back window & crall through the lane, then if the guard dont see us we are all right & if they see us then for the guard house. But they wont get me in the guard house. These guards havent been Solders long eneough to catch a fellow that has run the gauntlet as I have (that’s all this time Add
McClellan Hospital
Nicetown April 19th [1863]
Well Pa I spose you are driving things in the Shop this spring as usal (leting the work drive you more than you drive the work) But I wish I could be at home this spring to help you. I had rather be at work in the shop than to be hear doing nothing. I dont expect to get discharged now for the order is not to discharge any that can be of any use in the Hospitals that are not fit for the field & I never will be fit to do any thing in the field any more so I
think they will keep me here But I dont know yet what they will do with me. I can use my arm eneough so that I could do light work such as guard & other work around the hospital. I had a chance yesterday to go to New York City But I thought I would not go for I like it here pretty well. I should be more shure of my discharge if I was there than I would be here. But I dont like to be moving around from one place to an other so much. There will be an other chance to go again in five days if I wanto go But I dont know but I am as well off here as I would be there (& perhaps better off here
I expect to get some Money now in a few days if my discriptave list is here. I did not get any pay the last pay day just because the Docter at Washington dident send my descriptave list here when he sent me. He has eather forgot to send it or he has lost it. I told the Docter the other day & he said he would send for it. So if it comes by the first of May I shall get 6 months pay. I dont know as I can think of any thing more to write this time. Write me a letter if you can find time & tell me all the news.
Adrian
I had a letter from Eva Willcox the other day & she said that Pa told her that Charley [Adrian’s brother] was better. I did not know that he had been sick.
Adrian Fay
McClellan U S A General
Hospital Nicetown
Penna
Old Fightin Joe [General Joseph Hooker]
has made a move
hip, hip, Hora
Mc lellan Hospital Nicetown
April 25th 63
Dear Father & Mother
I thought I would write a few lines to day to tell you that you mus not send any more letters here for I am a going to New York in a few days & perhaps to day or to morrow. I think I should be better off in my own state all though this is a good place here. But maby I can get my discharge quicker in N.Y. than I can here. I wonder if Constant Trivet [Trevitt] lives in N.Y. yet?
I got that paper the other day that had that shuger in. That was a great thing. I couldnt think for my life what that was until I smelt the sweet. I guess we shall go to day so I cant write much this time.
Adrian
U.S.A. General Hospital
SIXTEENTH AND FILBERT STREETS
Philadelphia, April 30th 1863.
Dear Sarah
I will try and write you a good long letter & tell you all a bout how I am geting along here in the City of Brotherly love. I received your letter last Monday & I have neglected answering it because I am a going to be transferrd to New York & I thought I would wate untill I got there. But I dont know how long I shall have to stay here before I can go so I will answer it now & then write you again when I get there. You would think Sadie to hear me tell of all the gay sights & splendid things that is to be seen here in the City that I could engoy my self here first rate & be happy as a clam for there is so many
places of amusement here & curiosities. There is some splendid buildings in this City. There is the Acadamy of musick is the most splendid place I ever saw. I have been there several evnings & then there is the Acadamy of finarts is an other verry interesting place. There you will see all the curous things you can think of. Birds & skulls & skellitons & Silver & Gold oar & evry thing you can emagine. It is worth a good deal to go & look at. I am going there a gain to morrow. You can go in free evry Tuesday & Friday. Now Sati shouldent you think I could be perfectly contented here? Nothing to do but to walk around & see the City & engoy my self. But I dont engoy myself half as well as I could in if I was in that awfle place Shintown. You know it is human nature to
all ways to be wishing for something that we cant get. So I am all the time wishing that I was at home & thinking of what gay times I would have if I could only be in Gt. Valley. I dont know what the reason is. I never cared so much about being at home untill since I came a way this last time. Can you give me any reason why Gt. Valley should be any more dearer to me now that it was be fore? I dont expect to get discharged now. They have got so paticular now a bout discharging me they wont discharge any un less they are entirely disabled. If they can do any light duty they will keep them. I guess they will put me on some light duty such as provo guard or something of that kind & not send me to my Regt. I am not able
to go to my Regt yet & I dont know when I shall be all though I can use my arm a great deal better than I was a fraid I ever could. But I havnt much strength in it yet. I should like to get my discharge well enough. But if I cant I had rather go to my Regt. I should be more contented to be there with the Boys that I am a quainted with than I am here as would I be in N.Y. There isnt a single person here that I ever saw be fore. All perfect strangers to me. It would have seemed awfull lonsome to me before I joined the Armey to be so far from home & among strangers as I am now but I have got so used to it that I dont mind it now. As long as I behave my self & can get a long among strangers well enough. Well Dearest you will excuse me untill evning & then I will finish this squally looking letter.
Yours with much love
Adrian
(Continuation of April 30, 1863 letter)
U.S.A. General Hospital
SIXTEENTH AND FILBERT STREETS
Philadelphia, Thursday eve. 1863.
Sarah
I supose you think you are worthy of a great deal of notace now since you have got to be Aunt Sallie. Dont you esteme it a great honor to be called Auntey? Oh, Dear Sati I wish I could see you to night. It is so lonsome here to night. It has been raining all day so I havnt been out to day. I have been reading all the Books & papers I can get hold of untill I got so tired I had to go to sleep & I have gust woke up & I feel now as though I should like to sit up untill about 3 o clock if I could be just where I a wants to be (or where I was an other time). Sara if I could be at home this summer I would have lots of fun. I would go to School evry
pleasant day when Irving Sheppard wouldnt be there. Would I be a good Boy though? &kiss the school marm too. But I am afraid Mary would have trouble with her school. If I was a school teachr I wouldnt teach in that disstrict or in any other where I had been to school all my life for it is sure that some one get up a fuss. But I wish her good luck. I hear Cris has got married has he? & you have lost him. Just your luck poor Child. I am sorry for you. Dearest you will pardon me for not writing you a longer & more interesting letter. When I wrote you before Satie you did nt think I was offended at you did you? For I was not. I couldent think of any thing that I wanted to tell you. If I could have seen you that time I could told you twice
yes twenty times more than there was in that letter or this eather. You know Sarah I am a verry poor hand to write & you must excuse me if I make mistakes. You will wont you? When you see Kit Kelsy give her my respects & tell her I honor her grit for treating Mrs Harvey with the same respect that I did. That is the only way to treat such folks. Give them a good severe litany a lone. Dont you think so? If you see Mary Willoughby before I do give her my respects & tell her I havent forgoten the good visit I had with her when I was at home & expecaly that Hay ride that she & I had that night she was up to our house. Some how or other I took a great fancy to Mary. Perhaps it was on the account of her cousin. There Sarah ant I runing on at
a great rate. I guess I will change the subject. Then you think of going to Ohio this fall to teach? I think it would be much more pleasant teaching with Weston than it would be teaching a district school like ours. Mr Miller thinks it is a disgrace for young Ladys to teach school. It would be if they didnt know enough to teach a Cat. Perhaps he will make a grand lady of his Daughter. Why is it that there is so many geting married in & around Gt Valley? What makes them in such a hurry. Why dont they wate untill the Solders come home then the Girls will have a better chance perhaps. These 2 years men [in the 37th NY] are coming home now & the Girls will all get married so there will be non left for the 3 year men. But it wont make any patular [particular] diferance with me will it Sadie? I guess you will be tired eneough before you get this all read so that you wont want me to write you an other so long a letter in a good while. But I shall write to you as soon as I get to N. York so to tell you where to direct. I dont think I shall stay here long enough to get an answer from this.
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.