All,
A few years ago my grandmother who lives in Pendelton SC (burial place of Bernard "There stands Jackson like a stone wall" Bee.) told me that her neighbor had a collection of civil war letters that had passed down her family. Much to my surprise, these letters weren't from a South Carolina Confederate soldier, but from one Robert Bunney, a private in the 173rd New York Infantry, who lived in Brooklyn with his family. It seems that the neighbor was descended from the Bunney families' Irish maid servant. Somehow the letters Robert sent his wife ended up in the maid's possession and were passed down the family line. She was kind enough to make copies and send them to me. I am just now getting along to posting them. They are somewhat hard to read, so I will be posting them all over a period of time.
Will MacDonald
Baton Rouge
State of Louisiana
January 5th 1863
My dear Wife,
Having a few chance moments take the opportunity of having them writing a few lines to you and wish immediately if you have not received my other letter dated Dec. 26th 1862 to write to me and tell me whether you received the Captains Certificate of my being on Rikers Island so that you could present it with your Relief Tickets and get pay immediately if you did not recive it and have any trouble go to Captain Waylons at the Station House in 4th Street near Grand where you got your papers for Riker's Island. He came with us all the way in the transport Steamer and has returned, tell him your name and that I am in Captain Dobb's Co B 173 Regt NYV stationed at Baton Rouge and he will see you get all money due you that is back and tell you how it will be paid. Send me work what you receive a week if paid and if everything is not right I will enclose a letter to him so that you can give it to him. We last week got our muskets and can tell you they give us plenty to do we are drilled with them 8 hours a day and with 40 round of cartridges and caps weigh about 42 pounds, we are hourly expecting an attack with so much dread are our officers of the rebels, the they post double pickets on the lines about 3 miles from our camp and we every day get 4 or 5 of them shot by the guards as they do not come to fair fighting but get behind trees and logs and shoot our men when they cannot be seen. I was on guard yesterday round the camps for 24 hours, 2 hours walking with musket and 4 hours off, when we can be in the general way lay down or do as we like, but yesterday our orders where when off duty not to leave the guard house, neither to lay or sit down but keep or muskets in our hands all the time as they expected an attack every minute. Talk about Thunder, Lighting, and Rain, I never saw or ever was in so terrific a storm the 2 hours from 9 til 11 at night, the weather is very hot indeed and getting plenty of Bilious fever. 25 cents shirt washing, we walk about 2 mile for water to cook with and drink, I am getting sleeply so goodbye.
Robert Bunney
of Capt. Dobb's
Co. B 173 Regt
NYS Vol.
Camp Banks
Baton Rouge
Sate of Lousisana
A few years ago my grandmother who lives in Pendelton SC (burial place of Bernard "There stands Jackson like a stone wall" Bee.) told me that her neighbor had a collection of civil war letters that had passed down her family. Much to my surprise, these letters weren't from a South Carolina Confederate soldier, but from one Robert Bunney, a private in the 173rd New York Infantry, who lived in Brooklyn with his family. It seems that the neighbor was descended from the Bunney families' Irish maid servant. Somehow the letters Robert sent his wife ended up in the maid's possession and were passed down the family line. She was kind enough to make copies and send them to me. I am just now getting along to posting them. They are somewhat hard to read, so I will be posting them all over a period of time.
Will MacDonald
Baton Rouge
State of Louisiana
January 5th 1863
My dear Wife,
Having a few chance moments take the opportunity of having them writing a few lines to you and wish immediately if you have not received my other letter dated Dec. 26th 1862 to write to me and tell me whether you received the Captains Certificate of my being on Rikers Island so that you could present it with your Relief Tickets and get pay immediately if you did not recive it and have any trouble go to Captain Waylons at the Station House in 4th Street near Grand where you got your papers for Riker's Island. He came with us all the way in the transport Steamer and has returned, tell him your name and that I am in Captain Dobb's Co B 173 Regt NYV stationed at Baton Rouge and he will see you get all money due you that is back and tell you how it will be paid. Send me work what you receive a week if paid and if everything is not right I will enclose a letter to him so that you can give it to him. We last week got our muskets and can tell you they give us plenty to do we are drilled with them 8 hours a day and with 40 round of cartridges and caps weigh about 42 pounds, we are hourly expecting an attack with so much dread are our officers of the rebels, the they post double pickets on the lines about 3 miles from our camp and we every day get 4 or 5 of them shot by the guards as they do not come to fair fighting but get behind trees and logs and shoot our men when they cannot be seen. I was on guard yesterday round the camps for 24 hours, 2 hours walking with musket and 4 hours off, when we can be in the general way lay down or do as we like, but yesterday our orders where when off duty not to leave the guard house, neither to lay or sit down but keep or muskets in our hands all the time as they expected an attack every minute. Talk about Thunder, Lighting, and Rain, I never saw or ever was in so terrific a storm the 2 hours from 9 til 11 at night, the weather is very hot indeed and getting plenty of Bilious fever. 25 cents shirt washing, we walk about 2 mile for water to cook with and drink, I am getting sleeply so goodbye.
Robert Bunney
of Capt. Dobb's
Co. B 173 Regt
NYS Vol.
Camp Banks
Baton Rouge
Sate of Lousisana
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