Letters and Notes of Interest

Letters to and from home.....

Camp near Stafford Court House, VA

May 31, 1863

Dear Wife,

This is a lovely Sabbath morning.  The air is cool and fresh and reminds me of the mornings in my far away Northern home, and I feel that I would like to take a stroll with you and Ella through the fields and into the woods.  In memory I see the skipping of lambs, the joyous singing of birds I hear in every tree bush and shrub, young plants I see bursting forth into bloom, and meadows are covered with their green carpeting and orchards are one beautiful sheet of blossoms.

I walked out the other morning across the open lands (I cannot call them fields as there are no fences here) into the woods.  I thought I would enjoy myself alone a while in a stroll.  The air was refreshing and as I walked along my thoughts were not with me, but far away where everything on this earth is dear to me and I was lonely and sad, although everything in nature appeared to try to make all joyous and happy.  The leaves of the trees were fresh with new life and sparkling with the morning dew; the flowers of many kinds sent forth their several fragrances; the birds of a hundred species sent forth their twittering notes; all happy but man and why was not he?

The sin of slavery has brought sorrow and desolation throughout our land.  For this cause I am far away from home and friends.  For this cause so many of our wounded men are in hospitals on beds with pain, and sickness.  For this cause many of our brave men have suffered death, and as I returned to Camp I prayed to God to speed the time when slavery would be more known in our land and our country would be at peace once more.

In your letter you ask how I spend my Sabbaths since Mr. Gordon went home.  We have had five since he left us.  The first Sabbath on the month, which was the 3rd, I was fighting at Chancellorsville; the 10th I had to work at the reports of the Company giving the loss of men in the battle; the 17th and 24th I had to myself.  Today, the 31st, I have so far been writing to you and I will this afternoon visit the 12th Corps Hospital to see the wounded and sick of the Regiment.  I hope to find them improving.

With love to you and Ella

I am ever your affectionate husband, R. Cruikshank

                 Robert Cruikshank                                                     Rev. Gordon

Hd Quarters 123rd NYV    Camp near Suffolk, C.H.   Feb 23, 1863

Dear Brother,

I received your letter of the 15th yesterday.  I am well at present and enjoying good health and hope that these few lines will find you all enjoying the same.  Sidney is well.  He is out on Pickett today.  We are having a snow storm down in the sunny south.  It commenced snowing here Saturday night and snarled all day yesterday.  The snow this morning is about 8 inches deep.  The storm is over I think for a day or so.  It is clear and cold this morning and seems very much like winter weather at the north.  If I had a horse and cutter for a short time today I could enjoy myself tip top but there is no use of looking about that kind of business down here for there is no kind of such conveyance down here.  We were intending to move our camp today but the storm will prevent us from moving today.  Last Friday morning the Regt all went out to fix up some new quarters.  Where we are camped it is in a very low place and the surgeon thought that we had better move if we could find a better place.  The Col. found a place that he thought would be better for the Regt so we have worked two days and got our log shanties build up ready to put the tops on.  We are going to move about a mile from where we are now camped.  It is on a high hill in a piece of woods and I think it will be a better place for us.  And besides that it is near to the drill ground where we have to go to every day that we drill.  That will save a good deal of traveling back and forth.  I suppose that you have seen Orderly Daicy as he is home on furlough and he can tell you more than I can write in a week.  There is four officers at home on a leave of absence or rather two Officers and one Surgeon and the Chaplain.  Their time was out last night but they have not got back to the Regt yet.  As soon as they get back there is two more ready to start for home, Capt Tanner and Lieut. Anderson in Comp D.  There is only fifteen line Officers here now that is fit for duty and it keeps what there is fit for duty a hoping nearly all the time.  I am the highest rank Capt that is for duty in the Regt now and I have had to act as Field Officer for two weeks.  I have been Brigade Officer of the day three times.  It is very easy position to have a hourse to ride around to visit the Regts in Brigade.  The boys are well in the camp but one and he is not sick but is not very well.  The camp is very healthy at present.  There is 68 for duty in the company besides those on duty and sentry duty.  I hear that the report is that the Regt cannot muster only about 400.  I see the report of yesterday morning and there's 659 men for duty so you can see that you cannot tell anything about what you hear from the Regt unless you hear from someone who knows.   I wrote you a letter with some money in it to send me some stamps but have not heard from it yet.  We cannot get any stamps here.  I paid 25ct for 4 stamps last weekend that does not pay.  So when you write please send a few stamps.  My love to all.  Tell Susan to write.  No more at present.  Write soon.

Yours,     Capt Norman Weer

Weer, Sidney B--Age 21 years Enlisted, August 7, 1862 at Hartford, to serve three years; mustered in as private, Co.E, August 19, 1862; promoted corporal, Sept 4, 1862; sergeant, no date, wounded in action, May 3, 1863 at Chancellorsville, VA; transferred to Co. D., 20th Regt Veterans Reserve Corps, Feb 15, 1864; promoted first sergeant, no date; mustered out with detachment, July 5, 1865 at Camp Cadwalader, near Philadelphia PA

Daicy, John H.--Age 25 years.  Enrolled AUg 13, 1862 at Hartford, to serve three years; mustered in as private Co E., Aug 19, 1862; promoted first sergeant, Sept 4, 1862; mustered in as 2nd Lieut, Nov. 11, 1863; as first Lieut, Mar 29, 1864; wounded in action, July 20, 1864 at Peach Tree Creek, GA; died of wounds July 22, 1864

Gordon, Henry  --Age 37 years.  Enrolled at Salem, to serve three years, and mustered iin as Chaplain, Aug 22, 1862; discharge April 18, 1863

Tanner, Adolphus H -- Age 28 years.  Enrolled at Whitehall, to serve three years, and mustered in as Captain, Co C, Aug 14, 1862; as Major, May 17, 1863; wounded May 25, 1864 near Dallas, GA; mustered in as Lieut Colonel Feb 20, 1865; mustered out with regiment, June 8, 1865, near Washington, D.C.

Anderson, Alexander--Age 30 years.  Enrolled at Salem, to serve three years, and mustered in as First Lieut, Co. D, Aug 14, 1862; as Captain, Feb 23, 1863; mustered out with company, June 8, 1865, near Washington D.C.