Thomas Pimer, 21st C.V.I., June 12, 1863

Thomas Pimer, 21st C.V.I., June 12, 1863

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 21st (1862-1865)

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Destruction and pillage

Racism

Thomas Pimer writes to his father about the fortifications his unit is building in southern Virginia his regiment's practice of seizing African-Americans from local slaveholders and compelling them to work for the Union army.

1863-06-12

4-8

Camp on Bowers hill near
Portsmouth, Va. June 12, 63

Dear Father,
Your letter was
received in due season, and I
should have answered before, but
I have been waiting to find out all
the particulars concerning this
Regt.’s coming home, and have
fount out that it was all a
humbug, and the story started
in the Regt. in the first place. I
did not place as much dependence
in the report as some did, so I
shall come out all right in the
end, but there are some men in
the Regt. that beleaved they were
going home just as much as they
did that the sun would rise on

[page 2]
the morrow, and even now they
believe it. with them I think
it will go hard, if we don’t go,
but it will be all the same with
me. I enlisted for three years or
dureing the War, and did never
expect to get clear before that
time. when I last wrote to you
we were encamped near to
Suffolk, since then we have moved
some 17 miles from there, and
are now encamped on a hill
near the railroad, and only 7
miles from Portsmouth. we have
a beautiful campground here
and have made arrangements to
stay here all summer. since
we have been here we have built
two large Forts and are now
at work on the third. the first
one, is one hundred and fifty-
feet square, and mounts

[page 3]
twelve guns, the inside is all
turfed over, and looks very nice,
the walls of the Fort are ten feet
high from the ground outside
and five feet on the inside, and
are thirty feet thick at the base
and fifteen at the top. inside
of the Fort we have a magazine
which is 12 by 20 feet, and ten
feet deep, it will hold a large
quantity of ammunition. the
Fort is the largest and best
looking of any in the whole
line of Fortifications, between
Portsmouth + Suffolk. the other
Fort is not so large and is not
worth giving a description of.
the Regt. has built eight Forts
since we have been at Suffolk
and I think for one regiment
we have done our part of the
digging. we are now getting

[page 4]
up a Negro Brigade, and have
now got some five hundred.
we send out a detachment
of men every day, and they take
every Negro that they can find
for ten miles around. the Old
Farmers find considerable fault
because we take there Negroes
from them, and in so doeing
they loose not only their N----s
but their Horses, we take every
hoarse that can be found, for the
use of the Army. I went out
with a party on Monday and
returned yesterday. we took 65
Neroes and 12 horses, at one house
we found a good looking young
fellow, and told him he must
go with us, but he did not want
to go. he said that his Wife was
sick and had no one to take
care of her but him. we asked

[page 5]
him where his Wife was, and
he said that she was over to Massa
Joes, so we went over there, and
found the girl at work in the
field hoeing corn, so we ^saw that
the N-- had lied to us, and when
he found out that he was caught
he made a jump from the guard
and ran into the house. in
a few moments Massa Joe came
out and asked what we wanted,
he was a very rough looking man
and seemed to have an ugly
disposition. we told him that
we had come to take all the Male
hands he had, and his Horses.
at that he was quite salty and
swore like a pirat, he said that
he would shoot the first man
that tuched a N---- that belonged
to him, but we were not going to

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be frightened by him, so the men
divided off into squads and
sent to find the slaves and the
Horses. the one that run into
the house we found in the cellar,
and broughted him out. the
whole number we got there was
six Negroes and two good Horses,
Old Joe after a while cooled down
a little, as he saw it would be no
use to try and drive us off, and
when we left he sang out that
he hoped the Rebs would kill
the whole Northern Army, and
that will be all his raging will
amount, we care fo none of them
they are all strong secesh, and
it is no more than right to take
their property away from them.
I think we shall stay here all
summer, and garrison the Forts.
I shall try and get a Furlough

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some time dureing the summer
and come home.
You spoke in your
letter about Mothers feeling
bad, because I sent to word
of greeting to her. I am very
sorry it is so, and I am sure
I did not neglect it, on purpose.
I thought that I told you to give
my respects to all of the family
and if I neglected speaking of
her alone, I did not do so because
I never think of her, or that I had
no respect for her, for I have, and
do think of her often I am not
so hard hearted as not to apprec-
iate the many good thigs she
has done for me. I know that she
done for me so well as any one
could under the circumstan-
ces, and I therefore thank her
for what she has done, and I

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shall never speak ill of her to
anyone. tell her that I am
sorry she felt bad, and will
hereafter remember to speak
more punctual of her in my
good wishes. you thought that
I was influenced by others
outside, but not so. no one
never speaking of eather you or
Mother to me, and the only
thing that I hear comes from
you. Dell sometimes tell me
that you are well and also the
rest of the family, otherwise I never
hear from you. and now hopeing
this will find you well and
Mother the same, even as I am,
and hoping for an answer soon
I will close by remaining
ever your son
Tho. K Pimer
Give my respects to
Mr Shaw and to Mr and Mrs Bush
also to all enquiring Friends.

ALS