Homer Curtiss, 2nd C.H.A., December 10, 1864
Title
Homer Curtiss, 2nd C.H.A., December 10, 1864
Subject
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
United States. Army. Connecticut Artillery Regiment, 2nd (1863-1865)
Description
Homer Curtiss relates to his sister a mysterious overnight march through the snow and the possible reasons for it.
Date
1864-10-12
Identifier
6-127
Text
Batt'ry 25 below Petersburg Va.
Sat. eve'g Decr. 10th 1864
My Dr Sister,
You may have noticed before this
that a soldiers is not a very certain life, and that
one following it is not altogether sure where his head
may be laid to morrow night, even if he has some
faint idea of to night's resting place.
If you have received all my letters you
are already aware that our base is changed to a
considerable extent, and that the 1st Div. 6th A.C. is
at present regularly installed in the Army of the
Potomac, the 3rd Div. is with us but the 2d is not, and
we have strange stories of its delay in the Valley, and
subsequent misfortune and disaster, all of which
I hope as most army stories, I know, are rather
remarkable lies, and so I leave it with Gen. Wright
Our 2 Divs are acting with the 2d Corps under the
command of Maj. Gen. Humphreys, and that is all
I know, and considerably more than I know
certainly. Now I go on to "narrate" as I. Phenix does.
[page 2]
I wrote last no. 16 last Tuesday, the day after
we came to this camp, our mpretty, picturesque
winter quarters. We enjoyed every minute of
our stay here, until Friday p.m. 3 o'c when the "pack
up" blew and we fell in in the cold sour air of
a winter evening to make a march, no know knew
where, but all supposed down to the left somewhere.
We started at 4 o.c, forming brigade line at
sunset, down by Gen. Meade's Hdqtrs, and then off
to the left we marched, just as a sleety hail began
to drive through the shrill, bitter air of evening
Down along the lines we marched, and out at
an abbattised and forted and heavily armed door,
into the thickets and forests of "Wilderness Dr."
and after an hour or two of slow, tedious marching
and after the hail had turned to rain and other
beauties and felicities were apparent, tolerably,
we came to a halt in a creek, but subsequently
moved out of it, fomed line and went into
camp for the night. Charlie, Austin and I
put up a tent and a love of a fire, and after a
good supper and dry, we retired to rest + sleep
[page 3]
Our supper and sleep were well seasoned with
danger and fatigue so you will not be surprised
to hear that they were particularly deep and
probably breakfast might have been so, but it
had no test, as we were called up nthis morning
at dawn, to find 2 or 3 inches of snow, hail and
ice accumulated on the ground, and a lot of
wet icy tents to dry and "pack up". We got a
nice bit of icy march through a tangled thicket
and went into line of battle in the worst place
I ever was in, a thicketty swamp, of a winter day.
After the line was formed and vedettes posted
we stacked arms, built a heavy timer breastwork
and then some fires,a nd rested and dried and
warmed and got breakfast-dinner at noon.
And there we waited and watched for Johnnies
until 3 p.m. hearing more rumors of the movement
than I could write in a week. Some had it
that Warren with his Corps, the 5th, had gone to
Wilmington and we had gone out to distract
Lee's attention from him. Others that he had
gone to pull up the South Side R.R. and that we
[page 4]
were out to support his flank and assist
him to retreat. There may be a kernel
of truth in all the lies aggregated, but I am
quite sure there is a deal more of chaff.
Warren has moved, and that is all that is
certain. We started but hardly had a movement
At 3 o.c. p.m. we fell in and by a circuitous
tortuous, muddy, sposhy march returned to this
camp, reaching it sometime after dark, tired
cold, hungry, only to find all the tenst occupied
by strangers! But after a long rest in the
damp chill of the night air, we ousted them
and occupied their late and our recent
quarters, much to their regret and our joy.
As soon as we were comfortably housed + warmed
a huge mail arrived, bringing me 8 Pub Docs
your Nos 9, 10 + 11 and letters from Fannie in
North East R.C. and wife and Seymour Storey.
9 + 10 contained each a "V" making 6 of
that style. $30.00. All right. We have just recd
whiskey rations and marching orders, so probably
this is all for tonight. We start at all hours.
Sat. eve'g Decr. 10th 1864
My Dr Sister,
You may have noticed before this
that a soldiers is not a very certain life, and that
one following it is not altogether sure where his head
may be laid to morrow night, even if he has some
faint idea of to night's resting place.
If you have received all my letters you
are already aware that our base is changed to a
considerable extent, and that the 1st Div. 6th A.C. is
at present regularly installed in the Army of the
Potomac, the 3rd Div. is with us but the 2d is not, and
we have strange stories of its delay in the Valley, and
subsequent misfortune and disaster, all of which
I hope as most army stories, I know, are rather
remarkable lies, and so I leave it with Gen. Wright
Our 2 Divs are acting with the 2d Corps under the
command of Maj. Gen. Humphreys, and that is all
I know, and considerably more than I know
certainly. Now I go on to "narrate" as I. Phenix does.
[page 2]
I wrote last no. 16 last Tuesday, the day after
we came to this camp, our mpretty, picturesque
winter quarters. We enjoyed every minute of
our stay here, until Friday p.m. 3 o'c when the "pack
up" blew and we fell in in the cold sour air of
a winter evening to make a march, no know knew
where, but all supposed down to the left somewhere.
We started at 4 o.c, forming brigade line at
sunset, down by Gen. Meade's Hdqtrs, and then off
to the left we marched, just as a sleety hail began
to drive through the shrill, bitter air of evening
Down along the lines we marched, and out at
an abbattised and forted and heavily armed door,
into the thickets and forests of "Wilderness Dr."
and after an hour or two of slow, tedious marching
and after the hail had turned to rain and other
beauties and felicities were apparent, tolerably,
we came to a halt in a creek, but subsequently
moved out of it, fomed line and went into
camp for the night. Charlie, Austin and I
put up a tent and a love of a fire, and after a
good supper and dry, we retired to rest + sleep
[page 3]
Our supper and sleep were well seasoned with
danger and fatigue so you will not be surprised
to hear that they were particularly deep and
probably breakfast might have been so, but it
had no test, as we were called up nthis morning
at dawn, to find 2 or 3 inches of snow, hail and
ice accumulated on the ground, and a lot of
wet icy tents to dry and "pack up". We got a
nice bit of icy march through a tangled thicket
and went into line of battle in the worst place
I ever was in, a thicketty swamp, of a winter day.
After the line was formed and vedettes posted
we stacked arms, built a heavy timer breastwork
and then some fires,a nd rested and dried and
warmed and got breakfast-dinner at noon.
And there we waited and watched for Johnnies
until 3 p.m. hearing more rumors of the movement
than I could write in a week. Some had it
that Warren with his Corps, the 5th, had gone to
Wilmington and we had gone out to distract
Lee's attention from him. Others that he had
gone to pull up the South Side R.R. and that we
[page 4]
were out to support his flank and assist
him to retreat. There may be a kernel
of truth in all the lies aggregated, but I am
quite sure there is a deal more of chaff.
Warren has moved, and that is all that is
certain. We started but hardly had a movement
At 3 o.c. p.m. we fell in and by a circuitous
tortuous, muddy, sposhy march returned to this
camp, reaching it sometime after dark, tired
cold, hungry, only to find all the tenst occupied
by strangers! But after a long rest in the
damp chill of the night air, we ousted them
and occupied their late and our recent
quarters, much to their regret and our joy.
As soon as we were comfortably housed + warmed
a huge mail arrived, bringing me 8 Pub Docs
your Nos 9, 10 + 11 and letters from Fannie in
North East R.C. and wife and Seymour Storey.
9 + 10 contained each a "V" making 6 of
that style. $30.00. All right. We have just recd
whiskey rations and marching orders, so probably
this is all for tonight. We start at all hours.
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Citation
“Homer Curtiss, 2nd C.H.A., December 10, 1864,” Linda Lear Center Digital Collections and Exhibitions, accessed October 4, 2024, https://lc-digital.conncoll.edu/items/show/1732.