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1 of 1977

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Metadata

Catalog Number

1805.025.34

Collection

Carlton Birch Letters

Object Name

Letter

Title

Letter from Carlton Birch to his Uncle

Scope & Content

A letter from Carlton Birch to his Uncle about his life as a Union soldier in the Civil War. Carlton wrote this letter on July 16, 1864, near Petersburg, Virginia. In this letter Carlton explained that it had been hard to receive and send letters with the Rebel forces near Washington. He also discussed how the soldiers conducted bomb proofing, built fortifications, and held inspections. Carlton also described how terrible he found his meals.

Two sketches accompanied this letter. The first illustrated in detail the plans for the bomb proofs. The second sketch illustrated a man starving who was so thin he could blow away in the wind.

Date

July 16, 1864

Notes

This letter is addressed to "Uncle." In later letters, Carlton addresses letters to "Uncle George." This letter may also be to Uncle George.

The full transcription of the letter is as follows:

Near Petersburg Va July 16th 1864.
Dear Uncle

We have just completed a Bomb proof and being Safely Seated out of danger I can write a letter or two, in peace, I dont [don't] know what to write about but as we dont [don't] get our mail very regular now on account of the Rebs [Rebels] being near Washington, I must keep up our line of Communication; (I hope you wont [won't] let it get cut off,) I am well and so is Co D generally [a second "n" crossed out in generally] we have been hard at work, and yesterday blew up a Caisson of Amunition [Ammunition] in the fort opposite us killing 13 Rebs [Rebels], all with one Shot from one of our "Mortars", We have a great number of Mortars along our line, (and Rebs [Rebels] also) we were in danger of being killed both night and day before we built our Bomb Proof an illustration of which you will find attached, although I have not the Patience to draw anything to day, We had Brigade Inspection this Morning under Cover of our Works and it passed off without any one being wounded by the numerous Shells that fell near us; We can get out of their way now, but we will not be able to sleep in our Bomb Proof, Each Company [page break] dug its own hole and built its own Proof; the back of the Proof is 12 feet from the inside of our breastwork and Seven feet from our foot platform, We have two very large forts nearly Completed, one on the right and one on our left, and our underground operations are progressing (to blow up the Rebel Forts) We have our forts so masked with Brush + timber that the Johnies dont [don't] Suspect what a dish we will soon have prepared to Cook their goose on, Several Reb [Rebel] Pickets Came over last night, and some come Evry [Every] night lately, they say a whole Brigade will come over to night at our Signal (of 3 Rockets) and we will be under arms probably until 12 O'clock (midnight) to receive them, I reckon you Citizens are releived [relieved] from your Scare by the time you receive this letter, as the 6th Corps from our Army has about got Even with the Rebs [Rebels] that undertook to visit Gettysburg, at least we hear they are driving the Rebs [Rebels] out of Maryland into Virginia again, and we hope they will get here in time to be blown up, with these in our front, wont they look fine going up [illustration of three stick figures] - I hardly think I should like to be there then, I have no ambition to leave terra firma in that way - [page break] although we all Expect to rise in the World, and the Johnies will rise sooner than they dream of-1-2-3- gone,

I have just had dinner, Consisting of the following articles Hard tacks, Beef boiled, Beef Soup thickened with hard tack, and Hard tack soaked; there are four of us messing together at present, 3 Sergts [Sergeants] & 1 Corpl [Corporal] and we ate our four rations of Potatoes for two days "in one meal" along with one days ration of Pork for four Men, besides Hard tack and Each having a pint of Coffee; "but the fact is, we dont [don't] get our rations" we only get half rations of Everything Excepting Hard tack and Fresh Beef,; [sketch of a hand pointing] "And onions + Pickles, also molasses, Rice & Potatoes are all sold to Officers until culled down to rotten or damaged lots, and they are given out as far as they will go! Sometimes we get a Potatoe [Potato] Each man, Sometimes two, but never more than three, in three days rations, Pickles were rarely ever get, once or twice a year, unless the Sanitary Com [Commission] furnishes some as it did about 3 days ago, the Commissaries of the Regiments cant [can't] help us, as they do not receive Such things among the rations the Brigade Commissary deals out to them, and they (it seems) dare not complain, So we are half the time with nothing but Hard tack, I would like to know who is really the head man in this Swindle, why Even the hard tack [page break] they rob us of: the Boxes are supposed to weigh 60 lbs when they have Bread in them but they dont [don't]and each Box is supposed to have 50 lbs of Bread inside, but it dont [don't] - the Boxes weigh about 18 lbs and the Bread about 40 lbs - who is to blame? And has Uncle Sam got so poor that he has to send us Such Miserable Pork as we now get, "there aint [ain't] fat Enough on it to fry it in, and we will have to make special requisitions for Cod fish to fry it with there is more grease in codfish than in the last Pork we had, Just look at at the likeness of our Orderly Sergeant, who has depended Entirely on Uncle Sam for his food, I am afraid he will blow away some day - You might speak to Mr Sanitary Commn [Commission] if you see him, and say also that we have not been paid yet, and Tobacco is most outrageously scarse [scarce] here, Write Soon, Give My love to My Rib, tell her I will come home the first Strong wind that blows, provided we are not better fed - My love also to Aunt Lizzie & Laura and the boys, Aunt Eliza + Annie, Captain and all Relatives + friends My Love to Mother and Father + family if you See them Soon, I will write to Pop tomorrow unless Something turns up -

Your hungry Neff Carle.

Extent of Description

1 leaf, 9.75" x 15.625"

Relation

Show Related Records...

Condition

Excellent

Condition Notes

Noted as "poor" on 10/05/2005, as the letters were in a scrapbook titled, "Record in War." However, the collection was conserved by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), Philadelphia, PA, in 2010. Each item was removed from the scrapbook and placed in individual folders.

Legal Status

On loan from The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia.