Archive Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Catalog Number

XI.1.2.2019.029.09

Collection

Hazzard Family Collection

Object Name

Letter

Title

Letter from Thomas D. Hazzard to Joseph H. Hazzard

Scope & Content

Thomas Davis Hazzard writes to his brother recounting his life in the Union army. He is camped outside of Washington D. C. and he tells his brother about his experiences at his encampment, including details of his tent mates. He details the state of his pay, the food, and the weather. Hazzard makes note of the small keepsakes he has been gathering over his travels, such as small pieces of gravestones. This letter includes two poems that display a strong Unionist sentiment.

Dates of Creation

August 21, 1861

Date

August 21, 1861

Notes

This letter is addressed to "Brother." All of Thomas D. Hazzard's letters are addressed to "Brother," in reference to Joseph H. Hazzard

The full transcription of the letter is as follows:

Camp Near Washington Aug. [August] 21st 1861
Dear Brother,

I receved [received] your letter dated Aug [August]19th was glad to hear that you and your famile [family] was all injoying [enjoying] good health. You said mother wold [would] be in New York on whensday [Wednesday]. she sent me word that you thought she could get a job at a milk depot. i sent her a letter and told her she had better try it if she pleas [please] to i told her she might make a living and when i couldo draw my pay it wold [would] help her along. i did not know then when i sent her the letter When i should get my pay but i have found out sence [since] yesterday we sineged [signed] the pay Roll and today we got our pay thear [there] is a grate [great] eal [deal] of fuss hear [here] out of our hole [whole] companey [company] thear [there] was but about 20 sined [signed] the pay Roll i am in the 20 as i wan-ted my money. the rest are sticking out that thay [they] are 3 monthes [months] men and thought by sining [signing] thir [their] names thay [they] wold [would] be caut [caught] in some trick. Our captain told me that thear [there] war no ceatch [catch] in it as i examend [examined] it for over a hour. The pay is From 15th of May to the 30 of June. $ 17.33 i have some little to pay out of it wich [which] i have borred [borrowed]. the onley [only] Noncomisioned [Noncommissioned] officers wich [which] sined [signed] thear [there] names was the 2 and 3 Sergants [Sergeants] out of 13 so thear [there] will be 11 wich [which] will be broak [broke] the Ordley [Orderly] Sergant [Sergeant] was amoung [among] them so was Corprole [Corporal] Gilbert. As for our grub sence [since] last Sunday week we have as good viticles [victuals] as aney [any] man in the servic [service] could want i had been raining evr [ever] sence [since] last sunday [Sunday] a week the grownd [ground] is this light clay and you can hardley [hardly] stand upon your feet it is so slipprey [slippery] and our tents is good for & Nix [next] the rain comes though so you may know how dry our things is but we have but a fue [few] sick men amoung [among] us. the officers of the other Rigments [Regiments] say we are the heatheys [healthiest] set of men thear [there] is in the service. the men i told you aboute [about] that wold [would] not sware [swear] in again thear [there] was 200 men but now thear [there] is but about 20 left and the U. S. officer wich [which] inspected us told the Lutenent [Lieutenant] Coneral [Colonel] that he wold [would] have to send them home. Last Sunday our Captain run his sord [sword] hough [through] one of our mens leg up by the thye [thigh] he had to be sent to the hospital the dockters [doctors] mand [made] a
[page break]
[Poem upside down at top of page]
Roll on, thou joyful day
when tyranny's proud sway
stern as the grave
Shall to the grownd [ground] be hurld [hurled]
And freedom's flag unfurld [unfurled]
Shall wave thoughout [throughout] the world
Oer [Over] evry [every] slave

Big fuss thay [they] said that was no way to uese [use] men becaus [because] thay [they] wanted all the men thay [they] had. We will not be hear [here] long as Baker has to raise 4 more Rigments [Regiment] and this rigment [regiment] is to be taken some place Near Philad [Philadelphia] to form a camp of instruckion [instruction]. I think and so a large number of others that our Brigade will not be in this war. but that thay [they] will be sent down to fight the Mormens [Mormons] as thay [they] are kicking up some fuss. You wanted to know if Baker was Brigader [Brigadier] General or not he told us he wold [would] not resine [resign] his seat in Congress and the papers stated that he had Reisened [Resigned] all milletary [military] offices so it is not knowen [known] by aney body [anybody] what he is thear [there] was a man out withe [with] us several times. as we goe [go] out to the Eastren [Eastern] [word scratched out] Branch of the Potomack [Potomac] to pratizey [practice] in firing. this man that i spoak [spoke] whent [went] out with Baker some of the men got wind that he was to be our coneral [colonel] then thear [there] was a loud talk. You wanted to know if thear [there] was much grumbling theay [thay] are grumbling from morning to night befor [before] the officers as well as aney body [anybody] els [else].
You wanted to know if i liked the chees [cheese] and sasusages [sausages] wich [which] you sent me. thay [they] was just like . somekinde [some kind] of fancy grub wold [would] be to you at the present time. th as i had then nothing but what the men call Salt horse and hard biskets [biscuits]. although the wether [weather] being so hot onus [on us] the sasusages [sausages] to smell and taste rank but i eat it forall [for all] that our men mold [would] at that time catch all the pigs sheep and at night they wold [would] shoot cows so that thay [they] could get clear of eating the salt meat. You wanted to know if i loose [lose] aney [any] of my things i have not lost aney thing [anything] yet. but the reason is because when i am off of duty i am in sight of my things. My blanket wich [which] you sent me has don [done] me much good as no wet come though [through] it, it wars [wears] wherey [very] whell [well] it adds a little to the load to carrey [carry] but thats no difrance [difference] as it pays to carrey [carry] it. Our Officers dont care aney thing [anything] about what we have. All the things sent by the express is left at the Express Office and one of our wagones [wagons] goes after them
[page break]
[Poem written upside down at top of page]
The flag that our fathers died nobly to save
Shall never go down over Libertys grave
Still free and unfettered our eagle shall
sore [soar]
Till the reign of oppression forever is oer [over]

and bring them and the maile [mail] up to our camp the driver charges 6 cents for bringing them up but if you aint got it he gets nothing. The Government expect to be atacked [attacked] evry [every] night as the Rebles [Rebels] see thay [they] are getting short of grub i never sawr [saw] so maye [many] tents in my life as thear [there] is hear [here]. I at least our captain told you us that we wold [would] have our new cloathes [clothes] on purty [pretty] scoon [soon] you ought to see the mejority [majority] of our mens cloathes [clothes] thay [they] all are at least what part is left has changed thir [their] colar [color] from gray to a mudy [muddy] coular [color] our napsacks [knapsacks] the sun had pealed of the indeanrubber [Indian rubber] off our shirts wich [which] was maid [made] by the sewing mashine [machine] is riping [ripping] so neadles [needles] and thead [thread] comes in use. my neadles [needles] got wet like evry thing [everything] els [else] and thay [they] got rusty but i cleaned them. I have a little milk stone from Fort Schuylar [Schuyler] and a frind [friend] of mine in comp [company] D is got sevral [several] from Fortress Monroe he said he wold [would] give me one and i have a pice [piece] of a grave stone out of a grave yard in this city and i have got a small stone off of the grave wheare [where] on of the 10 Penclevaine [Pennsylvania] Rigments [Regiments] Sentnals [Sentinels] who was shot while one guard at the springs whear [where] we get our water about ¾ of a mile from our camp we have quite a long walk after water that is all the keepsakes i have yet but if i ever get in a Battle and come out safte [safe] i will bring somthing [something] with mee [me]. thear [there] have been so maney [many] of our company [company] deserted that when we had to fall in to drill we could finde [find] but 40 men but now we have some 85 or 90 left so in our tent thear [there] is but 4 men and we get along wherey bulley [?] what one has all can have we comence [commence] to clean our things to gather [together] so we get along first rait [rate] to or some time agoe [ago] our captain put all the corproles [corporals] in tents by them selves [themselves] so he tok [took] 2 out of our tnt [tent] i thoug [thought] mabe [maybe] he wold [would] put some loafer in ours so i whent [went] to him and told him if he put aney [any] lousey [lousy] loafer in my tent that us 3 wich [which] was left wold [would] lay out in the street befor [before] we wold [would] goe [go] in with him so he give us our pick providing the man wold [would] be willing so we nabed [nabbed] on to a bulley [bully] fellow so we our tent is
[page break]
[At top of page written upside down]
Rohl an though joyful day

a modle [model] tent 4 temprance [temperance] men that is thay [they] wont get drunk but thear is in the tent next to us 4 Corproles [Corporals] and 2 are drunk at most all the time. Send me word if mother is in New York or when she is to be. alsow [also] Send me word how i can get my money wich [which] i want to send home tell me wich [which] is the best way. i think it wold [would] best for me to have it fixed so that mother wold [would] like to have me to fix it so that she could drawr [draw] 4 half pay and if she and if she could draw it evry [every] month or two monthes [months] i dont know how thay [they] pay evry [every] month or or 2 monthes [months]. Pleas [Please] to send me word what she says aboute [about] it right as coon [soon] as you get this i did not get the papers you sent but i got the Sunday [Sunday] Dispatch wich [which] thay [they] send me from home evry [every] Monday [Monday] or Tuesday [Tuesday] i may get them to day [today]. i supose [suppose] you heard abut [about] Bill Mams Rigments [Regiments] busting up i hear thay [they] have joyned [joined] our Brigade You ought to see us drill now boath [both] by Compy [Company] and batalion [battalion] and Brigade. asyou [as you] know our Rigment [Regiment] is split in 3 Batalions [Battalions] with 500 men each the first is under Lutenent [Lieutenant] Coneral [Colonel] Wislar 2 under Major B Parrish this one i am in the 3 is under Major Smith. we have 200 New Recutes [Recruits] from this city thay [they] dont drill with us. I will now drawr [draw] to a Close by sending you and Ann and Mother and John Barrey my best Respects wright [write] scoon [soon] make a long letterNo more at present
Your Brother
Thomas Davis Hazzard
Dirict [Direct] to me
Compy [Company] B
Conl [Colonel] E. D. Bakers
First Califonia [California] Rigment [Regiment]
Washington
D. C.

Extent of Description

2 leaves, 7.7" by 12.2"

Relation

Show Related Records...

Condition

Poor

Condition Notes

Overall, letter is in poor condition. The first leaf of paper contains four horizontal folds splitting the sheet into five equal parts. The bottom of the page, however, has completely detached along the fourth fold line. This first leaf also contains two vertical folds and there is some tearing along the right vertical fold. This page has wrinkles throughout and small tears along all the edges. The second leaf of paper has five horizontal folds. Along the third and fourth of those folds, the page had signifigant tears. This second leaf of paper has two vertical folds. It contains tearing along the edges, primarily the left and bottom edges. Throughout both leaves of paper there is slight discoloration, mostly along the various fold lines.

Legal Status

Owned by The Union League Legacy Foundation.