Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
XI.1.2.2019.029.13 |
Collection |
Hazzard Family Collection |
Object Name |
Letter |
Title |
Letter from Thomas D. Hazzard to Joseph H. Hazzard |
Scope & Content |
Corporal Thomas Davis Hazzard writes to his brother to update him on his involvement in the Union army's movements in Maryland. Thomas details a skirmish that his company was involved with; however, it was an exchange of friendly fire and left 7 dead and 30 wounded. This letter is full of other pieces of Thomas's life, such as receiving his blue Union uniform, his station on the picket lines, and his own illness. In a postscript, Thomas writes about voting for the first time in his life. |
Dates of Creation |
October 12 & 16, 1861 |
Date |
October 12 & 16, 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: Bakers. Brigade. Poolsvill [Poolesville] Dear Brother Mongomery [Montgomery] County Maryland Oct [October] 12th 1861 I take my han pen in hand to send you a fue [few] line hoping thay [they] may find you and your famile [family] injoying [enjoying] good health. We Receved [Received] the first mail for 3 weeks yesterday thear [there] was some 6000 letters you might bett [bet] all hands was glade [glad] to see the mail come once more. ------ Monocacy Oct 16th Dear Brother. I will now comence [commence] this letter again Last Sunday we struck tents that is the 2nd battalion 7 companeys [companies] of us under Major B. Parrish packed up and marched to a place called monocacy upon the potamac [Potomac] river. you can see the place upon the map u 5 companeys [companies] are the Reserved in a small valley while 2 Cr. are on picket we Releve [Relieve] the pickets evry [every] 3 days. it is the main picket and requires the hole [whole] atention [attention] of the men placed on poste [post]. we can look across the River and see the Rebles [Rebels] pickets and whear [where] the River is shallow our men and the Rebles [Rebels] meet one another and trade News papers [Newspapers] and drink Wiskey [Whiskey] with one another. The Rebles [Rebels] of vigineia [Virginia] tells our pickets that thay [they] dont want to fight with us. but the Rebles [Rebels] from South Carlioner [Carolina] fires at our pickets when thay [they] are on duty. Night befor [before] last we was awakned [awakened] by the wisle [whistle] of a Locomotive as it has been a longe [long] time sence [since] we have heard one. and we found out sence [since] that it was our trains carring [carrying] trops [troops] to Harpers Ferrey [Ferry] and yesterday we heard that thear [there] was a Battle in progress at that place. we have not heard aney thing [anything] from thear [there] sence [since] it the Place whear [where] we are encamped is one of the finest [page break] places that we have been at yet all surounded [surrounded] by high Rocks and the Sugar Lofe [Sugarloaf] Mountain a short distance with the white Rock shinaig [shining] though [through] the trees makes it quite plesent [pleasant] and evry thing [everything] looks so bright that we dont care if we stay hear [here] all togather [together] we will stay hear [here] maybe 2 monthes [months] as the Rigment [Regiment] we Releved [Relieved] hadt [had] been hear [here] that long it was the 2nd New York 1. yester day [yesterday] i was walkin-g arownd [around] and i met the man who owens [owns] the plantaion [plantation] and had a long talk with him and he told me i might take as maney [many] punkins [pumpkins] as i had a mind to so i whent [went] to my tent and asked by tent mates if we could make aney [any] kind of a mess out of punkins [pumpkins] thay [they] said yes so we whent [went] and got 2 large ones to trie [try] so we boiled it and got some sugar from the cooks and we tried it with sugar and some with pepper and salt and we will trie [try] to fry some it was a change as we have nothing but hard Biskets [Biscuits] and salt Horse and pork some times [sometimes] Beans some times [sometimes] pears and some times [sometimes] Rice and some times [sometimes] nothing and that happens Offten [Often]. We have our New Unifortbms [Uniforms] our parts is light blue our Jackets is dark Blue maid [made] like the others we had but verey [very] comming [coming] stuf [stuff] and dark blue caps one pear [pair] of drams no shirts nor socks. i thoughed [threw] my old hshirts [shirts] and pants away and bought a under shirt from the sutlan [?] thinking that we wold [would] get shirts in a day or two but have. not got them yet. You wold [would] not hardly [hardly] know [page break] the Rigment [Regiment] if you was to see us. Oriley is in the guard house and it takes a man to watch him all the time as he gets [gets] drunk and sets fire to houses and loads his musket up to the musel [muzzle] with cartriges [cartridges] wich [which] wold [would] bust the musket into splinters if he was to fire it off. i sawr [saw] him this morning he said that his insid-es was hurt he got out amoung [among] the pickets and wold [would] not halt when orded [ordered] to and the calvrey [calvary] man on the post run him down. it was a wonder he did not get shott [shot]. It was a grate [great] favour [favor] to get send 2 letters aweek [a week] while we was over in vigineia [Virginia]. You wanted to know the particlars [particulars] of the missfortune [misfortune] that happned [happened] to us. Whell [Well] that satarday [Saturday] night about 9 oclock we all was called out and Evry [Every] Rigment [Regiment] far and near started for a place near fall church to cut off the Rebles [Rebels] Retreat from munsons [?] fill as the forces afrom [from] arllington [Arlington] Hights [Heights] was to atact [attack] the hill near morning after goen [going] som [some] 5 mil-es our Rigment [Regiment] was halted in the Road and 2 or 3 companeys [companies] of the indaner [?in danger?] Rigment [Regiment] and some of Berdnans sharp shooters was sent out to skirmish and thay [they] meet one another and each taking one another for Rebles [Rebels] thay [they] began to fire at each other and Conl- [Colonel] Owens Irish Rigment [Regiment] was standing in the woods and we when-t [went] down the Road on dauble [double] quick thinking that the Rebles [Rebels] and our skirmishers was at it and just as we got whear [where] Owens men was thay [they] let drive at us and then the rest of the sharp [page break] shooters dun [done] the same thing. You aught to have been thear [there] to see the fun men and officers of the first Batta-lion some run and others fell down and pulled others ontop [on top] of them. Lutenent [Lieutenant] Coneral [Colonel] wister could not comand [command] his men he sas [says] so much scared but Major Parrish drove up and down and total the men not to fire as it was thir our owen [own] men he was as cool as ice and as calm as he ever was at fort Schuylar [Schuyler]. and our companey [company] evry [every] time that thay [they] heard the nocis [noises] maid [made] in cocking amusk-et [a musket] fell down on one knee and by doing that did not loos [lose] a man. you aught to have heard how the Balls wisled [whistled] over our heads the next day or morning i sawr [saw] some 10 or 12 dead horses laiying [laying] in the Road some by the fence the blood droping [dropping] yet th 2 or 3 cannons and amunition [ammunition] wagones [wagons] broaken [broken] by coming in contact with each other. upet to to a thear [there] has been 7. death and 20 or 30 wonded [wounded]. one captain was all the next day getting his companey [company] togather [together] and the most fun was to see the Philadel Philad- [Philadelphia] Fire Zuaves [Zouaves] if thay [they] dident [didn't] make thir [their] legs do thir [their] duty that night and in the the morning it is somthing [something] strange to me thay [they] never whent [went] as fast over the grownd [ground] in thir [their] lives befor [before] ill bett [bet]. Thay [They] said to us you fellows ar [are] uestto [used to] it. some swoor [swore] that it was don [done] on purpos [purpose] to forighten [frighten] them and sence [since] then thar [there] has been 50 or 60 of them gone home and all the Rest wants to get home. (But that's plaid [played] Out) You wished to know if thay [they] wold [would] restrict us from wrighten [writing] thay [they] done Bother them selves [themselves] now but when we was over the Chain Brige [Bridge] thay [they] wold [would] Examan [Examine] the letters befor [before] thay [they] left. While we was thear [there] [page break] We built a fort wich [which] was 5 acres of growend [ground] in it the intrenchemen [entrenchment] was 14 fot [foot] wide and 21 feet deapt [deep] the Canons are like them at fort Schuyler. carages [carriages] and all. You wanted to know if mother got my last money. i sent a $20. Dollar Tresurey [Treasury] Note by Amens Exp [Adams Express] and i Receved [Received] a letter from Mary for Mother she said Mother got the money with out [without] aney [any] trouble. Mary said she was just getting about the house and she said she was somuch-h [so much] marked that i wold [would] not know her. it was the Black. Small Pox. she said that Bill had been with her all the time and Cooked all the Joes Grb and she said Joe was aufel [awful] afraid of her and he wold [would] not come near her and while he was in the house he wold [would] hold his hanksift [handkerchief] with camphire [?] to his nose. it wored [worried] me to know that she was sick with the small pox and now it worreis [worries] me to Know she is all marked with it. but it was gods will and we will have to be satsified [satisfied]. Mother sent me some things wich [which] i sent for but i gess [guess] thay [they] will all be lost as thay [they] was to be in Washington the day we left the Cchain Brige [Chain Bridge]- I have been under the Doctkers [Doctors] hands with the n nervious [nervous] rheumatisem [rheumatism] i have not got quite clear of it yet but hop [hope] to. we are still in them thin tents yet and it is quite cold. Evry [Every] Morning the growend [ground] and evry thing [everything] is full of white frost just like snow. Thear [there] is plenty of persimons [persimmons] and Chesnuts [Chestnuts] Walnuts and shell Barks and all kinds of nuts. you aught to see the men some making corn cakes and fried mush and all kinds of mess. All seams [seems] to be dead with us [page break] We cant hear aney [any] Newys [News] or aney thing [anything] but drums and fifers and what Noies [Noises] we make amoung [among] our selves [ourselves]. I heard from the camp that thear [there] was 4 or 5 of our men poisened [poisoned] by some fellow Who brought what he called wiskey [whiskey] thay [they] are after him. i will now drawr [draw] to a close by sending you and your famile [family] my best Respects and wishes. Wright [Write] scoon [soon] and tell John Barrey to wright [write] no more Your Brother Direct to meThomas. Davis Hazzard Compy. B. Conel.- E. D. Bakers Califorinia [California] Rigment [Regiment] Poolsvill [Poolesville] Mongomery [Montgomery] County Maryland I forgot to tell you that for the first time in my figf [life] i voted the other day. and i whent [went] the hole [whole] pepols [peoples] ticket out and out. The Honerbley [Honorably] William McMullen from the 4th ward brought our tickets or i should say brought all Demercrats [Democrats] tickets to our Rigment [Regiment]. But that was plaid [played] out as nearley [nearly] evray [every] man was a pepoles [peoples] man and we got our tickets from The Zuaves [Zouaves]. no morewright [write] soon May the wings of the American Eagle never lose a fether [feather] And the star spangled Banner Strick [Strike] terrior [terror] to all traitors |
Extent of Description |
1.5 leaves, 14.5" by 9.3" |
Relation |
Show Related Records... |
Condition |
Good |
Condition Notes |
Overall, letter is in good condition. The full sheet of paper has one central fold splitting the page in half vertically. There are two more slight vertical folds on either side of the page. This page also has six horizontal folds. There is slight discoloration along the edges and fold lines. The partial sheet of paper has five horizontal folds. This page also has discoloration along the edges, especially the top, and fold lines. |
Legal Status |
Owned by The Union League Legacy Foundation. |
Multimedia Files |
Click here to view the full transcription of the Hazzard Family Letters Collection. |
People |
Hazzard, Thomas Hazzard, Joseph Barry, John Hazzard, Mary Hazzard, William Owen, Joshua T. Parrish, Robert Austin, II Wistar, Isaac J. Hill, Jr., Ambrose Powell |
Search Terms |
Hazzard Family Collection 71st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (1st California Regiment) Adams Express Company Arlington Heights, VA Fort Schuyler, NY Harpers Ferry, WV Monocacy, MD Poolesville, Montgomery County, MD South Carolina Sugarloaf Mountain, MD |