Letter from the Ellsworth Regiment
Chenango American, December 26, 1861
Hall's Hill, Va., Dec. 13, 1861
Dear Friends:
Tuesday afternoon while the regiment was out on battalion drill, the Colonel received orders to prepare his men for a march immediately. The order was hailed with a yell of delight by the boys, and off they started to prepare for a fight. Revolvers were loaded, canteens filled, and each man received two days rations. In a very short time they were back to their places and ready to start. The Colonel drilled them a while and sent them back to their quarters to be ready to start at a moment's notice. About 8 o'clock they were called out again, when the Colonel told them he had tried them enough, and to go back to their quarters and stay there.
We have all been busy for two or three days preparing for an expected visit from Gov. Morgan. the streets have all been trimmed, swept clean, the officers tents trimmed, and every thing fixed up to a great extent. At the foot of our street is a large arch about 20 feet high, from the top of which hangs a large letter D and under it the words "Camp Butterfield." Last night the wind came near blowing it down but the boys turned out in the night and braced it up. In front of our tent we have an arch with a picture of Gen. McClellan hanging from the center in a wreath. The trimming we use is cedar and spruce, which is much better than hemlock at this time of the year. Hemlock is scarce here.
Miss Laura Hudson, the "daughter of the regiment" is here in the hospital, as nurse. This is what we have needed a long time, for I know that some of the boys there have not had good care. In regard to the sick I must say that they are improving. I have not heard of but two new cases in some time. One from Co. B, who was taken to the hospital, and one in our company who was taken sick yesterday but is better today.
Our victuals are cooked by three persons detailed from each company. We have more rations than we can eat; some of the men trade for codfish, candles, sausage, molassess &c. Our chief substance is pork, fresh beef, bacon, beans, bread, pilot crackers, coffee and tea. The crackers are rather a hard institution. They are awful hard, and some of the boys say that they have seen some of them dated 1586. I rather doubt that, but must say that they are very hard.
I believe I have not described to you how we have our tent fixed for winter. We have a furnace fixed in this manner: We took a piece of sheet iron two feet long and 18 inches wide; bent it in the shape of an arch; cut a hole through the back side of the house; put it through and laid pieces of brick and stone between it and the boards; built a chimney of brick and mud, and banked it up well. This makes a good furnace which warms up our tent.
The Colonel's which was fixed in this manner, burned up one night, and it came near resulting in quite a serious accident. The tent, in which was quite a quantity of cartridges, caught fire, but it was extinguished before much harm was done. One of the tents in the Michigan regiment burnt entirely up from such an accident one night last week.
Daniel J. Willson
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