Union News, Broome Co., NY, October 10, 1861
Camp Lesley, Sept. 27th, 1861
Dear News: I promised to write and let you know where we are, and will commence by saying, that we are at Washington, D.C. We arrived here on Sunday last, after a pleasant ride from Elmira via New York city, thence to Philadelphia, thence to the much feared city of Baltimore, the citizens of the latter place were very quiet. We have no daring adventures to relate there. The citizens gathered around us in large numbers, but kept still. The ladies saluted us with their handkerchiefs, but not so warmly as in Philadelphia, for there we had a fine supper which the kind people of the city furnished us, and we did ample justice to it. We arrived in the city about 12 o'clock p.m., and they had fed four full regiments that night before us, and expected two more.
The Railroad from Baltimore to Washington is well guarded by Indiana troops--a fine looking lot of boys, with good uniforms and arms--at the Reley house. There is quite a camp situated on a high hill beside the Railroad and they have a view of the country far around.
We are encamped 2-1/2 miles from Washington on the side of a little hill, and it is a very pleasant spot, and we have a fine view of the country around us from our camp. We can see 100,000 men and horses and hundreds of full bands of music. There is quite a body of troops moving across the river and we expect to go everyday. The country here is healthy and water good and plenty of it. Our boys are well pleased with their mode of living. We have the best Quarter master in Washington and have all we can eat and more too. We see from the sale of rations that we cannot consume less than $25 per week in our company. I have the charge of the cooking in camp E, and by the way, we have got three good cooks. There is in our Company forty-six men from Maine [Broome Co., NY] and some from Union [Broome Co., NY]. Most of the Union Men are in Capt. Patten's Company, Com I.
It would please you to see Elijah Cafferty and Norm Brigham driving their teams of four horses each before a large Government wagon, and riding the near-side-wheel horse and driving with one line. Elijah Cafferty is quite sick this morning, but I guess he will be well again in a few days. The boys generally are healthy. We have not lost but one man from the Regiment yet, and he shot himself in the head in New York city by carelessness and died of the wound. We learn that James McGregor is getting well and will join us in a few days.
The rules of our Camp is more strict than any other in Washington, not even the commissioned officers are allowed to go out, while the streets of the city are full of officers. We are about twelve miles from the 27th Regiment, and I must figure to get there some way ere long.
I have not much time to write, but will keep you posted up on matters in our camp, and you must send the News to my address, one copy will do for us all.
Yours &c, Wm. C. Pollard.
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Hall's Hill, Oct. 8th, 1861
C. Benedict: Sir: I promised to furnish you with a list of the boys from Maine [Broome Co., NY] that are in Col. Stewurt's Regiment, and below you will find the same:
From Maine: Lieut. O.E. Hine, Orderly Ser't Wm. C. Pollard, Ser't John N. Clark, Ser't George Kenyon
Corporals: Don C. Norton, Warren Moore, Jeremiah Robbins, Anson H. Borden, Charles O. Howard.
Privates: Eli Crawford, Levi Howard, Amos Howard, Joseph Howard, Albert D. Howard, Jeremiah Howard, George W. Edwards, De Ronds Edwards, Francis L. Newton, Aaron Lushier, Henry D. Dnaiels, Alfred S. Edwards, Horrace D. Butts, James McGrigor, Philo Barden, Wm. H. Pierce, Amos Robbins, James Bailey, Luke M. Hammond, Ormando R. Daniels, Albert Moore, Adelbert G. Councilman, Mason Thornton, William Goodrich, Timothy Rockwell, Joseph D. Decker, W. Herrie Darling, Henry C. Lashier, Stephen Mutterson, George Puff, Charles Ingerson, Seymour Painier, Spencer Ricks, Anson W. Payne.
From Union [Broome Co., NY] and in Camp E: Teamster Elijah D. Cafferty; Private, William Anthony.
In our Company we have forty-three from Maine and two from Union. There is some ten or more from Union in Capt. Patton's Company. Patten's Co is the ninth in the Regiment. Capt. Spaulding's the fifth (letter E). We have eighty-three men in our Company after letting eight go into another to fill it up. The other thirty-eight are from Savannah, N.Y. and they are large and good men.
There is no news of importance to write today. The weather is very hot in the middle of the day, and shade trees come quite acceptable, which we have plenty of. We are encamped within two miles of the 27th Regiment. The troops keep rushing in and the woods are full of the soldiers as well as the cleared lands. We have been formed into a Brigade with two other independent Companies, one from Erie Co. Pa and the other from Wisconsin. We are the third Brigade of Porter's Division.
Yours. Wm. C. Pollard, Com. E 60th Reg. N.Y.S.V., Washington, D.C.
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