Soldier's Letter, Civil War, January 1862

 Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, February 12, 1862

Letter from 61st NY Infantry

Camp California, Va., Jan. 20, 1862

Eds. of The Telegraph:  As I begin this letter, the band of the 81st Penn. begins to discourse music, and if you find this rather of a musical document, you must blame the band, not me.  It has just played the "Star Spangled Banner."  If the author of that song could know how much pleasure it affords the soldier every time it comes to his ear, I believe his heart would beat for joy.  But I'm not writing what was intended.

Your numerous readers would doubtless be happy to have a dish of "picket" served up.  Last Thursday, the 61st went out to Edsall's  Hill, a distance of three miles from camp, to relieve the Penn. boys who had been out four days, the time allotted for each regiment to do picket duty.  We carried our blankets slung across the left shoulder and tied under the right arm. The indispensable haversack and canteen were also our companions, with the far-carrying "Enfield" at a "right-shoulder shift."  Most of our "understandings" were thrust into long-legged, high-heeled army boots that would serve a man in 28 inch mud, but as fortune and Col. Cone would have it, we escaped our expected muddy march by filing down the Railroad. The first day we laid ourselves away in the bivouac made by other regiments, some of us cutting "secesh" second-growth timber sufficient to supply immediate wants.  On Friday morning we were drawn up in line--Company C, and two others, all prepared as before, with this exception, that our Enfields had to take a dose of "Crockett's Pills."  We marched about one and a half miles in a southerly direction, where our Captain stationed his reserve, and sent his Lieutenant, with the remainder of the men, forward about one-fourth of a mile, to a log hut situate in the edge of a wood--said hut being made "four-square," raftered with rails and shingled with evergreens of pine and cedar both on the sides and roof and about the entrance so that a rebel bullet need not have the light of a Yankee fire to see by to speed its way to some loyal heart.  Here we made ourselves quite comfortable when off post, by plying the fire with rebellious oak, taking out all extra gas and making it true charcoal.  We and five sentries posted the distance of half a mile by a wood running at right angles with the former.  We saw no rebels and I doubt very much if they saw us.  So, with the exception of a snow storm, we had nothing to trouble or dampen our mortal frames.  Saturday we rested, like the seven-day Baptists.

Sunday forenoon found us again at our old post, doing duty as before, and trying to feel as solemn as the circumstance would permit.  In the afternoon, a party composed of officers from our regiment, and cavalry from the 8th Illinois, went on a scout toward Fairfax. They came upon the rebel pickets when within five minutes ride of the town, were fired at without being challenged, but not being prepared for any special "doings," they about faced and made their retreat in good order. Before reaching the rebel lines they secured a citizen as prisoner and escorted him back with due ceremony, and of course, in good order. The party reached our pickets about two A.M., Monday morning.  Now let us return to the  hut.  'Tis the rule that all noise at night should be dispensed with while doing picket duty. But that night the forest echoed and re-echoed with the shouts of various members of Company C.  It's natural that a person should be sleepy after being on duty more or less for two successive nights, but some surrender more easily to the goal than others.  About nine o'clock the drama commenced.  A drama consisted of an act and three scenes.  The play continued from the time above stated, till broad daylight while the scenes had no definite length.  We had some pork of all kinds of strength, sent to us for rations, and as it was thought not to be safe to eat it and live together, we concluded to let it remain in statu quo i.e., in the kettles.

It was agreed by all that everyone who lost himself so far as not to be able to answer when challenged should be served to a ration of pork.  Here the first scene opens.  No one having thrown his head back at an angle of 23 degrees, and his under jaw having slightly dropped, is a proper subject for a ration; forthwith he is challenged, of course not very loudly, and his bearing having become obtuse, he must be helped to his ration, and into the aperture it goes.  Suddenly his ears come to him, as well as the sense of taste, he spits and spits, intermixing various emphatic words unmentionable, and showing a slight degree of temper.  Your imagination can picture to itself more vividly than I can paint, the effects of such a scene upon half a score of men all ripe for fun.  Thus the first scene continued, till the pork was "played out". Daylight however revealed many a shining face.  

Scene second now opens.  Everyone that goes to sleep, must have a split stick on his nose.  Here and there can be seen the nasal appendages pointing upward, downward horizontally, and when the wearer becomes uncomfortable he must awake only to find his facial member that he has twanged so in my times in the "stocks".  In the first scene I forgot to mention that we were entertained with a speech from our brevetted Lieutenant, full of powder and very flighty.  He sat down midst "deafening applause."

Scene third, the last and best, is opened, and the brevetted lieutenant plays an active part.  'Tis the hour when chanticleer tells farms to waken. The Lieutenant has laid himself back for a snooze and he gets to snoozing quite audibly.  It's time something should be done to stir the Lieut.  A rope and strap are provided, and tied together, one end to a rafter, the other to his ankle, and then, "-?- the guard" is repeated hastily, and a rush made for the door.  The Lieutenant, in the confusion, rises very quickly, and to his surprise finds himself hors du combat, but regaining "the position of a soldier," he in utter despair, jerks at the strap, severs it -?- and inquires most stoutly "where's the door?"  Presently he is convinced that it was a good trick and joins in the laugh.  Thus the scene was played in one way or another till daylight, when it was thought best, for those that wished, to take a short rock-a-by in Morpheus' arms. A certain Lieutenant in the 61st threatened to report us for our uproarious conduct, but the "various members of Co. C" say report, for they are not the kind to be scared even at a Lieut. Colonel.  We acknowledge it was risky, and yet we are well aware that a rebel could not be found within eight miles of us.  Thus much for one picketing. We were relieved about noon by the 52d N.Y. Reg't and Camp California saw us again at 4 P.M.  I.O.F.

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This letter was probably written by Israel Otis Foote of Company C, 61st NY Infantry.  The Adjutant Report for the 61st says this about him.

Foote, Israel Otis:  Age, 26 years.  Enlisted, September 2, 1861, at Hamilton [Madison Co., NY], to serve three years; mustered in as Corporal, Co. C, September 6, 1861; wounded in action, December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Va.; supposed to have been taken prisoner; no further record.