Civil War Letter from Warren Cutshaw, December 1861

 Oneonta Herald, Oneonta, NY, December 11, 1861

Civil War Letter from Warren Cutshaw

Upton's Hill, Va., Headquarters, 30th Regiment N.Y.S.V., December 1st, 1861

Friend Carpenter: I am seated in my tent with a good fire in my stove and everything around me looks comfortable.  We are prepared for the cold, and let the winds blow high or low, we will sit in our shanty and take our ease.  It has been and is quite cold here in Virginia.  We have had considerable rain which makes it very muddy and hard getting about.  Our Regiment has gone out on Picket today, with the exception of yesterday's and today's guard, I having been on guard yesterday, accounts for my being in camp today.  I am thankful that I did not have to go out on picket, for it is not very pleasant, but on the contrary, it is very unpleasant. I have been about Washington and the State of Virginia for nearly six months and I have not missed a guard of any description when it came my turn.  This is saying a good deal, but it is nevertheless true.

Homer Brewer has been here today, and we had a good visit.  Homer is a soldier all over.  He says he likes it well but would like it better if they would give him a little better "grub" and better conveniences for sleeping.  I would not be surprised if that was a very seasonable remark.  I think I can prove it by many.  But Homer is a soldier and you could not make anything else out of him at the present time if you should try.  He dined with me and among other things, I made him, as the old "wimen" would say, a strong cup of tea and some toast.  Perhaps you may think this high living for a private, but this is nothing to what we once had.  Finally, we had a good time, and I trust we shall have many more such visits, as it does me good to meet an Oneonta boy.  The old saying proves true among soldiers as in everything else, "that birds of a feather will flock together." Within the past two weeks, Dr. Meigs Case and Homer Breadwell have called on me.  So, you see that I see some of the boys from that way occasionally.

A short time since, we had quite an exciting time.  We lost some of our best men.  I think it was two weeks ago last Saturday that Capt. Lansing, of one of the Troy Companies and Lieut. Andrews from Saratoga, with fifty men were detailed to act as guard for a foraging party.  These, with six four horse teams, went to the house of a farmer, named Dolin, about two miles beyond Fall's Church and while filling the wagons with corn and had nearly completed their work, they were surprised by about two hundred secesh Cavalry.  Our men were scattered in various directions, and the attack was so sudden that they could not get together, and each done the best they could. The consequence was that we lost Capt. Lansing, Lieut. Andrews and twenty-eight privates, besides the teams, wagons and corn!  Our company had eight men and a sergeant by the name of Webster in the party, and all escaped except Webster, whom we all regret to lose.  But we have the consolation of knowing that he was not wounded, and we pray that our enemies will use him and all our comrades with that respect the rules of war entitle them.  This is all we can ask.  Had our men been a little more cautious and kept together as they should have done, it would have turned out very differently from what it did.  Capt. Hodge, the Brigade quarter master is blamed very much for notifying this Dolin that he would go out on Saturday for the corn. There is no doubt that that Dolin informed the Rebels of the day our men were to be there. The transaction shows it. The prisoners have all been taken to Richmond.

You have no idea of the excitement in camp when the news came.  Col. Frisby went to headquarters and procured orders for his regiment to go out to the rescue of our men.  I never saw them get into line quicker. We marched out into the road, just then Col. Sullivan, the acting Brigadier General, ordered us back to camp, he having seen fit for some cause or other best known to himself, to send the left wing of the 24th Regt, of which he is Colonel, to the rescue. This we did not think was exactly the think, for we thought the right belonged to our regiment. But obeyed orders and marched back into camp, when a sad accident occurred by the premature discharge of a musket, which caused the death of Henry Clum of Company G.  He was a fine fellow and his sudden death cast a gloom over all.  His remains have been sent to Stockport, N.Y., his former home for burial.

The following Sunday, after the foragers had been taken prisoners, Capt. King, Lt. Campbell, with company A and volunteers from other companies, numbering in all 110 men, were ordered to Dolin's house to reconnoiter. We took a roundabout way and came in the rear of the house, when we discovered a body of men in the woods, whom we supposed to be Rebels. We made our plans to attack them.  When finding they were in large numbers, we concluded to retire to Dolin's house and use it for a fort in case they should see fit to attack us.  But our supposed rebels turned out to be the 8th Regt. of N.Y.V.  This was very pleasing to us, as we should have been very sorry had we fired into our friends. The boys were all ready and anxious to meet the enemy, and there is no doubt but that they would have made a good fight. We scouted all around the premises of Dolin, and picked up three muskets and other traps lost by the boys the day before.  Dolin has been arrested and will be placed where he will not inform the Rebels again of our movements.

The following Tuesday, the 14 Brooklyn Zouaves were out on Picket when the same Cavalry attacked them. They killed two of the 14th and took eleven prisoners.  How many of the enemy were killed it is difficult to say, for the moment one of them are shot, the one next to him holds him on his horse and he is taken out. They do not allow him to fall to the ground if it is a possible thing to help it.  I think they got all they wanted of the Zouaves, for they left them on the field. But I must say that Stewart's secesh cavalry are a smart lot of fellows as ever belonged to any company.  They have a fine lot of horses and know well how to use them and to wind up with them, as the darkies out here say.  They are a right smart lot of chaps I reckon.

The 20th of last month, we had a big review about a mile and a half from here, at what is called Bailey's Cross Roads.  There was eighty-seven Regiments of Infantry, twenty Batteries of Artillery and ten Regiments of Cavalry, making in all somewhere near 100,000 soldiers. This is about one half of the army of the Potomac. Could you have been here and seen it, you would have thought with me that it was a sight worth seeing.

We have had our thanksgiving.  It was a day of rest with a portion of the army of the Potomac and I can truly say that I was thankful for this day of rest.  It is true that the fatted calf was not slain, as in days of old. but still we were all thankful that things look as favorable as they do.  Soldiers are thankful for small favors, especially just about now.  But I will close hoping that the present difficulties will be soon brought to a close, so that I can be with you again.

Yours, &c.  W.C.