Augusta County: Jedediah Hotchkiss to Sara A. Hotchkiss, July
5th 1861
Summary:
Hotchkiss relates the remainder of his journey to Camp Garnett, discusses his efforts to
secure a position in the army, and describes his surveying work.
Sara A. Hotchkiss
Friday July 5th 1861
Camp Garnett, 7 miles west of Beverly, on Rich Mt.
My Dear Wife:
I have received your three letters, a thousand thanks for them, the
two first especially were fresh, sweet & good & I know you were wearied
& blue when you wrote the last & I feel sorry that you have not all gotten well
& that you are [unclear: recruiting] slowly & have to keep at home so
closely. I had chances to send you word by Col Tusk, Bumgardner &c. & so have
not written, why I will tell you. We had a very pleasant time after we
left Monterey -- saving the black gnats on Cheat Mt. & at Greenbrier River. I slept on
the floor, simply wrapped in my cloak, at Greenbrier river, Yeager's, (the home of the fellow
that came to came to go to school,) slept well, saving the gnat bites, as bad as fleas, The
firs and yew pines on Cheat looked splendidly. I found it a good deal of labor to take proper
care of my horses the next night, Saturday, we slept on the wagons 1 1/2 miles from Beverly --
had a good sleep, wrapped in my cloak on the top of the boxes, was only awakened once by
Crawford, who was sleeping on the ground, crying out, in his sleep, dreaming, that a snake was
around his neck. We were up Sunday morning by 4 A.M. & by 5 were on the way to Beverly,
in the rain, by the way, at Huttonsville, we found the 1st troops, Mountaineers, about as dirty
as the ground & eating black victuals out of black dishes, tin, out in the hot sun --
it gave a disgust for camp life. We rode across the Mt., Rich Mt., 9 miles to Capt. Sterret's
camp, in the rain, Sunday, passing through Camp Garnett at 9 miles, Capt. Sterret being 2 miles from here, by himself. Mr. Arnold had got there & announced
our coming. We found the "boys" encamped in the yard & occupying the houses of a Mr.
Crane who is in the Wheeling Tory Convention, the yard has a good sod & fine shade
trees & is a nice place. They fare well there, have good bread, & good sleeping
places, but their duties are severe & they are always on the alert being an advanced
post & liable to be attacked at any time, though they cannot be
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be
surprised or cut off, for they have guards out 9 miles. It was noon Sunday when we got there
& we were very tired & very dirty, got cleaned up & was resting some
towards evening when, just after dark, news came that we were to be attacked in an hour -- the
wagons were hustled round, harness strung out, of course, & things tumbled in in a
hurry, I waded around in the mud & rain, got my horses harnessed & was ready to
start, but no enemy came & we slept on our arms, going to rest at mid-night. Was up
Monday morning at reveille, 4 o'clock, & fixed up the wagons &c, got a letter
from Capt. Sterret to Col. Heck, commanding & started on
horseback with George Hanger & came up here, the Col. said he
wanted me very much & would write to Gen Garnett at Laurel Hill to employ me for this
Regiment so we started on there, 24 miles from here, so we started
on at noon, stopped at Beverly & found your sweet good letter, the second one, it made
me feel happy & joyous, I sent it back to Sterrett, my love letter, that he might get
the news as I had no time to write -- he told me afterwards that it was the best love letter he
had seen for a long time, first rate (tell that to Allie.) We then went on to Gen Garnett's
Camp, across Laurel Hill, though a mountain, we got there just at dark found the camp at the
foot of the Mt with long lines of trenches dug around the sides of the Mt. for men to fire
from, for more than a mile -- and hundreds of acres of trees cut down by the soldiers to enable
them to have a fair field for a fight. We saw Gen. Garnett -- spent the
night at Capt. Jordan's the Quarter Master, with Parkins of Augusta, the Engineer in Chief said
he did not need any assistance, so we came on back & I found your 1st letter at Beverly, I got back Tuesday noon & [unclear: fixed] the
teams off as soon as possible & started from Sterrett's
camp at 4 P.M. & drove to Beverly by dark, had a time generally at the one horse town,
had a box to nail up, tore a board off the fence, cut it off with my knife, nailed it on with a
shovel, with nails pulled out of a gun box got the wagoners encamped & started back to
camp Garnett at 9 A.M.
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Just after starting I met a man who said they were making an
attack on the camp & he was running away -- I went on though with my gun on my shoulder
& came on to the top of the Mt. all quiet & I turned in there to the tent of
the guard there, & slept with Donaghs -- Temperature 40 degrees & nearly froze
my legs -- got up at 4 & walked 2 miles down to camp to get warm, got there &
the Col. said I must stay & he would put me to work for him if no other way -- so I
went to surveying the camp & making a map of it -- am to make my own charge -- I shall
finally get a good situation, but it will pay no better than this & I am now one of the
commander's Suite & sleep & eat at head quarters. Hoover is adjutant &
we are going to have a tent of our own -- near the commander's. I have been at work at the
survey all the time -- as the map is wanted soon -- so I have not written
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I hope
you all are getting along well & are made comfortable -- I was joking Mrs. Gooch about
getting well & taking a trip out here -- I saw her a minute only -- All the boys
enquired after you. I shall send you some money by the first person that goes & that
will be only a few days -- Write to me what you want to do -- I do not want you to work any so I will not say anything about putting up fruit. I suppose Augusta
has been drafted by this time -- I must go & level a parade ground now, and have it
leaded. The Col., Heck is a good fellow. I have written to the Whig about the paper it comes in
my name & you see if Quidor keeps it because the postage is not paid. & pay
him. Take care of it & all the papers for me. I told Stover & Glossbrenner to
pay you -- But I have money & will send it the 1st safe chance.
Nelson has money now & will get meat &c & I
hope you will do better. I am glad you keep up so well -- try to keep in good spirits &
write often & I will as often as I can. Bless the children how I want to see them --
they must be kind, good & think often of Pa -- & mind Ma well -- My love to all
-- I hope Allie is better -- Capt Sterrett seems much exercised about
her -- My love to all. God bless you & keep you -- Good bye--
Your loving husband
Jed. Hotchkiss
