Franklin County: Sylvester McElheney to Harriet
McElheney, December 14, 1864
Summary:
McElheney describes the grisly execution of two deserters from his regiment. He
also tells about the burning of houses in Virginia in retaliation for the
burning of Chambersburg.
Wednesday December the 14th 1864
Camp in front of PetersBurg
Kind and respected Wife
I take the opportunity this evening of informing you that I am well at present. I received your letter on Saturday the tenth and was glad to hear from you and that you were all well. I
would have answered your letter sooner but we have not been in camp since Friday
evening about six o'clock only a little while on
Monday morning and last night we came in to camp again about Eight o'clock but we don't know how
long we will stay We have been out on a raid. We started
on friday evening at about six o'clock and marched
about two miles
[page 2]
and encamped for that night and the next day it commenced to sleet and rain when we was putting up our
tents and it sleeted the whole night and rained part of the next day. I tell you
that we had a rough time of it we was encamped in a field and it was nothing but
mud. Well now before I go any further about our raid I
must let you know what I seen that day. It was Saturday the day I received your letter. There was two men had deserted
our Army and went to the rebels and took up arms
against us and they were captured sometime ago and on
Saturday they were both hung between one and
two o'clock. They were marched in [deleted: in] front a regiment and a brass band and [deleted: ]
[unclear: their coffins carried alongside of
them.]
[page 3]
There coffins was set
down along side of the gallows and they were marched
up on the platform with two officers and a preacher. The officers talked to
them awhile and then the preacher prayed for them
and then the officers put the bandage on their eyes and
the rope around their neck. I tell you that it was not
many seconds to they were dead. You had better believe it was a pretty hard sitsight. Well now I
will leave that subject and go on with our raid. So we
started that evening about four o'clock and marched the whole night through the
mud halfway up our boot legs and after we got through our picket line our
Regiment was ahead and then we was halted and ordered to load our guns and then
the two front Companies was ordered to go ahead that
was Company A and Company F
[page 4]
and we marched on to five o'clock on
Sunday morning and then we encamped on the bank of the
[unclear: Nottoway] river. We did not cross the river but the sixth
Corps had crossed the river sometime before and
that day about 10 o'clock they commenced coming back.
The first that come was the pioneers on the wagons
with the pontoon bridges and then a lot of cattle that they had captured and
then the cavalry. There was a pretty long string of
them. I was standing on the bank of the river and I seen John Boggs and he said
that your brother got wounded. He did not say that he was bad or not. I seen
several of the boys that I knew. They were all well and in good spirits. There was some of them had
geese and chickens tied to their saddles. They had a
little of everything with them.
[page 5]
Well now I will give you the balance
of our trip. We did not capture anything but some sheep. There was a flock in a
field with them in it. You may know that our two companies went into them. We got all of them. Bill Sibert got one hind
quarter and Phillip got the other one and then
Jacob Shearer got at and cooked some of it for that was all we had to eat that
and a little perched corn. We ate some of it and then we
started back. It was about 3 o'clock and then I only
seen part of their army. We could not see anything but
horses and men. There was some of the Cavalry in
front of us and they did put
[page 6]
fire to all the buildings along the road
and some of them was most splendid houses but they are paying them for burning
Chambersburg. We came into our camp that night. It was about 2 o'clock when we landed in camp. There was some of the
boys did not get in that night at all. Phillip was one of them that did not get
in and there was a good many others that did not make it in to camp that night
but I made out to get in and night watch at that for my feet was most awful sore
and the [illeg.] in my shoulder but them
that did not get in to camp that night had it better than we had for we had to
march right back in the morning again about 2 miles and they
[page 7]
saved
saved that and we encamped in the woods that morning and stayed there until
yesterday evening to about 6 o'clock and then we
marched back to our camp. You had better believe that we slept good after we got
our supper. There was some of the boys feet got that sore and some of them froze
that they could not put on their shoes. My feet did get a little sore but I
made it to camp.
Well now if we stay here I will try and hunt him up and see how he is now. I have
wrote once a week to you since I came out and I want you
to do the same and then I will know if you get them all or not. You sent me your
likeness and little Annie's. I did not get Mary's I don't know if you sent
it or not.
[page 8]
So I think that I will bring letter to a close for this
time and when you get this letter and reads it you may give it to Father and let
him read it. So nothing more at present but remains,
yours truly
Sylvester McElheney
Write as soon as this comes to hand.
Direct to
Company F, 208th Regiment PV
In care of Capt.
Palm,
Washington
D.C.
So Good Bye. To
Mrs. Harriet McElheney
