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.
Wenesday December the 14th 1864
Camp in front of PetersBurg
Kind and respected Wife
I take the oppertunity this evening of in forming you that I am well at presant. I receved your letter on Satterday the tenth and was glad to heare from you and that you was all well. I
would have answered your letter sooner but we have not been in camp since Friday
evening about six oclock only a little while on
Monday morning and last night we came in to camp again about Eight oclock but we dont know how
long we will stay We have been out on a rade. We started
on friday evening at about six oclock and marched
about two miles
[page 2]
and encamped for that night and the next day it comenced 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 rade I
must let you know what I seen that day. It was satterday the day I received your letter. There was two men had deserted
our Army and went to the rebles and took up arms
against us and they were captuer sometime ago and on
satterday they were both hung between one and
two oclock. They were marched in [deleted: in] front a regiment and a bras band and [deleted: ]
[unclear: their cofins carried alongside of
them.]
[page 3]
There cofins was set
down along side of the gallos and they were marched
up on the platform with two officers and a preacher. The officers talked to
theme awhile and then the preacher prayed for them
and then the officers put the bandage on there eyes and
the rope around there neck. I tell you that it was not
many seconds to they were dead. You had better beleave it was a pretty hard site. Well now I
will leave that subject and go on with our rade. 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 Companys was ordered to go ahead that
was Co A and Co F
[page 4]
and we marched on to five oclock on
Sunday morning and then we encamped on the bank of the
[unclear: Nottoway] river. We did not cross the river but the sixth
corpse had crossed the river sometime before and
that day about 10 oclock they commenced coming back.
The first that come was the pioneers on the waggons
with the pontoon bridges and then a lot of cattle that they had captured and
then the cavelry. 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
severall of the boys that I new. They were all well and in good spirits. There was some of them had
geese and chickens tied to their sadles. 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 companys went into them. We got all of them. Bill Sibert got one hind
quartre 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 eat some of it and then we
started back. It was about 3 oclock and then I only
seen part of ther army. We could not see anything but
horses and men. There was some of the Cavelry 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 oclock 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 shouldier 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 oclock 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
maid 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 cam 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 Annys. I did not get Marys I dont 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 presant 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
