104th Pennsylvania Infantry - Bermuda Hundred Letter

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104th Pennsylvania Infantry - Bermuda Hundred Letter:
$119.99

Excellent Content letter writtenby Pvt. John Ickes, 104th PA, while serving on the Bermuda Hundredfront against the Confederate Howlett line.Describes the fighting in the days leading up to the evacuation of the ConfederateForces.

Additional Unit information class=\"MsoNormal\" (some periods and capitalization added for easierreading)

BermudaFront

April4th 1865

Dear Mother,

I sit down this morning to writea few lines. Yesterday Evening I wrote to Jane and this morning Ihad good time to write to you. I have goodhealth as could be expected and hope you may be well. I think of my mother andwife very often and my little children.Still my children have a good mother and a good grandmother that is agreat consolation down in this southeran country where you may hear the cannonsroar every day and see ambulances running every hour for sick and wounded. We left Harrisburg on yesterday one week andgot here on last Friday noon. I saw agreat many changes from Harrisburg to here.We went to Baltimore and from that by water down the Chesapeake Bay andup the James River to City Point and Bermuda Hundred and then walked about 6 or7 miles to where we are now. It lookslike summer down here now but the nights are cold and days hot. The company hasput old dady(?) Kline and me in ifor cooks.We have soft bread some part of the time and hard tack pork salt beans mackerelpepper sugar and good coffee and sheep meat and then we as cooks can buy eggsor butter at 80 cts per pound or per dozen and dry beef or chees at 40 cts perpound and live well as far as that is concerned. We have no reason to complain. The shootingis what I hate. On Saturday afternoon atthree o’clock our green company was ordered out to the fortifications which isonly 50 yards from our tent and the battery opened fire and we smelled powderin two minutes fir I could throw a stone to where there is six cannon and Itell you when they was all in motion it sounded like a heavy thunder storm.There was six or eight batteries opened all at once for about 2 miles. I tell you it roared. The rebs did not open any of their batteriesand then our fellows was ordered to the Rebel works. Our boys was not in the fight but the Rebsand the New York 110th regiment had a fight for about an hour withmuskets and that regiment lost in killed and wounded and missing about100. On Sunday afternoon they had another frolick and scared the rebs and they left on Sunday night and on Monday our regiment left all but Klineand me and a few sick in our company. They are out giving it ti the rebs rightand left. Fighting is going on everyday. It is reported that Lee has leftRichmond and that Grant and Sheridan our forces has taken 40 thousand prisoners. Within a few days I hope that the rebels willsoon give it up.

I must close my letter. My best respects to mother and Henry and allinquiring friends.

John Ickes

Direct to Co. F, 104thRegt. P.V. Washington DC

John Ickes

Residence was not listed;

Enlisted on 3/9/1865 as a Private.On 3/9/1865 he mustered into \"F\" Co. PA 104th Infantry He was Mustered Out on 8/25/1865 at Portsmouth, VAThanks for looking. Shipping to US only. Please ask any questions.Have a blessed day.