1862 Connecticut Infantry CIVIL WAR LETTER - Beat off Rebels in South Carolina

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1862 Connecticut Infantry CIVIL WAR LETTER - Beat off Rebels in South Carolina :
$255.99

Civil War Letter

This Civil War soldier letter written by Private Halsey Bartlett (1831-1864), a member of Co. A, 6th Connecticut Infantry. They were part of a large collection of Bartlett’sletters sold at sale some time ago. Most of the letters were written to his beloved sister and his mother between September 1861 when the regiment was mustered into the service and the time that Bartlett was cut down by a sniper’s bullet at Bermuda Hundred on 17 June 1864.

In a letter from Sergeant Earl W. Fisher to his uncle (likely Bartlett’s father), dated 18 June 1864, less than three weeks after Bartlett’s last letter, Fisher relayed the sad news: “It has become my very sad duty to inform that cousin Halsey was Killed yesterday while on Picket-duty in front of our Battery. He was instantly Killed by a Rebel sharp shooter while in the Rifle pits. The ball entering in the right side and passing up through the heart. He only spoke and asked the boys to carry him off quick and died…. I thought you could break the very sad news to Aunt much better than I could so I write to you the facts as they are to me.”

Halsey was the oldest of at least ten children born to Richard Bartlett (1807-1861) and Christina S. Fisher (1806-1885) of Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut. Only three of the children, however, grew to be adults. Halsey wrote most of theseletters to his mother but occasionally to his 20 year-old sister Christina Fisher Bartlett (1844-1916) who married Benjamin Whipple Carpenter in the late 1860s.

TRANSCRIPTION

Beaufort, South Carolina
December 1st 1862
Sixth Reg. Co. A, Conn. Vol.

Dear Mother,

The last letter I received from you was mailed November 17th. It was received with the greatest of pleasure and I forget whether I have answered it or not. I will write you this sheet over if I can find words enough. We have another mail at Hilton Head which will be here tonight. If I hear from home again in the mail, I will answer it by writing more.

I am not very well but am on light duty — that is, doing light work around camp. Our regiment has gone to the Ferry again on picket. I was or did not feel able to go so got excused from going out with the company. So I am in camp but I feel better now but guess as they have left me in camp I shall see how it will seem to be here all alone — or nearly alone — only six of us here in camp belonging to this company. You see I shall not have anything to do for the next ten days and I am all right.

Oh, how kind you are dear Mother to me to say you will send me another box. Now Mother, do you thin it would be prudent in me to have another box sent to me? If you do, why you can send it but send it in my name by Adams express to Beaufort, S. C., Sixth Reg., Co. A Conn. Vol.

Well, Mother, I don’t want you to send any more Express with Clovis’ again. If we cannot afford to pay the Express, I won’t have anymore come. I got your last Express all right but the jelly that Mrs. Sherman sent I asked Clovis [Hammond] about it and he said it was up to his tent. I went for it two or three times and he was not there. He come and asked me if I had got it. I told him no. He said he guessed someone had stole it. I never got it. I guess he knew where it went too but don’t let his folks know anything about it. They won’t like it — my writing so. But I have said nothing — only what is true about it. I’ll not have any more to do with him about it.

Just received a letter from Christina and a page from you. What a kind letter you wrote and Chris too. Now ain’t it funny to think of that William Fields is married and to Juliett Thomas? I hope they will live in peace.

The day I put in your last letter in the Box we had our mail robbed of some fifty lettrs and six or eight pictures. The letters contained about fifty dollars in money. They have got a young man belonging to Co. I, 6th C. V. on suspicion of committing the deed. He will be tried for robbing the U.S. Mail. They think there is sufficient proof against him to commit him. If it is proved against him, it will go hard with him. I guess I will take another sheet.

I have shirts, drawers, socks enough. I would like two or three pair of white gloves, half a dozen good stout clay pipes, two or three papers of smoking Tobacco, some towels — say two or three — and a few pounds of this same good Tobacco such as you sent last. Now those shirts were excellent that you sent me. I saved fifty sents a pair by having them sent from home. They cost one dollar and seventy-five to two dollars apiece here. I would like a pair of woolen gloves for when on guard nights. It is very cool. Blue ones or blue mixed and some of the Wright’s Indian Vegetable Pills. And now, if you send me a box, you can send me these things and a quire or two of writing paper and a few white envelopes. And you can send anything else you like. Tobacco here is 75 cts per pound and everything else so high I am not going to buy anymore at these high prices here now.

If you send me these things, I can save my money and send it home and it will do you more good than it will these soldier robbers. I also got four papers — twoWatchman’s, onePress, and aTranscript. Many thanks to Mrs. Sherman for her kindness in sending me those papers for I do like to read and they are good papers too. Also in sending me these things in the Express. How kind in her.

Now Mother, there is not much news here to rely on but have just heard that Burnside is in Richmond two miles in advance of the Rebels but nothing reliable. This is cheering news — too good to be true. Clovis [Hammond] is well and in good health. Our colonel has gone home — also our chaplain has gone home. There is no Yellow Fever here now. Our captain has got well and is on duty the same as ever.

The weather here for the past two weeks has been quite cool but it now very warm. Do you have any sleighing up North? We have had no snow yet but some very heavy frosts and some ice.

A party of Rebels tried to land at the Capen Plantation where we go on guard but were relieved the trouble by the firing of muskets — a whole company firing on them (two boatloads of the Rebels some thirty in number) and killing quite a number. They skedaddled and went back as fast as they could. This is the third time they have tried to land but Yankee too much for them.

I have wrote all the news I can think of so I will draw my ill-written letter to a close. My love to all. My love to you and Christina from your son, — Halsey

TERMS

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