61Cadillac
Private
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2025
I bought some books at a used book store today and in one of the books I found a photo-copied letter dated June 5th, 1863. I transcribed the letter as best I could and I was able to figure out 99.9% of it. One of the few words I was not able to figure out is the name of the Colonel who resigned and "left the regt for home, he went like a thief in the night" Can anyone either decipher or deduce the name of the Colonel? He is mentioned on Page two of the letter about 2/3 of the way down the page. It is plainly obvious there was no love lost in this Regiment for this Colonel! I have pasted what I was able to transcribe below and attached photos of the letter. There is a 2nd letter I found but the photo-copy of the 2nd letter isn't great and is going to take me a bit longer to figure out.
As I have a few moments to myself I thought I would write a few lines to you and find out whether you are alive yet or not as I have not received any answers from the last letter I sent you with some money in it. I would like to know whether you got it or not. Since I wrote last we have moved from West Point down to Yorktown on our old ground where we was last year with McClellan and it looks natural about here. There is some talk of our moving on to Williamsburg but I cannot tell how soon we may go, in a few days and we may stay here all summer. There is some talk of our going in to one of the forts here. The Regts
(end page one)
that is in the fort now their time is out in a few days and theyre are going homeand we stand a right smart chance of getting there place. I hope we may for I am getting tired of moving about so much for every place we move to we have to do so much diging throwing up breastworks or something else of the kind we have hardly had a days rest since we left Washington and if we get in the fort that kind of work will be done with. We have lost our old Colonel ??? he has resigned and gone home and many of the ??? God go with him he turned out to be one of the meanest old devils that God ever let live it is lucky for him that he went when he did for I think if he had not he would have gone home a corps. The officers and men were all
(end page two)
down on him the worst way. When he left the Regt for home he went like a thief in the night there was none of the officers bid him goodbye or anything of the kind so you may think what he was thought of amongst them. I never saw such a change in a man in my life as there was in him after he got to be Col. I received the three papers with the two hankerchiefs in and the neck tie. The tie you might as well kept home and let John have it for I think it would suit him better than me from the size of it for it will hardly go around my necklet alone tie in a knot. The pocket hankerchief comes very good. The mail has come in since I have been writing this and no letter. I don't know what the reason is that you
(end page three)
don't answer my letter if you have any I wish you would let me know what it is. Hope that you are all well my health is good yet. I have no news to write about the war at present everything is quiet about here. Give my love to Tilley and the children to Mr Finks and the old lady. I wish you would send me a paper once in a while if you wont write to me for I would like to hear from both as often as I can.
My love to you all,
Yours ? Lindhart
Yorktown June 5, 1863
My Dear,
As I have a few moments to myself I thought I would write a few lines to you and find out whether you are alive yet or not as I have not received any answers from the last letter I sent you with some money in it. I would like to know whether you got it or not. Since I wrote last we have moved from West Point down to Yorktown on our old ground where we was last year with McClellan and it looks natural about here. There is some talk of our moving on to Williamsburg but I cannot tell how soon we may go, in a few days and we may stay here all summer. There is some talk of our going in to one of the forts here. The Regts
(end page one)
that is in the fort now their time is out in a few days and theyre are going homeand we stand a right smart chance of getting there place. I hope we may for I am getting tired of moving about so much for every place we move to we have to do so much diging throwing up breastworks or something else of the kind we have hardly had a days rest since we left Washington and if we get in the fort that kind of work will be done with. We have lost our old Colonel ??? he has resigned and gone home and many of the ??? God go with him he turned out to be one of the meanest old devils that God ever let live it is lucky for him that he went when he did for I think if he had not he would have gone home a corps. The officers and men were all
(end page two)
down on him the worst way. When he left the Regt for home he went like a thief in the night there was none of the officers bid him goodbye or anything of the kind so you may think what he was thought of amongst them. I never saw such a change in a man in my life as there was in him after he got to be Col. I received the three papers with the two hankerchiefs in and the neck tie. The tie you might as well kept home and let John have it for I think it would suit him better than me from the size of it for it will hardly go around my necklet alone tie in a knot. The pocket hankerchief comes very good. The mail has come in since I have been writing this and no letter. I don't know what the reason is that you
(end page three)
don't answer my letter if you have any I wish you would let me know what it is. Hope that you are all well my health is good yet. I have no news to write about the war at present everything is quiet about here. Give my love to Tilley and the children to Mr Finks and the old lady. I wish you would send me a paper once in a while if you wont write to me for I would like to hear from both as often as I can.
My love to you all,
Yours ? Lindhart
Bringing the