Sean Elephant
Cadet
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2023
Twenty-six years ago, I inherited a suitcase full of family photos, newspaper clippings, and papers from my grandfather's estate. I took a cursory look through it, thinking I might have time some rainy day to go through it in detail, but when I noticed that one of the letters had been written from Gettysburg on July 6, 1863, I was instantly on a mission.
Altogether I found a total of 17 letters written by four different soldiers from the Civil War battlefields, all addressed to my grandfather's great grandfather, "Dave", a physician, school master, and postmaster in a small village near what is now Caro, Michigan. As a matter of fact, Dave was the head of the committee that named it "Caro". Three of the letter writing soldiers were with the 7th Michigan Infantry, which was assigned to the Union's Second Corps under General Sumner.
In his 9 letters, Dave's brother-in-law, "Robby" Hurd, described his experiences mustering in Monroe, Michigan, camping near Washington, drilling and marching while bivouacked at Camp Benton (where the 7th took part in the disastrous Battle of Ball's Bluff) and at Harpers Ferry before taking part in the peninsula campaign. Two months after writing his last letter from Harrison 's Landing in Virginia, Robby was killed in action along with 38 other men from the 7th Michigan.
Of the 40 Union Infantry brigades that were engaged at Antietam on September 17, 1862, Brigadier General Dana's brigade suffered the highest casualties. The 7th Michigan entered the West Woods with 402 men. In the space of around 20 minutes, 39 were killed, 178 wounded, and four were missing. 20 of 23 officers were killed or wounded.
Six months before his death, Robbie wrote the following:
Bolivar, Via March 15th, 1862
Dear Brother and Sisters,
Here I am in a large brick house in the city or village of Bolivar or Bolivar Heights, Virginia, one mile or so from Harper's Ferry. We left Camp Benton the 11th. We came from Edward's Ferry to Harper's Ferry on a canal boat. We reached Harper's Ferry the 12th about noon. We crossed the river, marched about __ miles & stopped on Bolivar Heights & took dinner which was raw bacon & hard bread & water which tastes as good to a soldier as pie & pudding does to anybody else & is much more healthy. After we had rested two hours, we marched for Charlestown. We camped for night 1 mile from Charlestown. Well it is just about the nicest country here in Va. that I ever saw.
March 15th 2 o'clock pm found us marching and we went through Charlestown & on for Burryville. We expected to go to Winchester the night of the 13th we camped one mile from Burryville {Berryville, VA). The next morning-- i.e., yesterday morning-- the order came for us to march back, so we started back. We camped last night where we did the night of the 12th. We marched early this morning & arrived here about 11 am. There is quite a number of vacant houses here. Co. E is quartered in one. It has been rather a wet day. We changed our guns today for some new ones. Tell the Capt. that the Col. has kept figuring until he has got some more new guns he has got us some Springfield Rifles Patten Cartridge that we do not have to tear-- all we have to do is to ram down the cartridge & prime & we are loaded. I think I can load & fire 4 or 5 times per minute.
Bolivar is 7 miles from Charlestown. The Rebels are leaving Va fast as possible. Where we go next is more than I can tell but I think we shall go to Washington or Baltimore first & then the Lord knows where, but it just suits us to be moving. I am tough as a bar. When you write direct the same as you have before.
R B Hurd
I once had the opportunity to spend the night in Harpers Ferry, and decided to take a walk up to nearby Bolivar Heights to see what large brick buildings might still be standing from those Civil War days.
Just as it was beginning to get dark, I came across an old brick building next to St John's Lutheran Church at 950 Washington St, which had a historical marker and photograph of a Union Civil War regiment.
The photo caption simply says: "Troops near Harpers Ferry, St. John's Lutheran Church in background." However, the red brick house next door at 960 Washington, which could be where the 7th Michigan stayed, is now being restored and has a temporary sign with the same photo. The caption there states "Company A, 22nd New York State Militia in Harpers Ferry. From the Library of Congress. Attributed to Mathew Brady, c.1862" The rest of the temporary sign at the red brick house says "Historic Restoration in Progress. Built in 1844. During the Civil War, wounded soldiers from both the North and South were cared for in this house."
Here is a link to a site that has a photo and some information about the sign: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70794
According to the 22nd New York Infantry's regimental history, it appears that, after fighting in the Battle of Antietam on 9/17/1862, their closest proximity to Bolivar would have been between October 30th and November 1st of 1862.
According to the 22 New Yor;'s regimental history, "The regiment marched on the 19th and camped about 1½ miles from the Potomac. Here it remained until the 20th of October, when it moved to Bakersville ; marched on the 26th and camped at the foot of South Mountain on the 27th; on the 28th marched through Birketsville and Petersville, and encamped near Berlin; on the 30th, about 5 P. M., crossed into Virginia on pontoon bridge a few miles below Harper's Ferry and camped ; November 1st marched to Purcellsville; 4th to Bloomfield ; 5th to Rectortown; 6th to Warrenton ; 11th to Fayetteville, and from thence to Falmouth. In the battle of Fredericksburg (Dec. 13th) it was on the extreme left in Franklin's corps; was under fire three days, lost seven wounded, and returned to its old camping ground on the 15th. It participated in the " mud march" of January, and then took up winter quarters at Belle Plain."
The 7th Michigan was in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar from March 12 to March 24 of that same year, and may have also traveled through Harpers Ferry on September 22nd after the Battle of Antietam, where Robby Hurd was killed in action.
I have been researching the historical context for my Civil War letters for close to 25 years now and have yet to come up with a photo like this one that includes either Company E or G of the 7th Michigan infantry. Any suggestions, leads, or shares would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Altogether I found a total of 17 letters written by four different soldiers from the Civil War battlefields, all addressed to my grandfather's great grandfather, "Dave", a physician, school master, and postmaster in a small village near what is now Caro, Michigan. As a matter of fact, Dave was the head of the committee that named it "Caro". Three of the letter writing soldiers were with the 7th Michigan Infantry, which was assigned to the Union's Second Corps under General Sumner.
In his 9 letters, Dave's brother-in-law, "Robby" Hurd, described his experiences mustering in Monroe, Michigan, camping near Washington, drilling and marching while bivouacked at Camp Benton (where the 7th took part in the disastrous Battle of Ball's Bluff) and at Harpers Ferry before taking part in the peninsula campaign. Two months after writing his last letter from Harrison 's Landing in Virginia, Robby was killed in action along with 38 other men from the 7th Michigan.
Of the 40 Union Infantry brigades that were engaged at Antietam on September 17, 1862, Brigadier General Dana's brigade suffered the highest casualties. The 7th Michigan entered the West Woods with 402 men. In the space of around 20 minutes, 39 were killed, 178 wounded, and four were missing. 20 of 23 officers were killed or wounded.
Six months before his death, Robbie wrote the following:
Bolivar, Via March 15th, 1862
Dear Brother and Sisters,
Here I am in a large brick house in the city or village of Bolivar or Bolivar Heights, Virginia, one mile or so from Harper's Ferry. We left Camp Benton the 11th. We came from Edward's Ferry to Harper's Ferry on a canal boat. We reached Harper's Ferry the 12th about noon. We crossed the river, marched about __ miles & stopped on Bolivar Heights & took dinner which was raw bacon & hard bread & water which tastes as good to a soldier as pie & pudding does to anybody else & is much more healthy. After we had rested two hours, we marched for Charlestown. We camped for night 1 mile from Charlestown. Well it is just about the nicest country here in Va. that I ever saw.
March 15th 2 o'clock pm found us marching and we went through Charlestown & on for Burryville. We expected to go to Winchester the night of the 13th we camped one mile from Burryville {Berryville, VA). The next morning-- i.e., yesterday morning-- the order came for us to march back, so we started back. We camped last night where we did the night of the 12th. We marched early this morning & arrived here about 11 am. There is quite a number of vacant houses here. Co. E is quartered in one. It has been rather a wet day. We changed our guns today for some new ones. Tell the Capt. that the Col. has kept figuring until he has got some more new guns he has got us some Springfield Rifles Patten Cartridge that we do not have to tear-- all we have to do is to ram down the cartridge & prime & we are loaded. I think I can load & fire 4 or 5 times per minute.
Bolivar is 7 miles from Charlestown. The Rebels are leaving Va fast as possible. Where we go next is more than I can tell but I think we shall go to Washington or Baltimore first & then the Lord knows where, but it just suits us to be moving. I am tough as a bar. When you write direct the same as you have before.
R B Hurd
I once had the opportunity to spend the night in Harpers Ferry, and decided to take a walk up to nearby Bolivar Heights to see what large brick buildings might still be standing from those Civil War days.
Just as it was beginning to get dark, I came across an old brick building next to St John's Lutheran Church at 950 Washington St, which had a historical marker and photograph of a Union Civil War regiment.
The photo caption simply says: "Troops near Harpers Ferry, St. John's Lutheran Church in background." However, the red brick house next door at 960 Washington, which could be where the 7th Michigan stayed, is now being restored and has a temporary sign with the same photo. The caption there states "Company A, 22nd New York State Militia in Harpers Ferry. From the Library of Congress. Attributed to Mathew Brady, c.1862" The rest of the temporary sign at the red brick house says "Historic Restoration in Progress. Built in 1844. During the Civil War, wounded soldiers from both the North and South were cared for in this house."
Here is a link to a site that has a photo and some information about the sign: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70794
According to the 22nd New York Infantry's regimental history, it appears that, after fighting in the Battle of Antietam on 9/17/1862, their closest proximity to Bolivar would have been between October 30th and November 1st of 1862.
According to the 22 New Yor;'s regimental history, "The regiment marched on the 19th and camped about 1½ miles from the Potomac. Here it remained until the 20th of October, when it moved to Bakersville ; marched on the 26th and camped at the foot of South Mountain on the 27th; on the 28th marched through Birketsville and Petersville, and encamped near Berlin; on the 30th, about 5 P. M., crossed into Virginia on pontoon bridge a few miles below Harper's Ferry and camped ; November 1st marched to Purcellsville; 4th to Bloomfield ; 5th to Rectortown; 6th to Warrenton ; 11th to Fayetteville, and from thence to Falmouth. In the battle of Fredericksburg (Dec. 13th) it was on the extreme left in Franklin's corps; was under fire three days, lost seven wounded, and returned to its old camping ground on the 15th. It participated in the " mud march" of January, and then took up winter quarters at Belle Plain."
The 7th Michigan was in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar from March 12 to March 24 of that same year, and may have also traveled through Harpers Ferry on September 22nd after the Battle of Antietam, where Robby Hurd was killed in action.
I have been researching the historical context for my Civil War letters for close to 25 years now and have yet to come up with a photo like this one that includes either Company E or G of the 7th Michigan infantry. Any suggestions, leads, or shares would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Bringing the