Transcription help needed - place name

[Allyn]

My great-grandfather's older brother was a farm boy marching south with the 83rd​ PA Infantry in the spring of 1864. He sent a short letter home to his parents, written phonetically. I can decipher all of the letter except one word, apparently a place name –

"I can tell you that I seen peaches tres in blowsom the 20 betwine Washington and ???????. the grass is about 7 or 8 inchis long."

Can anyone make a guess or suggestion?

 

[Allyn]

Well, that's not helpful, the letter didn't transmit, and it seems determined not to. Sorry, may try later. It is talking about seeing peach trees in blossom between Washington and ??illakti, which makes no sense to me.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

So what towns or cities are in a 20 mile radius of Washington DC at that time? That would be my first attempt to try and match the word.

 

[Sheltowee]

Ellicott City MD?

 

[Nathan Stuart]

So what towns or cities are in a 20 mile radius of Washington DC at that time? That would be my first attempt to try and match the word.

Or was he referring to the town of Washington, VA?

 

[Allyn]

Given that his spelling was iffy at best, Ellicott is a good possibility. Will check into that. Thanks for the suggestion. He was the son of French immigrants, so English was probably not his first language - which sometimes complicates things a bit.

 

[DorwinBlack]

Elkton, MD possibly?

 

[eBrowne]

Obviously we need to see the letter, but also the date. Is the letter dated? If it is, then it might be possible to see where the 83rd PA was on that date.

 

[eBrowne]

So I asked Chat to put together a timeline for the 83rd PA from April, 1, 1864 to July 1, 1864. As you can see, they were no where near Washington, DC.

• Culpeper Court House, Virginia
• Germanna Ford, Rapidan River
• The Wilderness
• Laurel Hill
• Spotsylvania Court House
• North Anna River
• Pamunkey River
• Totopotomoy Creek / Bethesda Church
• Cold Harbor
• James River crossing
• Petersburg, Virginia

 

[eBrowne]

If for some reason, he was on furlough and returning to his regiment at Culpeper, then he would have taken the Orange and Alexandria railroad. Look for towns along that route.
It is best to include other letters (if possible) to give us a better picture of the whereabouts of this soldier.

 

[Allyn]

I have only the one letter, and a photo.

He enlisted at Meadville on 31 March 1864, for a three-year term, 83rd​ Regt. PA Volunteers, assigned to Co. H. Mustered in at Meadville on 14 April 1864, marched south with unit.

April the 22 1864
Camp Distribution near
Washingtonn, 83 Rigemant

deuer parens I took / a notion to send / you my liekness
I thout you wold / like to hav it.
I can tell you that / I seen peaches tres in /
blowsom the 20 betoine / Washingtoon and
Eliecakti [Ellicott?]. the grass is / About 7 or 8 inchis / long
You don't right / before I right A / gan We will go
little ferder soon.

Edward Nashette

He was wounded in action at Peeble's Farm/Poplar Springs Church, VA, 30 Sept. 1864, and died two weeks later, 13 (or 15) Oct. 1864, Depot Field Hospital, at City Point, VA, cause listed as compound fracture of the femur, the result of a shell wound. Buried at National Military Cemetery at City Point. The letter and photo were the only things the family had left.

Unfortunately, the letter still won't copy and transmit.

 

[DorwinBlack]

Camp Distribution was located in Alexandria VA. Could the mystery word be a phonetic attempt to spell Alexandria?

Perhaps, in the March from Washington to Alexandria along the Potomac, they passed peach orchards.

 

[Aaron Vinson]

Unfortunately, the letter still won't copy and transmit.

What are you copying it with? can you take a pic

 

[Allyn]

It's a JPEG file. It shouldn't be a problem. As a shot in the dark, I inserted it into a document, saved it as a .doc. That didn't work either. The darned thing might be in need of an exorcism of some sort . . .

 

[Allyn]

I don't give up.

 

[gary]

Remember that soldiers could be detached from their parent unit and no where near them. So reliance on the 83rd PA history may nott reflect the location of your man.

Another vote for Ellicot. Look at the way it's spelled - phoenically. Then it makes more sense.

 

[firstflabn]

The morning reports at NARA often contain such details, but no guarantee. Doesn't cost anything to ask them to look. I would ask them to copy the record of events section for April '64. I have had great success dealing with the terrific staff over many years by asking a very narrow question combined with a precise file location. Good luck.