Transcript:
Camp Near Falmoth [sic]
Via March the 26 1863
Dear wife I received your kinde and welcome letter last night tomas evens got back I am very sorry to hear that you are so sicke it greavs me more than every thing else to heare that you are sicke and me so far away I have but littel concillation to offer you as words is of but littel usebut I hope before you git this that god may mestone your health again as fore my self I am well and hearty albert and james is well I take alberts tobacco over to him last night and he toke james better and tobacco over to him I saw him after he came backe he said james was well we hearde that tom Winterbottom was in the convelesent camp in alexander I don't know wether it is so or not I am mutch abliged to you for that tobacco it will last a while james says tha had a verry good time on picket this time tha was posted close to the river ware tha could see the rebs all the time when we are on picket we would prefer to be being in open sight to being out of sight fore then you know exacley whare tha are and tha don't nead so mutch watching but when tha are out of sight you got to kepe a a sharpe booke out fore them and esspecley when we are in the woods fore we don't know whare tha will be paking out I have but littel to whrite about it is snowing heare again to day but it don't stop long hear it melts as fast as it comes down give my love to mother fanny George and amry and hear is my love and well wishes for you my dear wife and I hope this may finde you in good health again from your effecionate husband.
William E Halstead
Please answer this and git some one else to and let me know how you get along WEH (unknown initials) you would laught to se the new drill that tha have got hear fore cowards the day that we crossed the river at the battel of fredricksburg some of the men belonging to this ridgement as well as others steped out and didn't show themselves till we returned to camp tha have ben cortmarsheled and sentensd some to carry a barrel for thirty some sixty and some ninety days and head is taken out of the barrel and a hole awed in the other to put their hed through and skedadeler painted on them tha have to walk up and down the camp with them on that is the way tha serve cowards and tha take of half thare pay for six and nine months.
WEH
Life as a solider camped near Falmouth, Virginia, in the middle of the Civil War was a mostly boring one. A Civil War infantryman once said that being a soldier was "99% boredom and 1% terror." Based on this offered letter written by Private William E. Halstead of Company 'K' in New Jersey's 8th Regiment of Volunteers, that bland statement is not too far off. In this letter to his wife Nancy Jane Halstead, Private Halstead speaks mostly about how the Union soldiers are convalescing and swapping tobacco. Toward the end of the letter, Halstead mentions how "deserters" who were too cowardly to fight in the Battle of Fredericksburg are treated at camp.
The Battle of Fredericksburg raged from December 11-15, 1862 and was the largest known battle in all of the Americas to this point. With nearly 175,000 soldiers fighting, the Confederates - outnumbered 3:1 - applied a less-structured plan by steering the warfare away from the open battlefield and onto the streets of Fredericksburg, VA. This tactic set the stage for a painful Confederate victory. Private Halstead mentions the dangers of Confederate soldiers hiding in the forests surrounding their encampment.
The four-day offensive was the bloodiest battle thus far, and it was not unusual for soldiers to abandon their posts when there were so many perishing in battle. That "1% terror" would take over and the human instinct to flee or fight was stronger in the former. It is believed that of the 122,009 "present for roll-call" at the beginning of the month, only 114,000 were estimated to have engaged in the battle.
The Union's policy on deserters was fierce. While it was more common for Confederate soldiers to abandon their posts, both sides were made up of primarily volunteer soldiers. While the official policy for deserting is execution, that was not feasible at a time of war. The soldiers were not changing sides, just going home and grieving the realities of war. Instead, commanding officers opted for withholding pay and forcing soldiers to participate in embarrassing and painful activities. Those who abandoned their posts were subject to branding a 'D' next to the groin area as a means to embarrass them to a potential lover. Others were subjected to flogging or placed in a contorted position naked for days on end, and some were gagged and mock crucified in front of the entire regiment. Before the punishment, the soldier was court-martialed publicly and the highest ranking officer chose the punishment.
In Private Halstead's letter, he illustrates the punishment Union soldiers faced following the Battle of Fredericksburg. They were painted with the word "skedaddler" across their bodies while they wore nothing but a heavy wooden barrel (that probably contained supplies) for thirty to ninety days around the encampment. Seeing this sort of embarrassing and painful punishment was meant to be a deterrent for the other soldiers to stay within their ranks. Halstead says that his wife would "laugh" at this drill. Because he participated and survived the battle, it is safe to say that Halstead would have approved of this sentence for those who avoided their duties.
Accompanying the 4-page letter is the original envelope the letter was sent in. It is addressed to Private Halstead's wife in Paterson, New Jersey. There is no postage on the envelope, but on the right hand side, it says "Soldiers Letter 8th Regt" which was a policy the U.S. Mail service had to notate mail that did not require postage. Below the notation of the soldiers letter is the name "George Hoffman Maj." Major Hoffman was a Captain of New Jersey's 8th Regiment to which Private Halstead belonged. The censorship of soldiers' letters sent home began around the time of the Civil War as both sides began to cross the Mason-Dixon Line. Upper level soldiers would be tasked with going through letters their soldiers wrote home to prevent information from getting out that the military wanted to keep a secret. Along with Maj Hoffman's signature of approval to send the letter, the U.S. Mail system stamped the letter as received to the main mail hub in Washington D.C. on March 28, 1863, and it was due to arrive to Mrs. Halstead by the 3rd of April.
The letter and envelope are in excellent condition. There is no bleeding or fading of the ink and the paper of the letter is crisp and fine. Overall, this letter is a fine example from a Civil War soldier who bravely fought and survived the Battle of Fredericksburg. An additional letter from Private Halstead about betting on baseball games played among the soldiers is featured in Lot 709.