This Civil War soldier letter was written by Alva Cole Merrill (1845-1863), the son of Barzilla Merrill (1818-1863) adn Ruby (“Ruba”) Eloise Cole (1816-1887) of Dayton, Cattaraugus county, New York.
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Alva was not old enough to enlist without his parent’s permission so when he signed up to serve in Co. K, 154th New York Infantry in August 1862, he either lied about his age or gained his parent’s permission. My hunch is that it was the latter. A couple of weeks later, his father, Barzilla, also joined the same company. They were both killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville in what was the regiment’s baptism of fire. Barzilla was killed near Dowdall’s Tavern where remnants of the 11th Army Corps put up a fight to hold off Stonewall Jackson’s flank attack. Alva was killed the following morning.
For more on the Battle of Chancellorsville and the 154th New York Infantry, I strongly urge readers to check out the article Mark H. Dunkelman wrote entitled, “Baptism of Fire” for the American Battlefield Trust in August 2022. Likewise, check out an Interview with Civil War Historian Mark H. Dunkelman.
TRANSCRIPTION
Camp near Stafford Court House
February 14, 1863
Dear Mother,
Your most welcome letter of the 4th came to hand in due time—the first I had received from home since last Christmas. I had made up my mind you did not calculate to write to me again at all. I am in by my fireplace and lit a candle and you had better believe it done me good to read it. I almost forgot I was a soldier for a few minutes. Let that be one of the times that I forget it and I will tell you one of the times when I think of it.
We broke camp February the 5th about 9 o’clock in the morning. It commenced snowing about the time we started and snowed all the way. We camped about 3 o’clock. Soon after we got our tents pitched, it began to rain and rained all night—camped right in the open field, the snow about five inches deep. You can calculate it was anything but fun. The next morning they took us up into the woods and we pitched our tents again. We had not been there more than an hour when it was strike tents and fall in. Marched to within two miles of Stafford Court House and now we have got good winter quarters for the 3rd time. I expect every day when we shall have to dig out.
I am glad Irvin can take comfort in going to spelling schools. I notice I would like to hitch the colts to a spelling school myself. I reckon that I could raise Ned equal to the best of them. But I reckon I shall have to wait a while. You said you wanted me to write what I wanted sent. I should like a good wool hat and a pair of checkered shirts and a coffee pot that will hold about 3 pints. You can pack it full with butter or dried fruit so that it will not jam very easy and you may put in a paper of shoe nails and some waxed ends and a sewing [ ] and a pegging awl both with handles to them and two pair of sacks. Please send me by mail as soon as you get this about 50 cents worth of nice paper and envelopes. I want something nice and I can’t get it here. Do them up nice so that they will not get mussed up. It is mail time now and I must hurry up or it will not go till Monday. What you send, you had better send right away for as soon as the weather will do, we shall be pulling out of this.
The recipe for making in [is] 1 lb. of extract of logwood, 1 ounce of bichromate of potash, to 10 gallons of water. I have not got my papers you sent yet. Please write soon. Give my love to Nancy and Irvin. Please write as soon as you get this and don’t forget to send the paper and envelopes.
This from your son, — A. C. Merrill