Letter to Sarah Garibaldi (Poor)

Scope and content:

Written near Winchester, Virginia. Letter concerns the Romney Campaign.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Camp Near Winchester Va.
January 28, 1862

Dear Sir:
I take this favorable opportunity to drop you these few lines in order to let you know that I am well and hope that when these few lines will reach you may find you enjoying the same. I received your little box that you send me yesterday, with two pair of gloves, a vest and a pair of socks. I sold the vest for three dollars and a half. I had bought me a vest last Christmas in Winchester and therefore I didn't need it and sold a pair of gloves for one dollar and a half. I kept a pair of gloves and the pair of socks for myself.

We arrived here on the 25 from Romney and don't know how long we shall remain. We were under marching orders this morning but the order was countermanded on account of the weather which was raining very hard this morning. We don't know how long we shall stay here now; we may stay here few days longer. We were going about 4 miles from here to build shanties for the winter. We had a hard march during the whole time. We left Camp Stevenson on the New Years Day early in the morning, and took up our line of march to Bath the county seat of Morgan County.

On the fourth day after our departure, there was a fight expected with the yankees who were 1,400 strong, but there was not much of a fight. Our militia had a little fight with them and there was twenty killed and wounded in our militia. We don't know how many there was killed and wounded on the north side. The volunteers didn't shoot a gun. They didn't even see the yankees. The militia was put in front and we, the volunteers behind, to support them. Our forces consisted of about fourteen thousand, the yankees at the hearing of our approach ran away and did not make any stand. They left behind them two cannons but they spiked them before they left them. They left behind them also the right smart army [sto--], about forty thousand dollars worth. Before we left Bath we destroyed two or three bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and tored up right smart track.

After that we took up our line of march to Romney, but the road was so bad that our wagons couldn't keep up and we had to wait on them for four days at the distance of about 14 miles from Bath, and after our wagons got up we started again and reached Romney on the fourth day. The yankees that were in Romney left also on double quick so that we volunteers had no fight at all except few of our cavalry and the militia. The Yankees in leaving Romeny left behind them about five hundred barrels of crackers, a large quantity of flour, clothing, ammunition, and good many other things from there. After we been there four or five days we took our line of march toward Winchester, which we reached on the third day.

Here we are now camped for two or three days and we may go away tomorrow or after tomorrow but we will not go very far. We are just going three or four miles from here to build our winter quarters and threr we shall remain for the balance of the winter and have no more marches for this winter. I'll have time to write to you oftner than I did before. The Captain is at home on a furlow and he has all my money. If I had some with me I would send you ten dollars, but the Captain's furlow will soon be out and he'll come back. I will get some money and send it to you.

We had a march of twenty five days. We suffered right smart cold weather during that time, for good many had no tent and they had to lay out on the wet over snow beds and snow falling at the same time. Good many took sick and never will get better. They are dying nine or ten almost every day. There is about three hundred in the hospital belonging to our brigade, the whole of them got sick by the exposure of the weather. Thank goodness I have stood up very well and never got sick yet. I was on every march, and did my duty as well as any soldier ever did. I feel very well, only I have a little cough.

Bath is now in posession of our militia and Romney is now protected by about eight thousand volunteers, partly Virginians, South Carolinians, and some from Arkansas. My candle is nearly out and I must quit writing for tonight. So good night Dear Sarah. Good night sleep well. I hope I will see by and by.

January 30

Having some what leisure time this morning to finish my letter, I thought it fit to finish it off and send it to you. We left that Camp in the next morning and marched about six miles to a place where we will remain for the balance of the winter here. We are going to build shanties to live in. As we were going to Romney we passed where the Yankees had been and I saw near all the houses had been burned up by them. The hogs stuck with the bayonet, some shot the cattle, and the sheep were treated like wise. As we were coming from Romney by another road altogether, we met with an equal destruction.

They killed an old shoemaker, and then burned him up in his house. At another place again they killed another man, who had a wife and three or four small children, and afterward they set fire to the house driving his wife and children out of the door. The lady tried to go in the house to try to take out some furniture in order to keep it from burning, but they would not let her so that every thing was burned up, with the corpse of her husband. As we were coming by some found some of his bones in pieces and they put them in their pocket as a relic. As soon as that woman saw our brigade coming she began to cry thinking that may be we were yankees.

Dear Miss, I could come home for two months on a furlow by reenlisting for two years longer, for nobody can get any furlow any more unless he reenlist for two years or during the war. But I don't think I will for I have only three months and a half to stay now and then our time will be out, and I don't intend to volunteer any more. I shall belong to the militia myself for I see that the militia don't have so much hard ship to go thru as the volunteers have, and they are getting the same wages and the same kind of rations, and they have more liberty than we. Only the militia has to make the first attack on the enemy, and then the volunteers come in at the last. So I think I'll come and stay at home untill they draft me. Good many have already reenlisted and are gone home on furlow. I shall finish my letter by giving you my best respects and to all of the family also and remain your affectionate lover untill death.
John Garibaldi.

To Miss Sarah A. W. Poor
Enclose you will find four envelops with postage stamps on. The name of this Camp is Zollicoffer I think. I haven't quite understood it [quite] well yet but I will tell you the Name of it better some other time. You will please write to me as soon as this comes to hands and direct your letter to
Winchester Va. Care of Captain L. T. Hollowy. 27th Reg. Va. Vols.

Subjects:

Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 27th
Romney Campaign, 1861-1862
Correspondence

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