Letter written by George W. Pearl, private in the 117th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company C and F, to his father and mother of Clinton, New York, from Camp near Fort Ripley, February 26, 1863
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[no caption] 2d Battalion 117th Reg't New York State Volunteers (117th Regiment, New York, 2nd Battalion),
Lieut. Col. A. White (White, Alvin (Lieutenant Colonel)) , commanding.
Company G (Company G).
Feb. 26th/1863.
Camp near Fort Ripley (Fort Ripley, Maryland)
Dear Father (Pearl, George A.) & Father (Pearl, George A. (Mrs., Marcia C.)) (Pearl, Marcia C. (Mrs. George A. Pearl))
I recd your kind letter
of the 20th last night but
not the paper. The weather
changed very quick here
It has been
pleasant two
days past and last night
when I went to bed it was
pleasant and the moon
shone as bright as a dollar
but commenced
raining before
morning and rains very hard
now. My tobacco and came
safe last Monday night it
(the tobacco) came just in
time. I was out and had been
to a house about twenty rods
from camp to get trusted
for some but the man wasnt
there so I did not get any I
came back to my tent Simons (Simons)
said there was a man in Co
G (Company G). from Clinton (Clinton, New York) that wanted
to see me. I went there found
it was Mr Miller (Miller (Mr.)) with
some tobacco for me I was
glad the man at the house
was not at home. It is very
good tobacco what did it
cost a pound. Tobacco here is
from [$100] to $1.40 a lb. Capt
Steves (Steves, Seth J. (Captain)) , Roys (Roys, Charles H. (Captain)) , and Lieut Shed (Shedd, Henry (Lieutenant))
Co. H (Company H). have resigned. They were
ordered before the
board of examination (Board of Examination) which they
say is a polite invitation
to resign. They have done
nothing and do not deserve
such treatment. It is the
Cols and party prejudice
between them and officers
in the other Battalion. &
the report is that the Col Pease (Pease, William R. (Colonel))
has some poor relation that
wants higher office so to get others
out of the way he takes this
mode of doing it. It makes
Co G (Company G). & F (Company F). feel rather down-hearted to lose their Capts.
The boys are all provoked at
Col Pease (Pease, William R. (Colonel)) in this and of
not accepting offers he has
had for the Regt. He first
had the offer when we
were at Fort Alexander (Fort Alexander, near Newport News, Virginia) that
if he would turn the Regt
into havy (heavy) artillery we
could stay there and man
the Forts Then he was offered
Brigadier Gen over a brigade
of artillery if he would turn
us into artillery. Then he was
offered the patrol of Washington (Washington, District of Columbia)
during the war, which would
been duty the boys would have
liked. But no he would not
accept of any of them. He
wants to be Brigadier Gen over
a brigade of Infantry. But the
report is now that he has had
another offer that is to
turn us into Cavalry and
go to North Carolina (North Carolina) or go
to Texas (Texas) but may not be true
Te (The) report I spoke of in Addie (Pearl, Adaline C.) s
letter is not true the boys
have been out to work the last
two days. We are to be
mustered in for pay day
after tomorrow and the papers
say that the whole army are
to be payed off the first of
March I guess I can get along
without any money at present
at least as long as the tobacco
lasts Wm Davies (Davies, William) recd a
box from home last Tuesday
with a pound of tobacco
all four of us in the tent
chew tobacco My black gloves
are pretty well wore out but
those I recd in the barrel
are as good as when I got them
I only ware (wear) them when I am on
guard and lend them to the
other boys in the tent when
they are on guard but I have
no guard duty to do now while
I am carrying water
Yes Mother I can
keep warm and comfortable
enough it is not very cold
here. I dont know whether
I can get home on a furlough
or not. They say now that
the fare there and back
is [$26.50] and if Father thinks
it prudent and I can get
a furlough I will come home
please write as soon as
you can and let me know
what he thinks about it
You must be careful and
not work to (too) hard and make
yourself sick. It is noon
and we have some baked
beans for dinner that we
baked in the oven to our
stove. You know I hardly
ever tasted of them when I
was at home but now
I can eat them with a
relish. There four boys going
to start for home from our
Co to day (today) that have got
their discharge wouldnt
care if I was one of them
I sen (send) with this the resolutions
of our Battalion on the
22d which was printed
in the Washington (Washington, District of Columbia)
Morning Chronical (Chronicle) and
may be R. P. Raymond (Raymond, R.P.)
could find a
place to publish it in
his renowned paper
My health continues
good The boys all send
you & Father ther (their) best
respects, and Dr. Millington (Millington (Dr.))
wishes Father to give his
best respects to Uncle
Ralph (Pearl, Ralph) . Give my love to
all enquiring friends
and save a good share
for yourselves Write
soon From Your
Son G W Pearl (Pearl, George W.) to
M C & G. A. Pearl (Pearl, George A. (Mrs., Marcia C.)) (Pearl, Marcia C. (Mrs. George A. Pearl)) (Pearl, George A.)
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