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Free Home PageOrganized at New York November, 1861, to February, 1862. Left State for Washington, D. C., February 10, 1862. Attached to Military District of Washington to May, 1862. Whipple's command, Military District of Washington, to October 1862. Abercrombie's Division, Defenses of Washington, to February, 1863. Abercrombie's Division, 22nd Army Corps, Dept. of Washington, to April, 1863. 1st Brigade, DeRussy's Division, 22nd Army Corps, to May, 1863. 4th Brigade, DeRussy's Division, 22nd Army Corps, to December 1863. (4 Cos. 11th New York Heavy Artillery assigned July 25, 1863, as Cos. "I," "K," "L," and "M."). 3rd Brigade, DeRussy's Division, 22nd Army Corps, to March, 1864. Artillery Brigade, 6th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May, 1864 (Cos. "C," "D," "L," and "M" 1st Battalion). Artillery Brigade, 5th Army Corps, to May 1864 (Cos. "E,", "F," "H," and "K" 2nd Battalion). Artillery Brigade, 2nd Army Corps, to May, 1864 (Cos. "A," "B," "G," and "I" 3rd Battalion). Artillery Brigade, 2nd Army Corps, May 31 to June 25, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps (1st Battalion). 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps (2nd Battalion), June 25 to July 13, 1864. Artillery Reserve to August, 1864. Unattached, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, to September, 1864. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, to March 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps to June, 1865. 3rd Brigade, DeRussy's Division, 22nd Army Corps, to August 1865. 2nd Brigade, Dept. of Washington to September, 1865. (Co. "D" with Artillery Brigade, 2nd Army Corps, July to December, 1864. Co. "L" with Artillery Brigade, 2nd Army Corps, July, 1864, to March, 1865. Co. "C" with Artillery Brigade, October, 1864, to May, 1865.)
SERVICE. - Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C., till March, 1864. Action at Lewinsville, Va., July 6, 1862, and October 1, 1863 (Detachment). Rapidan Campaign, May-June, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-6; Spottsylvania May 8-12; Piney Branch Church May 8 (2nd Battalion); Laurel Hill May 10 (3rd Battalion); Spottsylvania Court House May 12-21; Landron's Farm May 18 (1st Battalion); North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad, June 22-23, 1864. Deep Bottom July 27-28. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Reserve). Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August 14-18. Ream's Station August 25. Poplar Springs Church, Peeble's Farm, September 29 - October 2. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28. Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run December 9-10. Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865. Watkin's House, March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28 - April 9. Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road and White Oak Road March 31. Sutherland Station and fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3-9. Amelia Springs April 5. Sailor's Creek April 6. Farmville April 7. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. March to Washington, D. C. May 2-12. Grand Review May 23. Duty in the Defenses of Washington till September. Mustered out September 26, 1865, and honorably discharged from service.
Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 108 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 334 Enlisted men by disease. Total 454.
From A COMPENDIUM OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, Frederick H. Dyer, Des Moines, Ia: F. H. Dyer: 1908. Pp. 1383-1384.
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5
and back from them are the Darkies Shanties they look comfortable to.. the land through Maryland is all is almonst all a common.. wild rice fields etc we corssed the Del River in on a ferry train & all the Susquihanna R is a large River to it was was covered with Ducks and when theese cars crossed the air was as fill Black with them
Fourt Macey March 17
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I arived at this forte yesterday it is a pretty place I can tell you have drilled 3 times today & been over to Fourt Ethan Allen saw Ike Doneslon Donelson Ike Green Morran Worthy Young Shelton I hante seen Uncle John yet in coming from Distributing Camp I came right past where he was but I dident know it I saw dave David Jones Walace Doty Frank
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Bales & others I shall send & 110 $110 dollars home in a few days I wil send a line with with it.. or the or we write the same day I dont know whether I can send ti from here or not I will see a soldier cant save all of his mony any how he has got to spend some any way in from Elmira to Washington all that we had to eat
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was about a dousin hard tack & 1/2 pound of meat & we was 3 days & nights coming so you see we had to buy something or starve I lent a dollar to George Wilcox he will send it to you no more
C. S. Goodale Direct to Co.. H.. 4th H. A. Washington DC
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Camp in the field near Stevensburg 6 mi south of Brandy Station
April 5 / 64
Dear Father
Yours of the 28 came to hand I in good time & found me in pretty good health ecepting a verry hard cold which I caught when we was on the move from the fourt to the field. A week ago last Sunday we got Marching Orders greatly to the supprise to all of us se we packed our knapsacks & started for Alexandera the distance of 14 mi. the day was verry warm & our heavy loads nearly tired us out there was scarecly an dry thread in my cloths when I got on the cars I had to get on to the top of them & rode to Brandy Station the distance 50 Mi when we got there it was 10 oclock at night & after sitting on the cars & freezing to death an hour or two longer we got off & laid on the ground all night in the morning after eating a little hard tack we took up our march for about 3 Mi. when we came to a halt & encamped about 100 rods from Gen Mead Headquarters we could look either direction for miles & see nothing but Camps Army horeses Wagons - not a house, barn. piece of fence or any farming utincil. nothing except government property can be seen any where in V.A. Well the ride I took in the night gave me a verry hard cold & when we camped it commensed to rain & rained 2 or 3 days a long cold rain I layed in my tent & almost froze to death shivered day & night there was 2 men chilled to death in that storm it was not joyous but grievous as soon as it stoped raining & got dried up a little we had Orders to march & as soon as we begun to strike tents it commenced to rain again & it rained 4 or 5 days we marched about 8 mi. in the rain that day & when they found the mudyest place they could find gave Orders to pitch tents as soon as we got our tent pitched in the mud I went up to the 126 Reg & stayed all night & the next night also they were in pretty comfortable quarters I stayed the rest of the time in the mud, the storm has stoped this forenoon & the much welcome sun shines warm & pleasant. but it has been a terrible Storm 3 men perrished in it we are now in the Front on a little hill near by we can see over into the Rebel Camps the Rapidan lays between us our Pickets are on one side & the Rebs on the other side I expect as soon as the ground gets settled a little more to see some pretty smart fighting for there is an emence army at the front now & they are comeing in every day by the thousand I have not seen Uncle John yet he was at the fourt the morning we left in the Hospitable sick but I did not know it I expect he is in Washington now in some General Hospitable I wish I had played off on them & gone to for they would not let me go around the City a bit when we came through they are detailing men for teamsters & other detached duty they are picking out all the crooked men & lazy men those that wont quite keep up in the ranks for detached service I wish I could get in as teamster or something of the sort well I must close Direct as usual. C. S. Goodale
I am in sight of Culpeper
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April 16th /1864
Camp at Culpepper. V.A.
Dear Mother.
Your note came to hand in good time & was glad to hear from home again & hear that you was all well I have rec 2 letters from you & one Frank Lersly and 2 coppys of the Times & one Sunday School paper & was glad to hear from you verry thankful for them for we dont get much to reed down here day before yesterday we marched from Stevenburg to this place the distance of 8 Mi I tell you it looks hard in culpeper all the windows are broke in & grand buildings put to government use I saw a splendid Church yesterday all filled with Government harnesses & saddles & the basement was converted into a stable & some of the best horses in it I ever saw I saw the horse that Gen Reynolds was shot off from at the battle of Getteysburg & I saw hole in the buildings that had been made by bullets & shells in short the place is all in ruin they use the court house for a gard house it is full of Rebs I saw their heads poked out the windows our camp is on a little hill about 60 rods from the Village any one has got to be careful or they will be taken by the parole gard it is not much comfort to be down there & be dodging & runned in evry direction to shun them evry old stable & evry place that any one could hide is full when they patroll comes round all the Sutlers pedelers and evry thing of the kind have to leave to day the reason is that it is desided that by the board of health that that it is better for the Soldiers to do without the solde sutlers than with them I liked to forget to tell you that I sent $100 home the 13 of this month I sent it by Adams Express Company I will send the receipt as soon as I get it the chaplain of our Regt expresses all the mony that is sent from the Regt & they tell me it goes all right Well I am ".right Smart.." health first rate good it is a rainy day to day & it is hard work to sit on the ground all day with no back to my seat but I have to do it or stand out in the rain I have to spend some money & spend some that I dont have to coming down here we had nothing to eat except what we bought along the road & vituals was 15 Cts a smell at least Our Regt is split up into 3 battaloins the first Bat is assigned to the 5 Corps the 2 to the 5 6th & the 3rd to the 2 Corps I belong to the 2 Bat I dont know what they will do with us Gen Grant came to Culpeper last night. on our march yesterday some of the boys found human bones & I saw some shell that dident burst when they struck we were within hearing of a small Battle the day we marched no more at present I wish you would send me one of your Vignettes & one of Father that he had taken standing up & send me a dolars worth of Postage stamps George Wilcox will pay for them he borrowed $1.00 of(f) me the day I left Canandaigua & said he would send it to you as soon as he got home & he has been home some time perhaps he has sent ere this I have changed my mind you may keep the dollar George sends to you & I will send the mony in this letter to pay for the stamps I can think of nothing more at present my love to all enquiring friends yours as ever
C. S. Goodale
I got a letter from Oscar often & got one from S Case last night
write as soon as possible & send the stamps Direct as usual
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Camp near Culpeper Apr 22
Dear Father
Your verry welcome letter was received in good time & was glad to hear you had got home safe through so many adventures in the the way of traveling I have just come in from drilling on our guns it is quite a chore I tell you but I like it first rate when we was camped at Stevensburg I was detailed to go in the Ambulance Corps but the regt was split up & our Battallion was ordered to move so I was ordered back & some more recruits came & they was detailed in my place & I had to take the old gun again but I dont care the talk is now that we will do Provo gard in culppep(er) "..Our Co.." they are splitting the Battallions up into Companeys & scattering them in different places just where they want them if we do Provo gard in town it will be a good thing I rec 2 3 papers the day I got your letter verry much oblige for them E. Milikin is driving teams at present all the rest of the Boys from Bristol are well John Buckley is in the Hospitable at Washington I expect. I got a letter from Oscar last night he is well I go to Culpeper evry day have been twice to day. Lient. General. Grant and General; Warington.s Head Quarters are there there is no buisness done in the place except 2 Barber shops and one Government Sutler I sent $100 home the 14th of this month by the adams express Company I sent it by the chaplain all the mony that is sent by the Regt is sent by him & they say it goes all right there was a good deal sent the time I sent mine it was after pay day I did not get any pay for I have not been mustered for pay yet I expect to be mustered the first of next month so I will get pay next time I have got $8.00 due me next pay day & have ha got $2 1/2 with me I expect George Wilcox has sent you $1.00 ere this he said he would do so soon as he got home you take that & I will send &1.00 in this letter pay it toward Express charges I would send $1.00 in this letter but I dont know as it would go through for there is talk in Camp that the Mail is to be stopped in a verry short time next time I get pay if I can send to Washington by some trusty man I will send my mony & get a check that is much safer & much Cheaper I can think of nothing more Yours as ever
C. S. Goodale
Direct as usual
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May 17 / 1864
Dear Father
As the notice was given out that a mail wagon will leave to night I thought that I would pen you a few lines to let you know that I was well I wrote a letter just before we left Culpeper that night we started at 12 oclock & I have not slept a whole night since have been 3 days & nights without a bit of sleep we have been under fire evry day since the 4 of this month until the last 3 days it has been pretty quiet & I am glad to have it so far the roar of cannon & the rattle of musketry is not verry pleasant to hear much more so when you are where you can see the dead & wounded fetched off the field by the 100 men shot to peases in evry maner jaws shot off both eyes shot out and in evry other way it is a sickening sight last Friday a man was in his tent when they was shelling us they sent a solid shot over & cut him right in to those shell are not verry pleasant to hear they make a man dodge his head if it dont come wh within 2 mi of him we have been under fire of them several times have had a few nen men wounded not many the first fight we went into was just at sundown the first thing we had to do was to repuls a charge of the rebs we kept up firing at time all night in the morning they tryed to brake our lines they came through the woods yelling like the Devil we opened one volly on them & they retreated & they after us and as soon as they got clear of the woods in to the open field one of our batteries opened on them with grape & it mowed them lines down with such distruction that they was glad to right about face double quick to the woods again we were engeged at times all day at night we had to gard a wagon train to our left it seemed hard for us to march all night after fighting all day & all night and marched all day before in the hot sun & night before was the night we left culpeper at 12 oclock but a private soldier is not supposed to know how he feels or any thing else so we had to march till 4 oclock the we halted for he breakfast I layed down and slept my hour right in the middle of the road where the dust was 4 in deep the march was a dusty one one you could not tell who any one was nor what color their clothes was perhaps you think it was not much of a train Well it is train enouogh to reach 75 miles besides 150. 0 six mules teams of wounded besides several batteries wounded footmen well they kicked up a dust and no mistake we wers was routed up after an hours halt & it was a scolding hot day I just slung evry thing blanket over coat shurt evry thing I had except rubber blanket & tent and one shurt I hated to do it I could not carry it them I have about 40 lbs to carry now in the way of 8 days rations 50 rounds of cateridges gun canteen of water gun rubber blanket tent besides my straps cateridge box bayonet sheath & ethean come to get 40 more on to a man & march him day and night it a little to much soldiers that have been out before 2 years say they never see any thing like it before if I had all the clothes that have been thrown away since the army started this time I could buy every foot of land in Bristol perhaps you think at is a gon big story but I tell you this army is a big thing if you could see one Corps pass you would think there was not room for them to in all Verginia to fight it takes about half a day for them to pass 4 deep Baggage wagons & all & they throw away a good many things in a warm day it looks bad to go right by good raisors neck ties linnen collors colors & every thing that you can think of our Regt is not quite so large as it was our Co used to nomber 19 men it redused a good deal Mother wanted to know the names of my officers the Capt of our Co is Priest Browns son of West Bloomfield our Lieut is Cuyles Edmonson of Canandaigua our regt is split up into 3 Battallons the 1st is assigned to the 2nd Corps the 2nd to the 5th Corps & the 3rd to the 6th Corps I am in the 2nd Bat therefore I am in the 5th Corps the Comander of ours our corps is Maj Gen Warren we dont belong to any Division or Regt I dont know of any thing more to write at present only I arnt verry fleashy but feel first rate I guess you will want to know where I am I am in the wilderness near Spottselvainia Courth House my health is first rate no more at present Direct as usual
C. S. Goodale
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June 5th
Camp near Cold harbor
Dear Mother & Father
I rec your kind letter just now & now sit down to answer it before the Chaplain leaves he brings the mail & takes it away all at the same trip he dont like to stay where the iron & lead flies so much we are under fire all the time it is a wonder that there dont --- more of us get killed last night just as we was cooking our supper the shells & sollid shot came in to us like a storm, night before last we built breast works all night within 50 yards of the Rebs so near that we could hear them talk a good many got wounded the next day 6 of us went in advance to start a breast work to get a light battery into we cralled up to the top of a little hill & there commenced to get a little dirt up before us there was one killed & one wounded out of us six they was in Co K. June 7 I could not get my letter finished before the Chaplain left & I was detailed to go and build a sort of a fourt to get some rifle Cannon in position we got it partly built & the rebs opened on it & knocked it all down such a getting back to camp you never see that gave them courage & about dark last night they mad(e) a charge tried to brake our lines by making a charge but they got repulsed but there was a perfect roar of musketry for about an hour and a half our Regt was in the 2nd line of battle so we did not fire off a gun but their artilery came among us & wounded 2 or 3 the regt is all together now the siege of Richmond has commenced fighting all the time some one in the Regt gets killed evryday the sharp shooters are verry busy on both sides it is just the time for them for them balls have struck within a rod of me since I have been writing the boys are getting used to them there is no use trying to get away from them so the best way is keep cool young struble that you see is the one that tented with me he is a first rate boy if you see him he will tell you all about where we was have been tell him if you see him that Jim Gay is wounded in the foot with a cannon ball and the Agatant is badly wounded We are assigned to the 2 Corps now & have been for a week
(letter ends without a signature)
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June 14 / 1864
Camp near Wilcox landing
Dear Father & Mother
I have not Rec a letter from home in some time but continue writing hoping soon to get some we keep making flank movements & they dont give us much rest have to built fortifycations nights & march days & march nights & build days & so it goes we are on the bank of the James River & what we are to do I dont know there are large transports at this point I expect we will go some where on them the River is 3 mi wide here we crossed the Chickohomminy yesterday & marched all day in the swamps it smelt verry filthy lots of stagnant water & some stagnant horses it makes a fellow lonesome homesick to go through such a place as the --- swamps but there was some of the largest Cypress trees I ever saw 8 & 10 feet through & they start verry surious when they get to be 16 or 18 inches tall they are 6 inches through they look like a little stump not a leaf or limb on them where we are now there is one of the most splended plantations I ever saw it is as level as Genisee --- flats & the fields are so large that you cant see across them you may think that the rebs will be starved in a year or two but I am afraid the north will starve doing it for there is 100 - upon 100 acres of corn & wheat & it all looks well too here to the Wilcox landing as much as 4000 bush of - corn now & a lot of field of the same that I cant see across & wheat & oats according & there is a good many others that are not far behind the him we dont get much good forage among the road the Provo keeps close gard & if we do get some little thing it is like setting a pail of swill among all the gogs and pigs that wh we have some falls it is scrach & grab all the time & wast half of it we had free access to a cherry tree this morning it was about as big as all of Stevens put together so up went the boys with hatches & knives cutting off limbs when one would strike there would be such a rush they would spoil almost all of them the limb broke with one boy & down he come limb & all & broke his leg but there dont no one mind him but rushed up after the cherries & tread him all into the - durt so he had to have his leg taken off so you see one cant get any thing well I must close by saying that I was a gard last night at the corner of the garden & I noticed that a good many of the boys in our Co had green peas & onions etc for breakfast this morning it was dark & could not see write soon yours as ever
C. S. G.
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Monday, June 20th
Dear Father & Mother
Fighting is not quite so nice as pictured in Novels & romances last Friday night we were ordered out to build breast works & worked all night in the morning we had to make a charge so we fixed bayonets & charged over a corn field about 1/4 of a mi drove in the pickets & took one line of breast works they fired one volly & run like the Devil but they shot to high but some of the shots came low enough to shoot off our Orderly Sargents leg & wounded Walace Doty in the ankle & one or two others we followed them about 3/4 of a mi farther & came to their strong holds or fourts then we halted & the balls came like a hail storm our 5 Co (for that was all that was engaged out of our Regt) got into a ditch & deployed skirmerchers, while they we entrenched a little I was detailed to go on the skirmish line we took our distance 5 paces in rear of our line of battle & marched over them out toward the Reb line out to an old fence where there was some bushes there we layed down flat & the Reb's picket line was not more than 30 rods in A advance of us we fired on them one volly & they returned the compliment but their our line was so strong that they soon retreated behind their works at one oclock P.M. the whole 2nd Corps made a charge but was repulsed only taking a few prisoners I dont know how heavy our loss was only our 5 Co lost over 100 men killed & wounded 21 out of our Co. only 2 killed but 2 or 3 lost their legs I had a pretty good time out on the skirmish line another fellow & my self dug a little pit with a hatchet & our cups & layed low & as soon as a man would put his head up over the brease works we would let Blim at him once in the day they tried to turn our right flank then we had a good chance at them I fired 22 round on the line Uncle John is lucky to get out of it if he had have been here he would have stood a pretty good chance to get a wound if not worse there has been 50 men killed & wounded in our Co besides a good many sick ones the Major in charge of us got wounded
June 21st
we left the front this morning & I dont know where we will go there are all sorts of rumors in camp I must close and cook some coffee for I dont know what minute we will start & marched all day and night without a halt last week I went 2 days & 3 nights without anything to eat except one ear of corn & a few fresh water clams I would have give $5.00 for 5 hard tack if I had the mony & could get them write soon for I have not had a letter since the one you sent 2 envelopes yours as ever C. S. Goodale
5th page June 21
since I wrote you the other sheet we have taken a long & dusty march one man has sun struck & one has been took to the Ambulance because he had a fit on account of the heat of the day I tell you it is scalding hot a man cant stand bare foot in the sand a minute but it will blister his feet any ones boots burns his feet Whit Burge is at the Hospitable with a sore foot his heel blistered at first
[page 6]
& the fever got in & he has got a fearful foot I tell you you know nothing of the Horrors of war what would you think to see a lot of men marching along the road the hotest day you ever saw north all girted up with wide belts & 40 pounds on his back & the dust flying so as you could not see a rod & see him running up hill & see any one fall out out & the provo gard pricking them along it is indeed an awful sight
[page 7] [June 21st]
we have marched about15 miles almose south from petersburg where it is we are now I dont know only in the hot white sand over shoe the tak talk is that the 5th Corps is in line of Battle in front of us about a mile & they that we are to make another charge tomorrow morning but I cant tell any thing by
page 8
camp rumor we get our orders to march & dont any more than get in line than another order comes not to march the Colonel dont know what we are going to do 4 minutes before we do it where we came from this morning we could see Pertersburg plain it is a large City & grand Buildings such as Churches etc. but the rebs hold it
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& I guess they will hold it you had ought to see their fortifycations I have seen Wash Hicks since I have been out he looks well but the government has gone back on his Regt as well as the Hvy Art. I dont care a cup what becomes of the government if they cant do as they agree now Wash enlisted it go horse back but he has got his little musket & instead of a carbine & rides on shank horses the Officers have good times at costs more to pay them than it does the men that fight you ought to see the head quarter wagons for one Brig Gen there is 4 or 5 four horse teams he has 5 or 6 horses to ride & the divel only knows what they have the best of livieng & are awfull afraid the war will stop for the most of them are too mean to get into any bussness at home & dont know enought either
(letter ends here without signature)
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