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Acton Memorial Library |
Civil War Records of Levi H. Robbins
Letter dated July 12, 1861 from Levi Robbins,
to his mother Mrs. Benjamin Robbins
(Acton Memorial Library archives 2008.4.11)
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Camp Relay July the 12 1861
Dear Mother I received
your letter last night I began to think that you
would never write again you say it is hot there
it is warm here but I dont think it is much warmer
than I have seen it in Mass. I suppose it would
seem warmer if we had to work I heard that it had
been the hottest days in Boston that had been known
for a grait many years I have not suffered so much with
heat as I have before I come here some times when I
go out for a walk I get pretty sweaty but I dont
have the head ache any we are have ing a good time
here now we can go where we are a mind to now
we can get jest as many cherries as we want you
ought to have seene a tree that was out here that some
of our boys found you would thought that thay never
would get picked and thay would not if it had not been
for us it was the largest tree I ever saw with cherries
on it thay was jest as thick as thay could hang it took us
most a week to pick it and we get jest as many
black berries as we are a mind to pick if you cant
read this you must keep it till we come home and I will
read it to you if I can that peace that come in your letter
is very good and trew it ought to bee so but as a general
[p.2]
thing the other kind of men go to war the kind
that drink and sware more than they pray I think it
ought to bee more like that pease than it is I am afraid you
let more see my letters than I should if I was thare you
had better not let any one see this I never felt better in
my life than I do now I hope I shall bee as well when I come
home so I can enjoy my self and I guess I shall if nothing
happings I suppose you have heard about the Capt geting hurt
Some of the boys are goin to bring home some dogs I would bring
Simon one if it was not so much trouble to get hit home for we shall
have to march and change cars so much thay would jest suit Simon
there is jes hound enough in them to look well and hunt
everything I suppose the band is coming from Lowell soon to
play us home I dont know as you had better write unless you can
write as soon as Sunday with out you have some news to write
but if you write and it don’ get here untill after we have started
it will be sent back so I shall get it it dont cost anything
to send my letters I went up to the Hospitol this morning to se
the Capt he is better he come part way back with me but I guess
he will bee done for a good while a most all the duty we have
to do is gard duty gard the depot and a lot of rail road and bridge
this is spelt worse than any letter I have wrote and the writeing
is worse I wish you could se the army wagons and and army
[illegible] that goes through here I suppose that Nate and
the folks will stope untill I get home dont let any one
see this letter I dont think of any thing to write now
goodbye From Levi July the 13 we dont have
but one mail a day that does out at two o clock so
when I write in the after it dont go untill the next day
[p.3]
I dont seal my letter up untill jest as I put them
in the office so when any thing comes up that is
worth of note I can put it in with[out] any trouble
Mr. Usher is here this morning he shook with me he
looked jest as [illegible] as home I think I shall go down
into Virginia and Alexandera to se the 5 Regs and
some other Regs Some of the boys have been get a furlow
from Coln Jones and he will give us a pass and we can go
where we are a mind to go to Washington on the cars
then take the boat down to Alexandera but we cant
go out of any of them Southern states without a pass from the
Marshol I went on picket gard last night of[f] in the woods
I laid down and sleep all night I carry my blankett rubber so
to keep the moisture from coming out of the ground I crawled in
to the brush and sleep first rate only for the gard holting
thre[?] the offercies and men that come along for the counter
sign I shall bee so lone some when I get home I shant know
what to do with my self thay had a little bit of a row here
the other day a Slave owner was punishing a girl when
the girls Farther stept in and knocked the Slave owner
down with a club then the fight become general and
master called for his son to bring the pistol and knifes
thay shoot him in the neck three or four times and stabed
him five times then he fled in the Relay depot where
our gards are when he got thare they took him under gard
and our Dr dressed his wounds I have not heard from him
since I go all round here and talk with the Slaves I have
been five miles from the Camp all a long I suppose the
Coln would not alow it if he new it but we dont have any more
[p.4]
feer than we do in Mass the Coln [illegible] us up a bout
it some times but it dont do much good what can I write
to fillup this long page with I went down and got this
sheet so I could write all that I could think of but I cant think
of anough to fill it you wont have to get a very long sheet
to hold all you write I guess I shant write any more
have you made Charley a uniform you did not write
that you had you must [illegible] he want him one time
it with red and you did not let him write to me