Editor’s Note: This item is part of a collection of letters from New York engineers written while their units were at the Siege of Petersburg. Researcher and Engineer enthusiast Dan O’Connell generously donated all of the items in this collection for use at The Siege of Petersburg Online. These transcriptions are copyrighted by Brett Schulte and may not be used without my express written consent. I do not have images of these letters so some errors could be from transcription or in the original.
Camp at Headquarters near Popular Grove Church, Va.
November 18th, 1864Dear parents,
I will try to pen a few lines to you this morning to let you know how we are getting along away off down here in the land of troubles. Daniel is well and so am I but my hand is not well yet so I am doing any duty but it is getting better al the time. We moved up here day before yesterday and the company is now at work putting up quarters for us building them out of trees and logs and if we have chimneys and fireplaces they will have to be built of mud and sticks for we have neither brick nor stone here. What few brick there was here the officers have used up so we have to do the best we can. Lieut. Austin of Co. M has been dismissed from the service for incompetncy and conduct predujicial to good order and discipline and he was a real soft head at best and was but little thought of in the regiment and Lieut Waldo of the same company has got his discharge but whether he was dismissed or not from the service I can’t tell for I have not seen or heard any of the proceeding of a court martioal against him while Austin’s is printed and made public and posted on the bulletin boards in different Regt’s. ____ has a box come here for him from home day before yesterday. I wish you would find out what he wants done with it and let me know right off for if we should have to move soon I don’t know what would be done with it for it can’t well be carried any distance. I have received yours of the 11th and was glad to hear from home though sorry to hear that grandmother was worse.You spoke about Walkers going off again well I didn’t think when he left the army that he would stay at home a great while for farming is not according to his taste. You know he never did like it and he has made money pretty fast since he went into the army and now to go to farming would seem to him like a slow way of making a living besides being being a life of drudgery. I am looking for him down this way now every day but don’t know as he will come at all.
Daniel says he has not time to write any to send with this letter.
It is now eleven o’clock and I must stop writing to prepare something for dinner. Give my best regards to all who enquire after my welfare. No more at present this from your affectionate son,
Charles W. Personious
U.S. Army3 P.M. The Reg is under marching orders and I think the army is preparing for another move and the
weather begins to look stormy once more. Good Bye.1
***
Other Letters Written By Charles Personius at the Siege of Petersburg:
- LT: June 10, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: June 18, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: July 18, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: July 24, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: August 8, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: November 7, 1864 Charles Personius
- LT: January 12, 1865 Charles Personius
- LT: January 15, 1865 Charles Personius
- LT: February 17, 1865 Charles Personius
- LT: February 19, 1865 Charles Personius
- LT: March 16, 1865 Charles Personius
Source:
- Personius, Charles. (1864, November 18). (Letter to his parents). Personius Brothers Letters (CL 105, Box B, Folder 38). Booth Library, Chemung Valley (NY) Historical Society, Elmira, NY. ↩