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.
Note: All of the Ostrye brothers’ letters were transcribed by Charlotte Smith.
CITY POINT DEC (16-23) 1864
Dear Father and Mother:
I sit down this evening to write a few lines to you to let you know that we are well at present and hope these will find you the same. We got the box last Saturday night. We have been to work all day and when we came back the box was in the camp. We had a —– a going to sister box a Sunday, but in the forenoon we had to go on inspection and in the afternoon we went as far as our tent or else we have have to lay over the ground. It ain’t done now but it better than it was our === was pretty poor to home but I wish I had it here to live in. The roof of our shanty is cloth like the sheets at home and as small as this paper. It takes two days to write it . I would like to know —- those was a paper on that said that in here over us all the things I got all right or—came and help out it or we have. I got to run about half a mile. We had a little rain today so we did not go out to work so we have got a little time to write. We fixed up our tent. The army is a making a move we feel a heavy good — file here in a few days. You help us when you can and we will help you when we can. Well, I guess I can’t think of anymore to write so goodbye for this time. Write as soon as you get this letter. I am very anxious to hear from home. direct the same as before:
signed Charles Ostrye, Luke Ostrye.1
***
Other Letters Written By Luke and Charles Ostrye at the Siege of Petersburg:
- LT: September 15, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: September 21, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: September 29, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: October 16, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: October 23, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: November 5, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: November 20, 1864 Luke Ostrye
- LT: December 15, 1864 Luke and Charles Ostrye
Source:
- Ostrye, Luke & Ostrye, Charles. “City Point Dec 16-23 1864.” Letter to Father and Mother. 16-23 Dec. 1864. 15th Engineer Regiment: The Civil War Letters Of Luke And Charles Ostrye. New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Dec. 2015. <http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/other/15thEng/15thEng_Letters_Ostrye.htm>. ↩