.MzkxNw.NjM3Mg
[First Letter]
[Stamped Envelope]
5-30-63
[Postmark] Washington D.C. Jun 1 1863
Mr Samuel Cobb Mauricetown Cumberland Co N.J.
[Letter Pg1]
Camp at Head Quarters Armey of the
Potomac May 30th /63
Der Father
I have not herd from home for some time and not knowing when I hould here from you I thought I would write a few lines to you to let you know how [the][over written] to direct, as I am not with the Regiment at presant and I expect you Direct your letters to the Regiment the same as you did here to for but my not being with the Regiment is the cause of my not hereing from home, wee are a doing Provost Duty at the Hed Quarters of the armey of the Potomac, wee see pretty easy times at presant I will give
[Pg2]
you an Ideah of what wee are a doing, and what our Business is, our Business to take straglers to the differant Corps Head Quarters to wich the belong and by doing so wee have to go all over the armey of the Potomac and wee have a good chance to see what is a going on wee also have to go as Orderleys [a][crossed out] for the Generals here at head quarters also withe their staff when it is recqusite for us to, and part of our Business is to search Sutlers stores to see that they have no Liquer with them that is a piece of work that the most of our Boys like to do for if a Sutler is caught with liqure and will give them a bottle or two they will let him go, as regards to my self I do not use it and if I get a hold on aney of them I will take
[Pg3]
them up for it, when a Sutler is found with Liquer he has all of his goods convescated and losse[d][written over]s not onley the Leiquer but his whole cargo of goods and in my appinion it is a law wich is a vary good one here in the armey, wee see vary easey times here wee get the Best of Armey Fair here wee get Soft Bread hot from the Oven evry day and wee get hams and good ones at that wee get Pork, Beans, Sugar, Coffee, Potatoes, Rice, Fresh Beef, ane a few other articles to tigious to mention at presant, I was up to see our Boys two or three days a go and found them all in good spirits and long for the time to come when they will walk on Jersey soil, they say that if thay had as long to stay as I have they would go crasey
[Pg4]
I should considder them vary week minded if they would for I have hin in Uncle Sams Service over two years now and I have not went crasey yet. I have not quite fifteen monthes to stay yet but I have a will to help me out with and I have found so far since I come in the armey that all [?][written over] is required is a good and strong will and he will get a long, when you write to me Direct Provost Guard Cavly Detachment in care of Genl Patrick via Washington D. C. I will close by sending my love to mother and all of the Children also to Ed and Call and keep a good shair for your self. No more at presant from you Most Obt Son William. T. Cobb
Write soon
[Second Letter]
[Pg1]
Camp at Head Quarters Armey of the Potomac June 7th 1863
Dear Father
I recieved your letter of the 1st inst day befor yasterday and I was glad to here from home once more. I have not much news to tell you this time but I will tell you what I do know, a part of our armey crossed the river day befor yasterday in three differant places but what there in tentions whare is not knowing to evry boddy but I will tell you what it is for, Old Joe had an ideah that they was evacuateing over here and a going to Vicksburg and hee
[Pg2]
did not want them to leave him in that manner so he crosed over to attracked their attention while General Grant give them a good floging out west. I will give you a sketch of our crossing wee crossed at the U.S. ford and about a mile below Fredricks burg and our lower crossing is a bout 8 miles below Fredricks burg wee done it up in good style wee had pretty heavy cannon ading at Fredricks burg but not vary at eather of the other places wee have three or four One hundred and Twenty pound Sige Guns opposite Fredricks burg wich soon slianced there guns and wee soon had our pontons laid and our infantry was soon a crost. there is a little joke wich I will retate to you
[Pg3]
having a good position on the hill on this side of the River wee could see evry moovement in boath armeys well the Johneys was a laying in there rifle pists a waiting our infentry to come up and then open on them but our artilary beeing in good pasition could shell the pitts wich they lay in but they did not do it untill our boys got clost enough for the Johneys to rais and fire on them and just as they began to fire on our men out artilary opend on them and wee give them shells so fast that they could not fire on our men nor run all they could do was to lay down in there pitts out of the w[h][over written]ay of our heavy shells and while they lay in there our infantry charge the pitts and took them
[Pg4]
prisinors befor they was aware of what was a going on, wee took two regiments of them this rather astonished them but wee got them and wee had vary fiew lost in the in gagement it was but a piece of sport to our boys to go over as the know what it was for, when you write to me the next time I would like to have some Post Stamps if you will for there is vary few out here, when you write a gain direct as you did the last you sent to me, in care of Gen Patrick Provst Martial, armey of Potomac Cavly detachment, I will close by sending my love to Mother, Ed, Call, and all of the Children your self in cluded nomore at presant write soon from you most Obt son Wm. T. Cobb
N.B. I saw our Boys last Sunday I was with them all day.
[Third Letter]
[Stamped Envelope]
[postmark] Mechanics...?] June 30
Mr. Samuel Cobb Mauricetown Cumberland Co N.J.
6/25/63
[Letter Pg1]
Camp on the Mountaines June 25th 1863
Dear Father I recieved yours of the 20th yasterday and was vary glad to here from home once more. I have left General Patrickes and come to my companey. I joined my companey just in time to come out on this last raid with them and I would rather bee with them than aney whare else for wee gos all over the the state of Verginia and wee get all wee can eat and drink. there is no end to Cherreys down here and wee get all wee want of them, and milk wee can get all wee want of that to, and in fact to take
[Pg2]
this Raiding Business in to considera tion it is the best business that I ever done since I come a soldiering well to the raid wee left Warington junction on the 10th of June I believe and went up to Thurroughfar Gap and stayed there two days a watching the Rebs then left there and started for a small town called Aldie it is situated a bout 20 miles below Leesburg and it is in a Gap in the mountaines that runes from Bull Run to Point of Rocks (I have not herd the name of them) well wee got here after three days march and (the dusty rads I never saw the like befor) here wee had a fight with the Rebs Cavilry drove them through the Gap and wee did not attacked them aney more that day, but the next day
[Pg3]
wee went through the Gap and wee had one lively time that day you better believe. I will give you alittle discription of our march that day. wee took the road that leads to Winchester and went about a mile and a quarter when wee saw some Rebs in a strip of woods, wee went out as skirmishers to find out how maney there was of them wee soon routted them out of that went on about a mile farthe[r] found some more done the same as befor and so wee had it for 10 or 12 miles when wee come to a small town called New Lisben here there ware cross roads one running to, Union, one to Uppervill[e] one to Middleburg and the one wee had come run to Aldie. wee had but one brigade of Cavilry was all the troops that wee had, while be hind a piece of
[Pg4]
4
woods the Rebs had two Brigades awaiting for us to take the road to Union, and then the would come upon our rear and cut us off and take us if they could but the yankeys was to sharp for them in stead of us a takeing the Union road wee [?] to Middleburg road and went down that on a full Galop the Rebs soon seene that they was out Generaled and come after us at full speed, but wee wante
d
to [show?] fighht, wee turned a strip of woods but our battarys in position and brought our Cavilry in position to support our battary and then dismounted about 400 men and sent them up to a stone fence (wich is the onely kind that they have down here) this work was done in less than five minutes, at this Continued
[Pg5]
Concluded 5
moment up come the Johneys full tilt when the first thing that they knew they got a shower of grape and canister afrom our battary and then our boys that was a long the stone wall began to let go with there carbines the Rebs began to let go at us but wee was too well sheltere[d] by the stone wall. the fight lasted about 20 minutes wich wee had not one man[e][crossed out] scrached the Johneys loss was some 10 or 12, when they left they left us as fast as they come after us the did not bother us aney mor that day the next day wee got reenforcements and drove them a crost the valey captured 7 pieces of artilary 6 or 8 hundr ead Prisionors and as maney horses wee have just got in off of the raid after haveing several hard fights (what they call hard fights
[Pg6]
6
in Cavilry but it is onley good funn for us old infantry boys to get in to a Cavilry fight, often this you will Direct to the Companey, Co. B. 2nd U.S. Cavilry. I have vary nigh a years pay due me now I will give you an ackount of it. Commenceing July 1st 1862, one monthes privates pay
$ cts
13.00
$
[3 monthes sargents pay at 17 per month 51.00 ][underlined] [Pay due me from the volunteer: $64.00 ][underlined] 5 mor days will make a up the year wich is due me, and to count it is it will make 8 monthes pay at $13 per month wich is $104 and add my vounteer pay to that will make 168 dollars
$ cts
and take out 13.9[9][written over]1 will leave me $154.09, wich will make quite a pile when I get ti, I will close my letter by sending my love to Mother and all of the Children your self in cluded write soon and often and if you do not recieve aney from me you must write for I don ont all ways get a chaunce to write nomore at presant from your most Obdt William. T. Cobb
[Fourth Letter]
[Stamped Envelope]
[Postmark] Middletown Md. Jul 6
Mr. Samuel Cobb Mauricetown Cumberland Co N.J.
[Letter Pg1]
PAGE 18
On Pickett near Mackaicks Ville Md July 1st /63
Dear Father
I wrote a letter to you when wee was on the mountaines in Verginia but I did not get to mail it untill wee come here and I mailed it as soon as wee got her, wee come here 4 days ago and have bin a doing pickt duty ever since when wee come here wee come throught Fredrick city Md and here wee found the Union people and they use us vary well if a man has money here he can live vary well I will give you a few prices that wee have to pay for articales here for a larg[e]
[Pg2]
loaf of bread, 15 cts for Busicuit 25 cts, a doz. butter 20 cts per lb. eggs 10 cts, Milk 3 and 4 cts a quart, and evry thing else in proportion and them that have money can live vary well but them that has no money has to go with out, but when it comes to the cherry question wee stand as good a sight as aney boddy, wee have had vary dry weather down here for the last tow monthes untill with in a week past wich it has rained nearly all of the time and wee have a grate deal more rain than wee wish for at presant, I recieve the Pioneer weekley now and I am vary glad to get it I would like for you to write oftener to me than
[Pg3]
you do and I want you to tell Zeak and Charley bacon to write to me tell them that I am well and as good a soldier as I everd was, I will not enter on aney of our marches but I will tell you that I am a setting in a fine clump of large Oaks with my hors tied to one and I am a seting under another one a writeing to you I just come from some cherry trees about 4 Rods from whare I now set and I feel as if I would not need aney mor cherres for the next half hour and perhaps longer, I do not know when I will ever get aney mor pay yeasterday I was mustered in for pay wich makes twelve monthes pay due me and I would like
[Pg4]
to get it if I do not get my pay I will not be able to let you have that money that you was a specking a bout some time a go but I am in hopes that I will get it pretty soon, I will close my letter for it it is a getting late and I must go and see if there is some hard tack in my haver sack, if you can get aney money to send me a little I would re pay you when I get what is due me, I dislike to to make a request of this kind but since I joined the Companey I have not had the best of grub and none too much of it when wee are on the march three days rations has to do us five, and oftimes in this case a little money dose not come a miss, give my love to mother and all of the Children Call and all and keep a share for your self nomore
[Marginalia]
at presant from your most dutifull Son Wm. T. Cobb [write soon as possible][underlined]
[Marginalia – top of Page 3]
[write to Ed and tell him to][underlined] [write to me, give my love to him,][underlined]
