november 2nd
                                             1862
                                   va
Camp Near berryville Clark Co
Dear Sister
                  I once more attempt
to write you a few lines to inform
you all that I am still alive and
well and I hope these few lines
will finde you all well and
hearty. I hear the cannons roaring
this morning but I hope I will
not have to face them for they
are about twenty miles off.
Martha I want you to put
pockets to my yankee overcoat
and if it needes any other work
do it and send it to me
Send me one pair of pance and
some socks and any other thing
you see proper to send

[page 2]
and if I neede any thing else
before I get to cum home I will
write for it.  Tell the boys to
send me some chestnuts by Harvey
Smith and tell me where hayes
and Cummings are  how they are
and tell me about Charles M
Browning and aunt Catharine
and all of our kinfolks gener
ally and tell me how the boys
are getting along farming and
soon and tell me how pa is
he wonte write to me.  Martha
I havent any news to write
all that I can say to you is
that I am well and hearty
and hope to live to see you
all once more so nothing more
at present but remain your
affectionate brother W.R. Gilmer

Martha J. Gilmer

William Rives Gilmer, Co. I, 37th Virginia

MSS 5194

                           In Camp Near Charlestown, Va.
                                             November 2d  1862

Dear Sister
                  Your letter was received a few days
ago whilst on Picket at Upperville I do not know how
Cousin Eddy got it to me it was given me by one
of my company who said an unknown man gave it
to him, the day I got it we had a skirmish with
the yankeys and I had my horse shot in the mouth
it is a very painful wound and will disiable[sic] him for
some time The ball went through the upper lip through
his tongue and out of his mouth.  I wish I was able
to get another horse and let old Billiards rest he needs
it very much I have written to you twice since you I
was at Haymarket but I suppose that you never
received the letter the last one was from Leetown telling
you of the death of Sergeant Hansbarger he was kil
led in the fight at Paris in which Col J S Green
was wounded Co G was paroled and is now at home
doing very well he received two very severe sabre cuts
in his head. Seg. Hansbarger was shot through his
jaw and had his head split open with a sabre
he died instantly–Genl. D.H.Hill is fighting today
we can hear very distinctly heavy cannonading down
in the direction of Middleburg and Aldie where he
is. I saw him the other day but did not speak to him

[page 2]
I saw Miss Millie Herbert a few days ago she is very well
and asked very warmly after you.  I went down to
Col Dulanys to see her.  Our Company is now very full
numbering about one hundred and ten or fifteen men but
we have never been able to get them all together yet-
I am not in want of anything in the clothing line I lost
my overcoat some time ago and a few days ago I
paid $24 for cloth enough to make me another
one.  I wish I was near enough to get you to make
it up for me it will cost me some 12 or 15 dollars to
have it done–there is no possible chance of getting
a letter home but I think that the army is working
its way down towards Manassas I should not be at
all surprised if it wintered near the same place it did
last year–Uncle Ned was at home when I heard
from him last–I did not go with Genl Stewart to
Pennsylvania my company was on detached service
picketing at Ashbys Gap in the Blue Ridge,  uncle
Allan was very well a few days ago, he was in Stewarts
raid as was Lewis I suppose. I have never seen him
since he left home-his regiment I think is now down in
Loudoun County picketing about Bloomfield and Snick
ersville has he ever found Ada–Winter is again coming
on us and I truly dread it some of these nights are get
ting very chilly–I met with in Upperville a few days
ago Miss Graham one of my Culpeper lady friends

[page 3]
do you know anything of Miss Cary If you do
let me know–Since I last wrote my company
lost one man he was shot at Upperville about
three weeks ago he was from Fairfax his name was
James Ball–I will try and send you a little money
in a few days  I think we shall soon be paid off
We have received no pay since last June–What is
the matter with Major John I hope he is not much
sick I saw Cousin Willie a few days ago he is very
well–Ask Cousin Sally what she and the young
ladies of Powhatan and Amelia do since Johnny Tabb left
have you ever heard from him since he left–I took
supper some time ago with one of the prettiest young la
dies I ever saw she it was near Charlestown but as we
came off the next morning early I could not find out
her name (It is Fanny) If we ever go up that way again
I intend to find out–Is Cousin Willy still Commissary
fro Hills Division and is Jimmy Meade still
with him–Remember me to all of our kind friends
and relatives.  Tell Cousins Sarah and Mary that I
often think of them give my kindest regards to
Cousins Lewis and John, ask cousin John how his
crops turned out have the cots been broken yet
tell Seddon and Jimmy that I asked after them-
and give my love to miss Ellen I want to see them
all very much again direct to Winchester
                               yours aff F.A.D., Jr.

Francis Asbury Dickins, Jr., 1841-1890

MS 5533-d

[from the diary of Frank C. Fitzhugh of Cutshaw’s Battery]

November                  Sunday 2                1862                  
     Skirmishing all day
On Snickers Gap.  We recd
orders 4 P.M.to be ready to move
at a moments warning.   kept
horses harnessed all night

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 4448

[from the diary of Wesley A. Hammond, Co. E, 42nd Va. “Dixie Greys”

Sunday 2nd. – Got permission
to go to the Country – go to West View
and put up at Mrs. Nobbs.  met with
a kind reception.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 5526

[The stationery is headed with an engraving in red, white and blue of company of soldiers led by an officer on horseback.  Under the engraving is printed the following:]
We are coming, Father Abraham,
     Six hundred thousand more,
From Mississippi’s winding stream,
     And from New England’s shore.
We leave our ploughs and workshops,
     Our wives and children dear,
With hearts too full for utterance,
     With but a silent tear.
We will not look behind us,
     But steadfastly before,
We are coming, Father Abraham,
     Six hundred thousand more!

Nov    the 2   the 1862
          Washington D C
                  Camp Stetson
            Dear Brother
     this being a very plesant
day i thought that i would
take this my time to
write you a fiew lines   we
are all well as common
this place that i am in
now is one of the prettist
places that you ever saw
i am sitting in the top of

[page 2]
Of a very large oak tree
that was chopped yesterday morning
[letter lined out] and there is a stream of watter
that runs below me and a very
high hill on each side of me
and it is the prettist place
for a camp meeting that i
ever saw   there is no under brush
here and the trees are all
very large oak and they
are so far apart that you
could drive a team through
them any where and the

[page 3]
hills is jut steep enough to
build seats one above the other
there is a meeting in this grove
this after noon and i am going
after i finnish this letter   there
will be one here every Sunday
that it does not storm untill
we leave here and i don’t know
how long that will be be fore we
will go to our winter quartors
and i don’t know where that
will bee nor no body else knows
yet   there is 50 men of us
now at work a building a
magazene one of the highist
hills on this side of the
potomac and [-] to build
a batery there and set a gun
on there that will a carrey
a hundred pound ball besides

[page 4]
   We have sat one just a short
distance from this that carreys
the same size ball   I and
amb [Ambrose ?] is at work with the rest
of them and i like that – well
from this place that we are
at work we can se all along
the potomac for some distance
and acrost on the other side and
the camps are so thick that
they look like fields of
snow all along the sides of
potomac – the land is very rough
on the other side   it seems
almost inposable to get a
road through there – to stand
on this side and look a
crost on the other side – this
is a splended country here
but still i could not
live here for nothing in the [-]

[This letter is not signed.  However, the handwriting is very similar to the handwriting of James Huntley.]

James and Ambrose Huntley were in the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 828

                  Medical Dept.
                       24th Regt. M.V.M.
                      East New York
                             Nov. 2d. 1862
Dear Brother
                     We were aboard the
boat the last letter I wrote and
expecting every minute to go ashore
Well in about 1/2 hour after I had
sealed that letter,we landed at
Castle-Garden–had a dinner of
soup, very good soup it was all
but the parsnips.
After dinner the Steward and myself
got into a Bus. and sent up
Broadway a couple of miles-quite
a street that.
About dark got orders to start for
this place.  After eating some of that
cake & cheese that mother sent, the
Steward Myself & six sick men

[page 2]
walked about 20 rods to the Atlantic
Ferry North River, crossed for 2 cts
then got aboard the horse cars and
came directly to this place
whole distance eight miles cost
of transportation seven cents apiece
Don’t you wish you could ride as
cheap as that?
The population of this place
is mostly German, I just went
down to the Post Office for the Surgeon
and passed a hall on my way–
heard music looked up and
saw people dancing–rather funny
business for Sunday?
We have a large stone building
for a Hospital.  Very comfortable
quarters.
The Surgeon told me to day
that next Sabbath I could go
with him and hear Henry Ward
Beecher that will be rather
grand.  The 2d asst. Surgeon

[page 3]
heard him to day. he says
that he is as much above
common preachers as an
steam engine is superior
to a go-cart.
No knowing how long we shall
stop here probably a month or more
  It is prety lively times in
N.Y. now as it is near election
some say the State will
carry a hundred thousand
majority against the Admin
istration
   Will send a paper with
this if I have time.
        Good by for the
         present
           Your affect brother
                  C.P. Morrill
Direct
   East New York
     24th Regt. M.V. M.
Care J. C. Morison Surgeon

Charles Plummer Morrill, 24th Maine

MSS 11031

 [from the dispatch book of General Alfred Pleasonton]

Hd. Qrs. Cav. Brigade
 Philomont  Nov 2, 3.30 a.m.
To General R B Marcy
       Chief of Staff
  General–Your dispatches
of 8 & 9 P.M. rec’d–
My note of 4-15 P.M.
was my first relating to\the fight–as we were
too busy to write up to that
time, several of my
wounded will die–so
the doctor says, We were
so close that grape &
canister were used a
good deal to day–
the enemy have kept
very quiet all night–
altho’ a Union lady

[page 2]
submits word–they
had said they would
cut me off by the
way of Pot-House &
I judge the skirmishing
that way was their attempt-
   Shall push off in the
morning without waiting
for Averell & shall leave
orders for him to follow-
   do me the favor to inform
the General I rec’d his
communication & shall
use every effort to meet
his views–
       Very respectfully
                    A. Pleasonton
                      Brig. Genl

MSS 495

[from the dispatch book of General Alfred Pleasonton]

Hd. Qrs. Cav Brigade
Philomont–Nov 2. 10. 50 a.m
General R. B. Marcy
    Chief of Staff
   I have come up with the
enemy at Union–they have
infantry drawn up in line
supporting their guns; my advance
is not engaged–Lt. Col. Hoffman
with a brigade of infantry &
a battery have reported–I have
ordered him here to support
me–The enemys camp &
pickets at Snickersville
could not be seen this
morning–
           I am Very respectfully
           A. Pleasonton
            Brig. Genl.

MSS 495

[from the dispatch book of General Alfred Pleasonton]

Hd. Qrs. Cav Brigade
On the road, Nov 2. 12 m.

General R. B. Marcy
    Chief of Staff-
 general–  My advance is entering
Union, we have had a sharp
skirmish with the enemy &
blew up one of their caissons–
    They have gone off on the
Upperville road–I sent
seven companies to Bloomfield
but there was no enemy
there–I am not able yet
to give you m loss–
    The cavalry dismounted
under Col. Davis 8th New
York has behaved markedly
well & my artillery is always
successful–
                  As soon as I can
do so, I shall move on
towards Upperville—

           I am Very respectfully
           A. Pleasonton
            Brig. Genl.

MSS 495

[from the dispatch book of General Alfred Pleasonton]

Hd. Qrs. Cav Brigade
Union, Nov 2. 2 P.M.
General R. B. Marcy
    Chief of Staff
  General–
                Pennington’s Battery
is getting out of ammunition
he wants three hundred  Shenkle
percussion & three hundred
Shenkle combination fuses–
to be obtained from Col. Hayes
Reserve Artillery Park.–
Please have this forwarded
at once–
             Stuart has about
four thousand cavalry &
five guns as a Union man
here tells me–Averell has
Passed Philmont & is coming
up–Col Davis captured
three prisoners this morning
& thinks he has had two
men badly wounded–
       I am pushing the enemy
on the Upperville road

           A. Pleasonton
            Brig. Genl.

MSS 495