CIVIL WAR LETTER - 7th Ohio Infantry - Rebel Fire at Braxton Court House, VA !

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI)
This Civil War soldier letter was written by Henry Hayes Coe, (1830-1908), the son of David Lyman Coe (1796-1836) and Mary Matilda Hayes (1800-1877) of Painesville, Lake county, Ohio. Henry attended the Western Reserve College and made his living as a machinery builder before and after the war.
When the Civil War began, Henry became the band leader of the
7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI)
on 10 July 1861. He joined the Regiment—commonly called, “the Roosters,” at Weston, Virginia, Second Brigade Army of Occupation and was in the Battle at Kessler’s Cross Lanes, Summerville on 24-25 August; at Charleston until November 1st; expedition to Loop Creek and Fayetteville, November 1st to 17th; skirmish at McCoy’s Mills, November 15; expedition to Blue’s Gap, January 6th and 7th, 1862; fight at Blue’s Gap, January 7th. In Third Brigade, Lander’s division, Army of the Potomac, at Hampton’s Heights and Pawpaw Tunnel, until March. Transferred to Third Brigade, Shield’s division, in March. Advanced on Winchester, March 7 to 15. In the battle of Winchester, March 22-23rd 1862, the bandsmen “were engaged in carrying off the wounded, building fires to warm freezing limbs, and carrying water to assuage tormenting thirst.”
Transferred to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Department of Rappahannock, April 1st 1862, they were at Monterey, April 12th, New Market, April 17th; McDowell, May 8th; March to Fredericksburg, May 12th to 21st; march to Port Republic, May 25th. In the battle of Port Republic, June 8th and 9th. Transferred to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Virginia. They were at Alexandria until July.
He mustered out with the band at Washington on 5 July 1862 and later reentered the service as leader of the band for Second Brigade, Third Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, Army of Ohio, September 16th, 1864 and joined the brigade at Rome, Georgia, and participated in the Battle of Franklin and Nashville, and later in North Carolina.
[Lawrence, Wilson, ed., Itineraray of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry 1861-1864 (Akron: The Neal Publishing Company, 1907), p. 382.]
Henry's letter was written to his wife, Lucy Ann (Proctor) Hayes (1828-1909), the daughter of Ariel Proctor (1802-1874) and Susanna Harris Hinckley (1807-1891). The couple were married in August 1858.
Transcription
Braxton Court House [Virginia]
July 28th [1861]
My Own Dear Lucy,
Your very kind letter of 22nd was received at 9 tonight. A courier leaves for Weston at daylight in the morning. I received your other just as we were striking tents to leave Saltown. I hope now to receive letters from you by every courier. They do me so much good.
This is a place of great & continued excitement, & of a great deal of labor for men in the ranks, though musicians fare less hard work, yet I must say that this life agrees with me for my health certainly & I can pick up a march of 20 miles without anything to eat even & not mind it. For the first week I would take cold every night but today we have marched 9 miles through heavy rains, slippery mountain roads, helped strike & pitch tents, & been 9 hours on march & in ranks without any chance of anything to eat between 7 a. m. and 7 p. m. & yet I do not feel it at all and could probably go 20 miles tonight if necessary. I dreaded much to come at first but now I am into it & really enjoy it although we have to rough it and are deprived of the pleasures & advantages of home.
We should have had a fight but the rebels run every time. This morning a scouting party captured 14 rebels—6 mounted with their horses & arms, & 8 rifle men. Our force is now so large that it takes about 100 acres of ground for the encampment.
Last night we reached Flatbush about 9 o’clock, dark, muddy, and rainy. We could see nothing nor could there be found level ground enough to pitch a single tent. But by 10 o’clock, a half dozen hillsides were covered by about 500 tents & two hundred army wagons with their tarred like covers & every 2 tents had their huge camp fires around which the soldiers were cooking and drying their clothes while most had lights inside which mingled with the voices of 3 or 400 men made the scene most beautiful & interesting.
At this time some rebel sneaks fired on our pickets. The alarm was given, the cavalry, artillery, and rifles, sounded their bugles, the drums beat the “long roll,”—the soldiers dropped their frying pans, cups and spoons, & were soon in line and ready for a fight. But the sneaks under cover of the night escaped to the woods & I rolled up in my blanket, lay on the ground, and slept sound all night.
We have with us an independent company of “Va. Snake Hunters” about 50 in number—mountain boys armed with the full Minié rifle of from 1 to 1.5 miles range. They are mountain woods men. They are sure shots, can travel 40 miles a day & go mostly on a run. They do nothing but scout, regular Indians indeed. Most of the rebels killed here have been killed by them though they have not yet lost a man.
The water we use here we have to bring about half a mile up a hill almost perpendicular.
I have gotten a letter in answer to one from Mr. & Mrs. [ ]. You say they are away. I therefore send it to you. You may read it & hand it to them. I am much pleased to receive a letter from Mother and am glad she is with you. Do write to me often for in spite of busy moments about me, I am not forgetful of home. I think Mrs. Anderson has done a foolish or unwise thing. Also I think Mr. Anderson ought certainly to come home of that is the way matters stand. I suppose I am infringing on the rules of the camp by keeping a light burning after “tattoo”—10 o’clock—so good night. Write often & I will do the same. With much love to you, Mother, and the little ones. — Henry
While I think of it, can you send me some postage stamps. There is no post office nearer here than Weston which is 43 miles & when we left there, I [had] not much money & I can not send letters without stamps & there are no stamps to be had here.
When we came into this town we found it almost entirely deserted except by a few old women and a few little children. I should say that full 4/5th of the houses were locked and empty, all movables being taken away. We are informed that many of the citizens talked of burning them expecting that we would have the satisfaction of doing it for them. There are here many fine gardens with new potatoes & all the vegetables of the season and the boys were calculating to love on the fat of the land but Col. Tyler’s policy is different for he issued orders to allow no man to enter any house, garden, or orchard. But for all that, some of the boys commenced depredations & the Colonel got wind of it, rode through town, & seeing them, fired 3 revolver shots (so the boys say), probably not meaning to hit anyone, but a while after seeing another man getting over the fence, he took a dead aim at him when his pistol snapped but misfired. He expressed himself that it must have been Providential for he had never known it to misfire before. He said his orders should be respected & they were.
However, before this, while the men were standing in line for 2 or 3 hours, the Band fell out & were at rest until the condition and the dangers of the place could be ascertained. Meantime, a few of the boys slipped around back of the houses & secured cucumbers, squashes, peas, onions, beets, cabbages, & new potatoes enough to make half of us sick, for most of us had nothing to eat from breakfast until 7 in the evening, having performed a march through rains over slippery, muddy mountain roads & many of our teams got stalled & did not get in with our “kitchen” till so late that when we did get supper, we eat too much of the green stuff. However, we are alright now.
As to our position here, we are on a hill. The side next the town is almost perpendicular 300 feet above & from the brink we can throw stones down into the chimneys of the houses. This side commands by musket shot the whole town. On a projection of this side is a battery of old rifles cannon which commands the only two roads by which Old Gov. Wise & his rebel host can approach as also the suspension bridge—a fine structure over the Elk river & 375 feet long.
Our men have raised entrenchments all along the brow of this hill for the protection of rifle & musket men. The ground on the summit contains, I should think, 300 acres, and there is room, I should say, for double the number of men to camp & the natural defenses are nearly the same on every side. We hold the other roads we hold under guard with reserves stationed at signal distances. Indeed, today in lieu of magnetic telegraph we are establishing a signal telegraph back to Weston which will be in working order today I suppose until the wire is laid.
We are all constructing other roads to connect back and down into main road as a matter of prudence if needed.
About a mile distant on the other side of the river are encamped a lot of the Virginia boys—also Uncle Sam’s Regulars. I am informed that some of their shell guns are in masked batteries over there somewhere. I have not been over to see. The Geneva & Cleveland Artillery, I am informed, are within signal distance. The rebels fired on our trains yesterday. They are Hungary but they got “nary a biscuit” as heavy guards are sent with ever train. Wise was reported within a few miles yesterday with a large force. We somewhat expected him here to dinner today but has not come. We suppose we have him surrounded. If he thinks this the weakest front of our line, he will try to force through here. But it is my opinion that our force here in position, without our reserves, is good for him & 15,000 rebels. Our boys are seeing real service here. One of them, an acquaintance of mine, left today as a scout, spy & courier–disguised—& is going for 50 or 60 miles through the enemy’s country to our forces on the other side of Wise. It is a ticklish mission but I guess he is good for it. We have seen no very fierce enemies yet. All things now move on smoothly.
You must not worry about me. I think I take good care of myself & despite all the rumors there are few that believe we shall have even a brush with them here. We have enough to do except rainy days. It has rained today so that we have had no dress parade & I have written you a long letter. Ever yours, — Henry
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