CIVIL WAR LETTER - 84th Pennsylvania Infantry - Fighting in Paw Paw Valley, VA

Description

CIVIL WAR LETTER
Civil War Letter by Soldier in Co. I, 84th Pennsylvania Infantry
This Civil War soldier letter was written by 27 year-old Jackson Potter (1834-1862), the son of John Potter (1807-1880) and Mary Rishel (1813-1879) of Luthersburg, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. Jackson enlisted on 1 October 1861 in
Co. I, 84th Pennsylvania Infantry
and he died on 11 July 1862 at Alexandria, Virginia.
Most of the letters were written to his father, or his sister, Jane Potter (1839-1905), and a few to other family members such as his brother, William Marion Potter (1842-1916).
Of Potter’s service, his commanding officer wrote, “the company joins with me in [conveying to you, his father,] that they have lost a true soldier and a pleasant companion.”
Transcription
Camp Chase, Virginia
February 15th 1862
Jane,
It is with pleasure that I take my pen to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well, hoping that you are enjoying the same blessing. We are still in Pawpaw Valley, Virginia. I received your letter of the 4th and was glad to hear from you. But I think that you might write longer letters than you do. I have wrote four or five letters that you have not got.
Day before yesterday there was a heap of soldiers came in here. The first was a regiment of cavalry and one of mounted riflemen and I stood [and watched] till dark and I could not see the end of them. And then I went into the tent and got my supper. They went on, part of them, that night and yesterday there was a fight about twelve miles from here. It was a brisk little fight. They killed about 25 of the rebels and took fifty-five prisoners and among them there was twelve commissioned officers and one colonel and one captain. There was two of our men killed and two wounded. One of them is from Pennsylvania and one from Ohio. I saw them and they look hard—all bloody and muddy. They were dressing them now to send home.
I do not know how soon we will leave. We are expecting to move every [day] for Winchester but it may not be soon for the roads is so bad that the artillery cannot be moved. This is the muddiest country that I ever saw. The roads get worse than Clearfield.
You wrote to me that they had some shingles for me> I want them to get good ones. I think they will be good next spring. You wrote that Horn and Postlethwait was asking about my shingles. When they get my letter of the 5th, they will know what I want done. I do not think I will get home in time in the spring. If the Winchester [battle] was over, I could tell better. I want to write all about my things at home.
Our boys is all well here now. Joseph Kritzer is at the hospital in Cumberland as [ ] now but he is well and I expect him to camp soon. I got my pay in the 5th and sent 30 dollars with J. W. Pawley home and I want you to let me know about it in a letter before this and I need not write more,
Yours truly, — Jackson Potter
[to] Jane Potter
Direct your letter to Cumberland, Alleghany county, Maryland 84th Regt. Penn. Vol. in care of Capt, Curby, and they will follow me.
TERMS
.00 postage in the United States.  We accept Paypal.
Postage combined for multiple purchases.  Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise you will pay a higher rate.
For International buyers, we utilize eBay’s Global Shipping Program.  We had too many packages sent via the post office go missing.  So we believe this program will be safer for us and for you.
We are members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance and the Illinois Postal History Society.
We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies or reproductions).  Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog.
We have been selling on eBay since 1998.   BID WITH CONFIDENCE !