Civil War Letters of John W. Derr: Letter #2 - Fortress Monroe, Camp Hamilton

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Letter #2 - Fortress Monroe, Camp Hamilton - October 19th, 1861

The second letter written home by JWD indicates that his regiment moved from their initial mustering location of Camp Curtin in Harrisburg, Pa., to Fort Monroe, just outside Hampton, Virginia. The movement by the 48th PVI was done via trains to Baltimore and then steamship to Fort Monroe, in preparation for future action as part of the Burnsides North Carolina expedition.

Letter #1, was written on September 3rd, so it had been over a month since his last letter home. This long delay was due primarily to the transient nature of the 48th PVI at that time. Letter #2 is slightly longer with JWD discussing friends that he has seen or who will be coming home. This, undoubtedly, provided additional information to other families in the Deep Creek area of Pennsylvania as communities of that time shared news verbally and usually at common meeting places such as church. I sometimes wonder, what lost information was conveyed by JWD's friends about him in their letters home and did it provide comfort or anguish to JWD's family. I'll never know.

Letter #2 primarily discusses JWD's shipment of his non-Army clothing home. Being a very poor farmer, he valued his clothes greatly and shows concern that they had not yet arrived at home. As I mentioned in a previous posting, Francis Dengler provided a conduit for JWD and his fellow 48th PVI friends for shipping items home. Additionally, this letter is one of few that actually discusses military information. JWD indicates that Camp Hamilton added an additional 1,000 men with General Hooker requesting 25,000 more.

Another interesting part of Letter #2 is JWD's reference to "snitzing parties". Being Pennsylvania Dutch (German) by heritage, he used that common colloquialism of the time. Snitzing parties were community events whereby neighbors got together to peel, core, and boil apples in the preparation of apple butter...a Pennsylvania Dutch staple. The time of year...Fall...makes this consistent of what he must have been writing about. In addition to "snitzing" the apples, I imagine the parties...which lasted throughout the night...included significant socializing with friends and ladies. Though modern day snitzing is commonly attributed to Mennonite or Amish traditions, it was more commonly practiced by the Pennsylvania Dutch of other denominations...Lutheran for JWD.

The letter also makes the first reference to a family member other than his parents. He sends a message in the letter to his sister Elizabeth, encouraging her to write to him. Being the oldest sibling, JWD was undoubtedly looked up-to by his brothers and sisters.

And now Letter #2....

Fort Monroe, Camp Hamilton,

Elizabeth County, State of Virginia

October the 19^th, 1861

My Dear Father,

I take my pen in hand to write a few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present and I hope that these few lines will find you in the same state of health and I let you know that I received your letter in safety and I was very glad to hear from you again. But you said you didn’t get my clothes yet. I can’t see where they got to. But if Francis Dengler and John Snyder and Charles Bilman and John Rice went to Harrisburg, if they come back, go to Dengler and see whether he didn’t find out anything of them. They were all packed up in one bundle. And I let you know what it was. It was my coat and vest and cap, pants, shirt and boots. We put mine and Franklin Hoch and George Artz and Solomon Eysters and a good many more together in one box and did send them to Pottsville to Franks Potts. I wouldn’t care anything much about all my clothes, but about my boots. They were quite new yet and further I let you know that I am very glad that you wrote to me that George Slotterback and Henry Snyder are in Harrisburg yet for we didn’t hear anything from them since we left Harrisburg. It was set (?) wants that they would come after us but they didn’t come yet and since that we didn’t hear anything from them any more. But I let you know that we go 1,000 men stronger again this week at Camp Hamilton. And General Hooker wants to have about 25,000 more men there in a short time for we expect to have a battle every day and we are ready for them. And I let you know that I wrote a letter to Josiah Fetterolf and didn’t get no answer yet. Now tell him that he should write me a good deal of stories and something about the “snitzing” parties and if he wouldn’t write me now, I would never write to him no more.

And my sister Elizabeth, I wrote a letter to her and she didn’t answer yet. I want her to write. Now I must come to a close for this sheet of paper is full and I haven’t go no other one to write on and I have no money to buy some more. For I want you to answer me this letter. Don’t let it be too much trouble to you for I have plenty of paper in my trunk and envelopes. So just take some of them and write to me. You must excuse my bad writing and all my mistakes.

So much of your dear son

John W. Derr

Direct your letter to John W. Derr, Fort Monroe, Camp Hamilton, Va. Co. D – 48^th Regt. Pa, in care of Capt. D. Nagle

Letter is constructed as follows:

Page 4 Page 1

v v

Page 2 Page 3

v v

Enjoy

Jim D.

2 comments:

S & BWednesday, August 14, 2013 at 10:07:00 PM EDT
My great grandfather, John T. Hoak, served here in 1864-65 and ended up guarding Jefferson Davis at Fort Monroe in 1865 after his capture in GA.
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JWDlettersWednesday, August 21, 2013 at 8:00:00 AM EDT
Fantastic story! and fantastic family history. Thank you for sharing.

Jim D.
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Welcome

With 2011 being the 150th year since the start of the American Civil War, I thought it would be appropriate for me to share letters written by my great-great grandfather, John W. Derr during the course of the war. I have completed posting each letter on the 150th anniversary of their creation (mostly!). Since Private Derr did not write his letters in a consistent pattern...sometimes there are gaps in time better one letter and the next...This blog includes gap filler with other information relevant to him and his regiment. As I posted each letter, I created a corresponding link on the right side of the webpage to provide easy access and reference as you read each posting. I hope you enjoy the history of this common soldier during the most tumultuous time in our nation's history.

Additionally, I recently completed a long anticipated project by publishing a book "A Widow's Due" in June of 2020. This book is primarily about the life of my Great-great grandmother, Magdalena Diehl Derr, the widow of John W. Derr. It is based on years of research and much documentation, and whereas it is a work of "creative non-fiction", it is accurate and true to the documents and records I was able to find. Please visit my other website relating to the book as well as other upcoming projects at: www.jamespderr.com. Thank you.

Biography of Private John W. Derr

John W. Derr (JWD) was born in Barry Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on October 7, 1839.

He enlisted in the Union Army in September of 1861 and was mustered into the 48^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company D at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg Pa, in that same month. From Harrisburg, the 48^th PVI transitioned through Baltimore, MD and then down the Chesapeake Bay to Fort Monroe in Virginia. From there, the 48^th PVI was attached to the larger Burnsides Expedition to North Carolina (Hatteras/New Berne area). After the North Carolina expedition the 48^th PVI was moved north and participated in the 2^nd battle of Bull Run, where JWD was wounded on August 29^th, 1862 and taken prisoner. He was paroled by the Confederates, and was transported to Georgetown College Hospital in Washington, D.C. After staying in Washington and missing the battles of Antietam and South Mountain, he was transferred to the Cherry and Broad Street hospital in Philadelphia, Pa in December of 1863. He was subsequently furloed home for further recuperation.

His unit was then detached for guard duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, where his unit re-enlisted in December 1863 at Blains Crossroads, TN. In 1864, the 48^th PVI was involved in Grant’s campaigns of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor, etc…and eventually the Petersburg Campaign. JWD, as part of the 48^th PVI was integral in the digging of the Mine Crater. Documentation of his participation in the actual mining activities and subsequent illness from the damp/cold conditions are documented in his post mortem pension application by his widow, Magdalena Derr. Pension affidavits by his fellow soldiers indicate that his participation in the mining activities, along with his wounding at 2^nd Bull Run were the primary cause of his early death in 1876

In addition to his participation in the Petersburg Siege, JWD participated in the 1863 Army review by President Lincoln in Washington, D.C., the Grand Review of 1865 in Washington, D.C.

He was mustered out of the Army in July of 1865 and returned home to live out his remaining short life, dying on January 12, 1876 at age 37.