Civil War Letters of John W. Derr: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Gettysburg and Pennsylvania's Boys are in Kentucky!

1863 for the 48th PVI started off as a great change from the prior difficult year. Having finished duty in North Carolina as well as seeing action in battles at Mananas, Antietam, South Mountain and Fredericksburg, the men of the 48th welcomed the relative calm of provost duty in Lexington, Kentucky. As is indicated in the written records of Munsell and Bosbyshell, the 48th PVI enjoyed a welcome stay with the kind and appreciative people of Lexington. I can only imagine how much fun John must have had reuniting with his comrades after a lengthy four months of hospital care while convalescing from his wounds at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Now, he had time away from the effects of war to spend time socializing and reacquainting himself with friends and family (cousins) in the 48th PVI.

The movement of the 48th PVI to the western regions in February of 1863 preceded a period of both calm and anxiety for the men. Though no letters from John remain from this period, subsequent letters in 1864 indicate the disdain that the men had with the Confederate invasion of their Pennsylvania homeland.

Pre-war downtown Lexington, Kentucky

July of 1863 found John and men of the 48th preparing themselves for the routine of daily life as provost guards in a loyal city of the union. The kindness shown by the citizens of the city provided less stress and general happiness amongst the men. The ability of the men to use some of their pay to buy goods to send home, or to go out and have a drink in a bar provided another level of delight for them. In early July, John was preparing for a fun filled July 4th, with parades, parties and fireworks to celebrate the birthday of his country. Unbeknown to him, General Lee was planning an unpleasant surprise for the union and the citizen of Pennsylvania. That surprise would culminate in the battle of Gettysburg in early July of 1863. I'm not sure if the men of the 48th PVI would have had knowledge of the events of July 1st - 3rd, 1863, but they would have known about it a few days later. I can only imagine the anxiety and fear that news of the battle instilled in these men while they guarded a city so far away from home.

In July of 1864 John recounts his July 4th 1863 celebrations in Lexington, Kentucky.

Camp 8 miles from City Point, Va

July 1^st, 1864

My Dear Father,

I take the present opportunity to write this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health. I received your letter yesterday and was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well and I am glad that I am the same when this letter leaves me. I always forget to tell you that I got them things what you did send with John Weikle, the sausage and butter, but I did get it safe when he came back. I will also enclose 50 cents in this letter and will send it to you and I want you to buy me some postage stamps and send them to me in your next letter for I am entirely out of them and I want to write to the girls sometimes. Then I must have some stamps to put on my letters and also if I want to write to my Dear Wife or somebody else’s wife. I think that is enough for this time of that subject. I think you are busy at making hay at home till this letter comes to hand. Well we are laying out here under the bullets and shells every day and night. But we are still enjoying ourselves well and are hoping that we may soon be with you at home and enjoy ourselves with the and this cruel war be over. This fourth of July we will celebrate with the roaring of cannon and muskets along the lines of battle. While we had fine times of it last year, we was eating and drinking as much as we liked and what we would like. But that is all over and gone. But this hand (ain’t) over yet today, but it will till this letter comes to your hands. I wish you wouldn’t forget to see John Kramer about that money what I wrote to you in my other letter and let me know about it. I have to bring my letter to a close for this time. This few lines from your son.

John W. Derr

Answer soon and direct to J.W. Derr, Co. D, 48^th Regt Pa, 1^st Brigade, 2^nd Division, 9^th Army Corps, Washington, D.C.

Additionally, in John's next letter he references the Gettysburg invasion of 1863.

Camp near Petersburg, Va.

July 13^th, 1864

My Dear Father and Mother,

I take the present opportunity to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health. I received your letter today and I was very glad to hear that you are well all the time and I am happy that I can say the same. I am also glad to hear that you got my money and I hope you will take good care of it, as you did before. And if we don’t soon get paid I will be very apt to send for some of it but I hope we will soon get paid off. We don’t need much money, but I want some once in a while. I suppose you took good care that you got my pay all in good money for I wouldn’t like to have any bad money for I have to work hard for it. We hear that the rebels are making a raid into Pennsylvania again but I hope it will be to their sorrow. I hope they will lose more men then they did last summer at Gettysburg and they didn’t gain much that time by all appearances. It is for no use to write anything to you about the war for you know more at home then we do out here for we do hear very little but what we see. But I will let you know that we will have a great explosion here before very long. We are going to blow up the rebels forts. They are undermining them now. They have two or three all ready now and our regiment is working at one and they are near done with it and I hope it will work all right, if they get it going. *

I have no more to write today so I will bring these few lines to a close for this time with the intention of hearing from you soon again. So I will remain your affectionate son.

John W. Derr

Answer soon and direct your letter as before. Give my love to my brothers and sisters and to all inquiring friends. Tell Josiah Fetterolf if he wouldn’t write a letter to me I would pin his nose up on his forehead. G.D. the mules they shake too much I can’t write anymore.

Well..enjoy!

Jim D.

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.