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 Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03394\\
 Author/Creator: Lakeman, John R. (fl. 1861-1908)
+----
+Letter of John Lakeman to his mother
+Camp Essex Friday June 7, 1861
+Dear Mother,
+I hope you will excuse me for not writing before, but we have not had a pleasant day this week since Sunday and it is almost impossible to write here when it rains for every thing is so nasty and wet. Our tents do not shed water as a roof does and we are often wet. I feel however as if I could not best give some kind of acknowledgement on this my birthday for all the favors and kindness I have received even if it does not read very well. I intended to write Sunday, but our box of uniforms arrived on Saturday night and of course we had to spend most of Sunday on washing and putting on clean clothes. And in the first place I wish to thank you all for the articles that were sent in the box. I only wish you could have seen us at the opening. It would have done you good to see us. We all clustered around like bees around a hive. We had been out on drill in the afternoon and having had a pretty hard drill we were down to the brook washing ourselves when we heard that the uniforms had come. Up hill we came on the double quick and formed in around the boxes. Captain opened the boxes and called out the names of the different ones as they appeared in view and they were seized quickly. I can tell your in the bottom of the 2nd box. I had one bundle waited patiently or rather impatiently for my uniform these being underclothes. We were really thankful for these things and the boys took really a good deal of pride in their new clothes as though they were on Essex St. on Sunday. Some paraded around in their underclothing merely and that makes a pretty uniform in itself. We did not go on parade until the afternoon when we attended divine service in front of one of the residences here around by a Dr. Hall. we had very interesting exercises by our chaplain. We all wore our new uniforms and the Marble head company had on one that they had just received. I hardly think you could imagine what the material is. It is what in the store we would call "hickory"” and they have both jacket and pants of the same. We cut quite a dash in the ranks I can tell you. In the evening you could have seen quite a change for when it was known that we were to go out on picket-guard in the evening we all made a rush for our old clothes and put on the worst things that we had. We went out on the Harpers Ferry road and this time we found (or at least those who wished it found) some good bread & butter and coffee at one of the houses on the road. The people here are very kind and obliging and I have not seen one instance since I have been here where they have refused us hospitality. Why today we had been out getting some boards to floor our tents with and met a teamster who offered to carry them to camp for us free. They made up a little sum and gave him however although he did not seem to wish us to. We have not seen a good clean day this week for it has been a dirty drizzling rain. The people here say that they have not known for dozen years so cold a Spring as they have had since arriving here. If this is cold I do not care about seeing hot for we have had it 98 degrees in the shade and I call that fairly warm. It has not wholly cleared off yet but the clouds are broken and the sun is very warm. We have been obliged to lay around in our tents or else get wet through and sometimes we would get wet in spite of the tents the water coming through in a fine mist. We have kept a campfire going most of the time but all the wood has got so wet now that it will hardly burn. On Wednesday we had a fine little turn-out in a driving-rain. There have been some of the Baltimore Union troops camped near us for some time (and a most precious set of roughs they are I can tell you) and Wednesday a messenger came over from their commanding officer calling for his companies to quell a riot between two of their companies only one of which had any fire-arm at all and they had nothing but revolvers. They called on us and Captain Martin’s company from Marblehead and we started through brooks and over fences for the distance of a mile on the double-quick. We were wet through the first half being rain and the other half being perspiration. We arrived at the Camp but found that it had been stopped by the officers saying they would punish those who were in the wrong. We stayed there for about 2 hours and then came back to camp. Yesterday we heard that they had all been sent home to Baltimore. It is a good thing for they were continuously quarreling among themselves. We went out on drill on Thursday afternoon and when we came back we had another great surprise in meeting Dan. Johnson. I should have as soon thought of seeing Horace out here as he. It seems he has got a vacation and he thought he would come out here and see the boys. The same day we received something when we have waited for patiently and it has at last arrived and that is a box Geo. Batchelder including one for your young hopeful. I grabbed at it quick and we were soon feasting on the gingerbread. It was splendid and I have some now so [...]. I am going into soon. I Sam Smith had some come in the same box and it was a little mouldy but mine was splendid. I am greatly obliged for it and for all the articles in the box. It matters not how small our handkerchiefs are for the smaller the better and they do not get any dirtier than larger ones. I am also thankful for the other cap-cover that was sent for mine was dirty as can be although I had washed it twice. As soon as Dan arrived we were immediately on our taps for letters. We broke ranks very quickly after the the order was given and ran to shake hands with him. He seemed much pleased to see us looking so well and hearty. He soon gave me mine and I soon was master of the contents I had just got through reading them when I heard Will. Hill say that he and Charley had a trunk down to the Relay House and he was going for it. I waited patiently till it arrived hoping that I might some little note or perhaps something more and I was not destined to be disappointed for I received my box safe and sound. This was Thursday afternoon so that the splendid cake which you sent me arrived just in time for a Birth-Day Cake and present, and I passed it around as such to the boys. They praised it highly and well they(?) might for we have tasted nothing like it for one while and probably shall not again. Of the cookies that Lizzie thought were so hard I do not wish myself to see better and the boys seemed to relish them. Charley received some splendid cake from Miss B. I suppose you sent the cake to be eaten although it looked so nice and rich at any rich most of it is gone beyond recall. The boys are fattning up nicelly now on things and money received and I have myself had many compliments [...] healthy appearance. They tell me I grow fat as butter  and I can say that I have been carried through so far without a single sick day and that is saying a good deal in this climate and with the provisions we had the first part of the time. Dan Johnson is going to Washington tomorrow and is going on picket-guard with us tonight. I must not close but will write some more tomorrow.
+Saturday June 8th, 1861
+We went on picket-guard last night and Dan went with us. He says that he likes it very much and would like to stay here with us for our whole term, but this time is up now and he is obliged to go home next Tuesday as that will be a much surer way of sending home although it will not be so new […] yet. I think I will keep this and send it with some others home by him as he requested me so to do. He left for Washington today and will not be back until Tuesday when he starts for home. The boys all like him much and we wish he could stay with us. I suppose he will tell Horace or Lizzie about our appearance mode of living &c if so requested and this you will hear direct. He is very kind and wishes to do anything for us that he can. We are going to dress our tents up tomorrow with flowers for Sunday inspection and we have been working hard today putting in floors to sleep on. We had to go nearly a 1/2 mile to get our boards and then lay them and nail them down. Our men are divided into tent-messes and each tent has a Captain. We have J. Langdon Ward for our Captain. I think you know him as we have heard of him. He is a fine fellow and is at college with John Hodges at Harvard.
+Sunday June 9th, 1861
+I am writing by snatches but still I think I may get more news in by so doing than by letting it goon the first day. We have been expecting orders for some time to return home and let the 3 years take take our place. You can rest assured that we shall not enlist for 3 yrs at any rate and not until we have come home first. There were reports around camp that we were to be ordered home and Major Ben Perley Poore offered to bet $500 that we should be home in 10 days but I hardly think it is so for nobody knows and it is all guess work. We are now on our 2nd month and that is some consolation. I did not expect 3 months ago that I should spend my birth day in the State of Maryland but so it is. Our tents look splendidly this morning being dressed in roses and of other flowers. We have names for our different tents. There is the Astor House and Hinck's Hotel (named for our Colonel) and out tent is named Sleepy Hollow for the time being. It is a splendid Sabbath day and I have been detailed for guard duty today and was just relieved for 4 hours when we go on again. It seems very quiet here for we are having an inspection. We are to have services this afternoon at the same place as usual and I hope they will be as interesting again.thanking you for the articles and letters that have been sent me. I must close.
+From your affectionate son, \\
+John
+P.S. Please give my love to Aunt Fells folks and give them my thanks. I will write again when I can.
+John
+[FRONT of ENVELOPE]
+Kindness of […] D. Johnson Jr.
+Mrs. E. K. Lakeman\\
+Elm L[…]\\
+Salem, Mass.
+Care of Mr. Horace Lakeman
+[BACK of ENVELOPE]
+Camp Essex
+June7, ’61\\
+(18th birthday)
+Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03394\\
+Author/Creator: Lakeman, John R. (fl. 1861-1908)
 ----

Howard County, MD in the Civil War

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