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 Crowds come out here from Baltimore every day Many ladies, to whose society we, of course, have no objection. We are now experiencing all of the varieties of comp life, without the elegancies of the muster field. We may stay here some time, and we may be ordered away before I finish this. We fire at a target with striking success I trust some of the secessionists will get before our guns ere long—down they go—a ten strike every time.
-It rains again, and, alas, our shanty looks like a sieve. We just t12 M., received orders, and four companies of the Sixth and two of our guns have started toward Harper's Ferry on a scout. We (medically) need a surgeon's wagon for occasions like this. 6 P. M.,the men returned. No trouble, aside from hard work in loading a captured infernal machine—a steam gun, that sows shot like seed, on the centrifugal principle. Four mules and three men prisoners. The mules and the "masheen" are at our camp—the men gone to Annapolis.
+It rains again, and, alas, our shanty looks like a sieve. We just this A. M., received orders, and four companies of the Sixth and two of our guns have started toward Harper's Ferry on a scout. We (medically) need a surgeon's wagon for occasions like this. 6 P. M.,the men returned. No trouble, aside from hard work in loading a captured infernal machine—a steam gun, that sows shot like seed, on the centrifugal principle. Four mules and three men prisoners. The mules and the "masheen" are at our camp—the men gone to Annapolis.
 Tell Ned that I find frequent occasion for therapeutics, but not much military surgery as yet. The men are continually banging, cutting and bruising themselves. Farewell. LEBARON.
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 {{ :bla:boston_evening_transcript_-_may_16_1861.jpg?linkonly|}}
+----
+Letter of Caleb Mortimer, ca. May 16, 1861, Gilder-Lehrman Collection
+Relay house Md, 1861
+Dear Wife
+I received a letter from you today
+dated April 29 and also my pipe and
+it made me feel glad to get a letter from you
+and the old pipe was like seeing an old friend
+where the letter has been I am at a lose to
+know since I wrote to you we have moved
+from Annapolis a week ago last Saturday night
+about twelve o’clock we were waked up and ordered
+to pack traps and prepose to start and about
+half past six in the morning we were on the road
+and marched all day about thirty miles through
+one of the worst roads one ever did see and
+the last part of our journey in a drenching rain
+and when we arrived here you never did see
+a man more completely used up set of men and horses
+you cannot Imagine we put up that night in an
+old house said by neighbors to be haunted
+but you better believe the ghosts did not haunt
+us much that night and the next day we moved
+on the hill about half a mile from the house and
+commenced a camp and now we are encamped here
+in my next letter I will give you a description
+of the camp and how we live about a week
+ago I need orders to get my section ready
+and in a half an hour we were ready to start
+and marched down to the depot and putting
+our two pieces aboard the cars and started
+towards harpers ferry and when about ten miles
+from this place we disembarked and took possession
+of the renowned steam gun and four mules which was
+on its way to harpers ferry to the sesesion army there
+and brought it safe back to our camp and we
+have it here now and it is quite a curious machine
+and if is does what its inventor claims for it is
+a murderous weapon throwing three hundred balls
+per minutes and if such is the case it is better in our
+hands than that of an enemy.  It is a big machine
+looking about as much like a shark as anything I can
+think of and weighing about four or five tons.
+Last Monday while we building a shanty I received
+an order to have my section ready to march in
+twenty minutes and you better believe we dropped the
+tools and went I walked in double quick time and
+started for the depot again and getting our pieces
+aboard the cars together with our horses and on
+the same train the Sixth Regiment of Mass. and
+apart of the Eight Regiment of New York and learned
+that our destination was Baltimore and as we neared
+that city every eye was on fire and every tooth set for
+we expected a warm reception we arrived about seven
+o’clock in the evening took our pieces off the cars and
+the Infantry disembarked and formed units
+a hollow square and my sections of artillery in the
+centre and wo be to the party that had attacked
+that regiment that night but we marched through
+the city without the least disturbance and halted
+on the top of Federal Hill about a mile from the
+centre of the city and just as we stopped then
+came up on of the hardest thunder storms I ever
+did see and not a sign of a shelter for horses
+or men and it never rained harder finaly we
+found a place to ty our horses to a fence and
+a room about twelve feet square for the men
+and we had hardly got our horses unharnessed
+when the long roll was beat which summons every
+man to arms and the horses was harnessed again
+and every man in the camp was turned out in
+the storm expecting an attack as the officers heard that
+there was a row going on downtown and might
+come up to catch us napping but if they had they
+would have met with a terrible reception as my
+guns was placed one commanding one street and
+the other gun commanding the other and we were
+well flanked with Infantry but nothing came but
+we stood at our guns all night in the drenching
+storm the men built about fifty camp fires on
+the hill and the way they piled on the wood was
+a caution to the city folks it was the wildest scene
+ever witnessed the men was lying on the ground
+with a cord wood stick for a pillow and in the
+morning a harder looking set you never did see
+but the next morning came out bright and
+warm and dried them up somewhat and
+in the afternoon the camp equipage arrived
+including tents and cooking utensils and the next
+night we passed as comfortable as could be
+in the afternoon.  I was busy writing as mounted
+orderly for General Butler and rode almost
+all over Baltimore delivering dispatches and without
+the least trouble in fact the city has entirely
+changed the next day Major Cook sergt Wright
+and myself as escort to the General and staff
+accompanied him to the Gilmor House which is by
+the way the Revere House of this pace to dinner
+and your husband had the honor of taking
+dinner with the General and also as escort
+the party back to quarters. I am getting short of
+paper and must stop the next time I write I
+will give you some more of our adventures in the city
+and also of our return give my love to father and
+mother and the children and all friends.
+Write often for nothing is so pleasant as to get a letter
+from home direct your letters the same as before to
+Annapolis and I shall get them from your affectionate Husband
+Caleb
+Caleb Mortimer\\
+Gilder-Lehrman Collection
 ----

Howard County, MD in the Civil War

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