Letter from Noah E. Stump Company E, 25th OVI - 1864

Letter from Noah E. Stump Company E, 25th OVI - 1864

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Contributor Note: "Noah was one of five Stump brothers that all fought in Company E, 25th OVI; the other four brothers being Alfred, John, William and Levi. John, Alfred and William were all original members of the 25th OVI enlisting days before the regiment mustered in on June 28th, 1861. Noah joined the regiment a year later and brother Levi in 1864.

All five brothers survived the war, to my knowledge, although three received wounds during their service. John and Alfred were both wounded in Chancellorsville – John so severely that it ended his military service. William was wounded at Gettysburg, and both William and Alfred at Deveaux’s Neck. Alfred was also taken prisoner in September of 1861 during an independent expedition deep into Rebel territory."

Transcribed text of letter:

Fort Mitchell, S.C.
July 7th, 1864

Dear Cousin,

I have not written to you or heard from you for so long a time that I scarcely know how to write or where to direct my letter but being anxious to hear from you I thought I would make another effort to hear from you and the only way is to go to writing. I wrote to you last summer from Washington City but I can not say what time last summer, but I got an answer to it at least and have not written since. My Regt left the Army of the Potomac about the first of last August and went to the Department of the South on Morris Island near Charleston, South Carolina. I followed soon after and stayed there until after January when the Regt reenlisted for three years and went home on furlough. We stayed in the state about two months when we returned to South Carolina and are now at Port Royal, sixty miles south of Charleston. The 25th Regt is strung about Skull Creek doing picket duty on the front of our posts and are having good times here, the duty is very light. When we first came here the Rebels troubled us some but they have now withdrawn their forces from our front and sent them to defend Richmond. Everything is great now, the greater part of our forces have also left here and gone to Grant’s army. I belong to Co E of the 25th Regt and am doing garrison duty in Fort Mitchell. We are having better times than the other Companies. This is a very pleasant and beautiful place. We have plenty of everything here. New[?] potatoes in May and roasted corn in June. Berries of all kinds are very plenty such as dewberries, blackberries and huckleberries, the later are very plenty. Tomatoes, oranges and figs will soon be ripe which are also plenty. There are but few citizens living here but negros are plenty. My brother John is now at home he got his discharge on account of a wound received at the Battle of Chancellorsville on the 2nd day of May, 1863. My brothers Wm [William] and Alfred were both wounded last summer but are both well now and are with the Co and have reenlisted for three years more. I got a letter from my mother yesterday. They have sold out and moved to Prairie Depot, Wood Co. Ohio. My folks at home are all well. The weather in this part of the country is so hot that it is almost impossible to do anything and part of the time too hot to sleep. The coldest day last winter was the 2nd day of January. It froze ice as thick as window glass that night in washtubs.

My health is not very good and has not been for the last year.

I must bring my letter to a close. Please excuse this letter, I don’t write much and have gotten off practice of spelling, writing and also of composing a letter. I will look for answer from this, then I will try and write more in my next letter. Tell how your folks are getting along. As soon as I get out of the army I intend to go to Michigan, that is if I ever get out.

Your Cousin,
Noah E. Stump
Co. E, 25th Regt OVI
Hilton Head, S.C.

Pvt. Noah E. Stump, Co. E 25th OVI

July 7, 1864

Andrew Coates

Fort Mitchell (SC)

Hilton Head (SC)

Yes

Yes

Yes

No