Nov. 19 1864 Letter from William Hoyt to wife Phebe Campbell Hoyt

Nov. 19/64

Dear wife and baby, once more I take the time to write you a few lines it is Saturday it is raining her[e] to day we have had fine weather all the fall excepting a day or two at __ time there is some fun along the line now night before last the rebs made a dash on our picket line right in front of our camp and drove our men about back in a little² last night they tried again but did not make it work today our artillery has been throwing shells into them pretty ci__ we expect a big fight soon

I don't have to go into the fight so you need not fear.³ I have got the best position of any private in the regiment and intend to keep it I am well and feel ____ I expect to come home this winter⁴ and see you we have had pretty hot times for a day or two no one was killed in our reg. and only two wounded none of our boys were hurt this is the fourth letter I have written since I heard from you the last one I got was the one that John⁵ brought me it is lonesome here so far from home if I can't hear from home I suppose you write to me but the letters are delayed. I have written every ___ week since I left home Write as often as you can it is a buisey [sic] time here just now. write and tell me about other news no more __ time don't worry about me John is detailed to go with the ambulance corpse [sic]. Tell Mammy⁶ I am much obliged to them for Sending me such a nice present ___ ___ tell Jo to be a good boy and I think I will come home this winter ___ see him yours forever I like __day. Wm Hoyt

1. The U. S. Sanitary Commission was a precursor of the Red Cross. It proved help for sick & injured soldiers, operated hospitals, and even gave soldiers stationary for writing this letters home, such as this one. See more.

2. Wm. Hoyt was in Company H of the 207th Regiment, PA Volunteers. For details of this skirmish read more.

3. Apparently he was by then assigned as an orderly at the field hospital.

4. The war was going well for the Union, with Sheridan having captured the Shenandoah Valle, the Confederacy's granary, and Sherman's victories in GA. But Pvt. Hoyt's regiment was still bogged down at the siege of Petersburg, VA, so he probably was expecting a leave, rather that the war ending soon. Not much fighting happened in winter. See winter encampments.

5. There were many in the regiment who were named 'John' and came from the Nelson/Farmington area. But of those in Company H, the most likely is his brother-in-law, John H. Campbell.

6. Perhaps his mother, Ann CLINCH Campbell.

Campbells of Nelson, PA

[The ink was badly faded. All the writing was difficult to see. Parts were impossible to make out. I tried to preserved the original spelling and scarcity of punctuation and capitals . It's possible that originally there were more periods and commas, but they became too faint to see. - wbt]

U. S. Sanitary Commission ¹

Campbells of Nelson, PA

[The ink was badly faded. All the writing was difficult to see. Parts were impossible to make out. I tried to preserved the original spelling and scarcity of punctuation and capitals . It's possible that originally there were more periods and commas, but they became too faint to see. - wbt]

U. S. Sanitary Commission 1

U. S. Sanitary Commission ¹