Pennsylvania 62nd Infantry Regiment

Private Isaac Smith
of Company M:
Letters and Portrait

Monument at Gettysburg
dedicated to the
Pennsylvania 62d Infantry Regiment
on September 11, 1889

photo from Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, 1893

'Among the many valiant organizations that participated in this battle, none can show a prouder record than the Sixty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers.' -- Captain W. J. Patterson

Portrait of Isaac Smith

portrait of Isaac Smith

Isaac Smith's letters

On this page are images and a transcription of two letters written by Isaac Smith, a private in Company M. Both were written before the 62d saw its first battle. The letters were sent to me by David E. Smith, whose great grandfather was Isaac Smith. After the images of the letters, I have added the text of transcriptions of their texts that have also passed down in the Smith family for several generations.

Letter to his father

letter to his father, frontletter to his father, back 

       Care of Capt. R. F. Crozier
       Co. M Col. Samuel W. Black's Regt.
       Washington, D.C., Sept. 27, 1861           

Dear Father,

I received your letter on the 26 Inst. and was 
glad to hear that you were all well. I am well
and like it well and think that I could not have
got in a better company. Our Capt. was in the 
Mexican War and our Co. was a Lt. Col. there.
You want to know whether I want any cloth or
not. I do not want any. I have got more
clothes than I can take care of. I have got
2 pair of socks, 2 pair of drawers, 2 flannel
shirts, 1 overcoat, 1 blouse, 1 blanket, 1 pair
of pants, a cap and 1 pair of shoes. I could
not put any more in my knapsack if I had it.
I may need a pair of knit gloves in about 2
months but I think they will be found for me.
It is as cold here as it is there, I think.
I want you to see Nick Rouslot and see how
much he can pay on that trip and if he pays
you, why you can pay for my paper and send me
a copy of it to read. I got $4.00 at Lock
Haven from him. Postage stamps are most 
impossible to get. There was 40 dolloars worth
in camp yesterday and they did not last ten 
minutes. I did not get one.

I am in sight of Washington. When that battle 
was fought at the chain bridge, we stood for 
about 3 hours with our guns. We was about
four miles off and was ready to go to the
battle but did not go.

       I am your humble servant,
              Isaac Smith

Letter to his brother

letter from Isaac Smith, page 1

letter from Sgt. William Hagerson, page 2letter from Sgt. William Hagerson, page 3 

                     Camp near Fortress Monroe
                     March 26, 1862

Mr. R. E. Smith

Dear Brother,

I got news here today that 84 Regiment of P. V.
had got into a fight at Winchester and that
their Col. was killed but I do not know how
many men got killed, so I want you to let me
know how to Direct to Dan if he is not among 
the missing. I got a letter from him two or 
three days before we left Camp Bettie Black
but I did not answer it because I could not
get any paper till I got to that camp near
Alexandria which we called Camp Switzer and 
then I heard that Gen. Banks Division had got
near Manassas and I did not know how to Direct
to him so I thought that I had better get 
information from you. I am not well at 
present but if we stay here three or four 
days I think that I will be alright by that
time.

Direct to: Company M
           62 Regiment, P. V. Porter Division
           Old Point Comfort, Va.

Back to the Pennsylvania 62d Infantry Regiment Page?

Thanks once again to David E. Smith for sharing these letters.

This page authored and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson@ithaca.edu), Lodi, NY.
Last modified: Sunday, 24 February 2002
URL: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/pa62d/smithletter.html