U.S. Civil War Letters1 of Pvt. Albert Moulton of York, York County, Maine

Transcribed by
Alex W Magocsi jr
2006

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Albert Moulton
U.S. Civil War Veteran
b. 16 September 1832, York
d. 18 May 1908, York
First Parish Cemetery²
York, Maine

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U.S. Civil War Service Details³ — Albert Moulton
Residence: York, Maine
Enlistment Date: 4 January 1864
Side Served: Union
State Served: Maine
Unit Numbers: 1014 1014
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 04 January 1864 at the age of 30 Enlisted in Company K, 1st Cavalry Regiment Maine on 04 January 1864. Absent, sick on 01 August 1864 Mustered out Company K, 1st Cavalry Regiment Maine on 01 August 1865 in Petersburg, VA

Notes regarding the transcriptions:

For the most part, Albert’s writing is quite legible but there are instances where it is not. In the case where this occurs, I have inserted “xxx” in place of the illegible word(s).
[?] indicates that I am questioning something that I have transcribed.

I have included a physical description of each letter above a horizontal line above the actual transcriptions. Some letters show ageing while others are slightly stained.

I have tried to maintain his style of writing, i.e. his orthography, his spelling and his punctuation.

Albert’s sentences appear to run on but this is because he does not generally use punctuation. Many times, to indicate the end of a sentence, he will mark the end with a slash, which appears much like an oversized righthand parenthesis mark. I have attempted to space the sentences so that the reader can readily, with practice, recognize where Albert was beginning a new sentence.

I indicate a new page by creating a new, main paragraph, even if the sentence continues from one page to the next.

Alex W Magocsi jr
eMail: us_civil_war@magocsi.org

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Letter 1:
to an unknown recipient, not dated4; written on beige, unlined, paper which is embossed; embossment is unclear [see letter 4]; paper manufactured with fine vertical stripes; letter is ca. 7 1/16” high x 8 .” wide with a fold in the center; letter was folded to fit into an envelope; no envelope.

I have been mustered and expected to get a furlow but we was mistaken but i feel like xxxx the thing through i like first rate i dont fret i think i shall like first rat i want you to do what you think is best you know as well as i
there is a small bill to settle with W[?] Junkins and $1.00 to Henry Moulton and a small bill for sawing some clabboard to Timothy Young

i think that is all i owe W G Moulton owes me for 3 . days plowing 2.50 per day and one days work has drawing stone 2.00 Henry fernald for 124 lbs of pork at 9cts per lb and a small bill with A Bragdon George Grant 1.00 i want you to take good care of father and mother and i will make it all rite i think i shall come back i feel all rite
A. Moulton
i shall write often
i shall send to you
tell mr Woodward5
henry is all rite

we shall keep together
i dont know of anything
else do what you
think is rite
you may send
some stockens
that is all

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Letter 2:
to an unknown recipient; written on beige, unlined paper which is embossed; embossment is a crown with the word fine below it and surrounded by a circle; paper manufactured with fine vertical stripes; letter is ca. 7 5/8” high x 9 3/8” wide with a fold in the center; letter was folded to fit an envelope; no envelope.

Jan 6th 63[64]

I expect to leave for washington one week from yesterday
we have a good time down here so far
we have better than I expected if you write direct to camp Berry6 we dont get any pay till the day we leave
i think I shall like well I have not been sorry since I enlisted we expect to go to Boston in a steamer then take the cars I should like for you to write if you want to know about anything at home
tell the rest to write

I have paid for the plowman up to this year we draw $30 when we start then we are paid the rest so must at a time there was a squad for the first maine calvary regiment yesterday the most of them first rate of boys we have a first rate of a place to stay while we are here you can do with the stock as you think best they send a squad every tuesday so w go nekt tuesday I shall try to send up by marshall7 if I can he come down with us and told us to send by him

we like to we may not have time to send our money to him before we start if we are paid of as the last boys was they dont pay till we are called out to start we may have time to send when we get to Boston A. Moulton
Portland
Camp
Berry

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Letter 3:
written on same paper as Letter 2; paper is ca. 7 5/8” high x 4 .” wide; left hand edge shows that it was torn and cut from a larger sheet; letter was folded to fit envelope which has beeen placed along side this letter; envelope is addressed to Charles Moulton, York, Maine and is ca. 2 15/16” high x 5 .” wide; stamp was torn from envelope; faint cancellation marks visible on envelope.

Jan 8th 18634 [the 3 is actually overwritten with the 4]

Brother Charles
you wanted to know about the money i dont know how much i had i dont know y how much i had you will find it in my writing desk you can do what you think best with it if you don’t let the town have it you had take it and take care of it as it would not be safe at home i want you to furnish them with as much as they want8 of course that will be alrite tell the folks i feel just as well and as good spirits as i was at home

day before yesterday there was 115 from Bangor come into camp and too squads from different places of about 100 in all
you will find a paper in writing desk when the cows went to bull tell father and all of the rest of the folks not to worry one xxxx about me I get a long first rate I think that that will be the best thing you can do to get lowel to stay with them I have paper and ink but a pencil is just as good we expect to go nekt Tuesday we feel first rate
A Moulton

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Letter 4:
appears to be written on same paper as Letter 1; embossment is a crest with a crown above it; initials WM in the crest; paper is ca. 7 1/16” high x 4 7/16’ wide and obviously torn from a lager sheet; letter folded to fit an envelope; no envelope.

Alexandria Jan 17th 64

Brother Charles9
i suppose you want to hear from me we are all well and good xxxx xxxx xxxx
from portland last Tuesday for washington and arrived there saturday and went to alexandria10 to day we dont know how long we shall stay here so that you must not write till you get anothr letter I shall write when we get into the regiment it does not seem like sunday here

i saw the building that Ellsworth11 was shot in this is a miserable looking place

A Moulton

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Letter 5:
Written on white, unlined paper which is embossed; embossment is a scroll of paper with the word extra embossed in it; paper is ca. 7 7/8’ high x 9 7/8” wide with a fold in the center; letter was folded to fit an envelope; no envelope.

January 27th 64

Brother Charles  i write you a a few lines to let you know where i am and that i am well and like well we arrived to our regiment last Friday and have been buisey all since puting up our camp  we expect to stay here two or three monthes  we found all of the boys well  they was glad to see us  i want you to write and let me know how father and mother and all of the rest are  tell sis she must write   tell her that she must be a good girl and mind what father and mother wants her to do

we was more than a week going from portland to our regiment

we are in virginia the name of the place is warington  we passed the battle ground of Bullrun  it was a great field  tell John that Charles is well  we are in the same company with him  there is 17 cavelry regiments around here  it was a thick growth of hard wood about 4 weeks a go when this regiment came here  and i should think there is 10 or 12 acres cut of smooth  they don’t stand for xxxx out her  i should like for you to se how they do stay things out here  it does beat all  you don’t have any idea of it

we have got not got our horses yet and dont know when we shall get them  I feel just as well as i was at home  tell Gilman that he must write  tell dity[?] that i should like to see him and hug him  i think about him and ida every day

i dont know of anything more to write just now

A Moulton

when you direct a letter direct it to 

     first maine Cavelry reg

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Letter 6:
Written on same paper as Letter 5; no envelope.

Camp near warrenton va
Feb 8th 64

Dear brother i write you a few lines to let you know that I am all rite so far and hope this will find you all the same we went on picket last wednesday and got back yesterday we had to go about 12 miles there was 80 of us we lost one man he died on his post one night we did not know what the matter was with him we had to stand about 8 ho in 24 so that it made it pretty easy we had to sleep with our armes on for fear the rebs would make a raid in upon us but they did not the place is called Bealton20 while we was gone the rest of the regiment was called out at ten oclock

at night to make to make a raid about 25 m and they came upon a scout of rebbels in the woods and they was fired upon by the rebs but no one was hurt our boys took 7 rebs one con one capt and a sergent yesterday there was a heavy canonadeing one the rapahannock21 about 5 miles from where we was a picketing at bealton
Gen Meade22 was a putting down a pontune a cross the rapadan23 we have not got our horses yet i suppose you would like to know how we live we live a great deal better since we have got to our regiment we live very well indeed i find no fault we have a pot of baked beans once and some

Times more twice a week we do our own cooking we have as good baked beans as we have at home we draw Beans and pork and fresh beef and potatoes and dried apples and coffee and sugar and molasses and hard bread and soft we a good pot of beans this morning xxx we dig a hole in the ground and build a fire over the hole about two hours before we put them in and cover them up with coals and ashes just as night the next morning we have just as good as good beans as you ever saw butter is worth 50 cent per lb cheese 25 and other things in proportion i have not been sorry not once since i enlisted

we have an inspection every sunday at ten oclock we have just come off from inspection i want you to write all of the news i want you to write how father and mother is and rest of the folks tell sis that she must write
i suppose you had better get the barn shingled have you sold the hay and if so how much i want you to write how father and mother gets along and sis tell not them not to wory about me i want you to try and make them as comfatable as possible tell the rest to write let sis know when you write and tell her to send some stamps24 i dont know of anything more to write
Albert Moulton 1st Maine Cav Com K
To direct a letter Washington D.C

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1 These transcriptions are meant for research purposes only and may not be published without the written permission of the owner, Mr. George Drew, York, Maine.

2 Headstones in the background are: Left – Albert’s Mother, Olive Grant Moulton and
Right – his Father, John Moulton

3 Source: Online U.S. Civil War Database at www.ancestry.com

4 This letter appears to have been written early in Albert’s military service. He enlisted on 4 January 1864

5 Assuming that Note 1 is correct, this letter was probably written from Camp Berry where Albert was bunked with William Henry Woodward, also of York, who also enlisted on 4 January 1864

6 Camp Berry was a U.S. Civil War training camp previously known as Camp Abraham Lincoln, located in what is now Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland County, Maine

7 Assumed to be Nathaniel Marshall, a lawyer in York.

8 Was Albert loaning money to the Town of York? The Auditor’s Report, Town of York, Year Ending March 1865 lists 2 outstanding notes in Albert’s name with a total value of $250.00. Albert had received a bounty of $400.00 from the Town of York, per the previous year’s report, for volunteering to serve.

9 Charles Moulton (1827 – 1912)

10 Alexandria, Virginia: 7 miles, SSW, of Washington, DC. Seized by U.S. federal troops one day after Virginia voted to secede from the Union. It remained in Union hands for the duration of the war.

11 Colonel Elmer E Ellsworth: killed on 24 May 1861 by the proprietor of the Marshall House Hotel in Alexandria. He was the 1st officer to die in the war; his death became a rallying point for the North. The proprietor, James W Jackson, was immediately killed and his death likewise became a rallying point – but for the South.

12 Charles Moulton (1827 – 1912)

13 This perhaps refers to Martha O Fisher (1849 – 1929), Albert’s niece, who lived with his parents.

14 Warrenton, Virginia: The 1st Maine Cavalry made their winter camp near Warrenton in January and February 1864

15 John Moulton, oldest brother (1810 – 1883)

16 Charles Welch: lived with John and Priscilla Moulton as a farm laborer per the 1860 U.S. federal census for York, York County, Maine. Charles enlisted as a 21 year old in August 1862 and was killed on 24 June 1864 in the battle known as St. Mary’s Church.

17 Brother Gilman Moulton, (1825 – 1874)

18 Assumed to be Dwight E Moulton (1860 – 1886), son of Charles

19 Assumed to be Ida Moulton (1858 – 1946), daughter of Charles

20 Bealeton, Va., abt 10 miles due south of Warrenton, Va.

21 Rappahannock River

22General George C Meade (1815 – 1872); credited with leading the Union victory at Gettysburg as Commander of the Army of the Potomac. The canoning refers most likely to the battle known as Morton’s Ford, part of the Campaign “Demonstration on the Rapidan River”

23 Rapidan River, a tributary of the Rappahannock

24 The request “send some stamps” is a recurring one in most Civil War letters.