Two letters - the first one dated “Camp Hall/ Nov. 2 1861” addressed to “Mr. C.G. Osgood”. 4 pp., in ink, 5 x 8”, with flag draped colored patriotic figure in upper left corner. Text exhibits fold marks, yellowing, and two spots of slight soiling along vertical soil-lines. Else VG, and entirely legible.

The second letter is dated “Monroe [?] VA / December 8, 61”. 4 pp., in ink, 5 x8”. Exhibits fold marks, & yellowing at margins. Else VG and entirely legible.

Letter text, 11/2/61:

“Mr. C.G. Osgood/….We are in 5 miles of Washington up the east branch of the Potomac river. It has rained for 18 hours….Our t3ents is muddy in the bottom We want nothing but ground to lay Last night I got one board 8 inches wide and layed on that so I kept out of the water….We have enough to eat and a good captain. We have enough to do to keep us to work…./

Just as I was going to stop the boys come in and said that the Col. Told the water master to get ready to let the company have todays rations and get ready for marchin’. We dont’ want to go in this rain but we to go at all times of nights. We have moved three times in a week…It has been nice weather since we came down here. They have three frosts only. It is warm days here as it is up there in summer….The men is all rebels here. We are on Trebels farm. They have left their slaves to do their work and they say they won’t do much. They don’t have much land to work for. The camps is all over their farms. We have trenches all through their farms. There is four forts in sight. They will kill three miles away from them. It has stopped blowing now. It makes us feel as though we had winned a battle……tell Jim I haven’t had a letter from him since I came down here….If you get this tell him I have seen a great of war since I came down here….Our captain looked in our tent and said we must strip our tents at 12 O’Clock at night. It is 8 O’clock now and the darkest night that I ever saw. Maybe this is the last times I shall write to you all…//From Alonzo Borden/ farewell if I never see you anymore.”

Letter text, 12/8/1861:

“Dear Friend/ ….General Butler has been here with a fleet of good men. The Constitution man of war. It was a hard old boat it had 60 enemy on her. They was a heavy firing last night to Newport New…..we haven’t heard how they made it. We didn’t know but we would to go and see what they was doing. That was what we wanted to do. Our Col. Says he thinks that we can kill as much we can eat…. We ain’t got our pay yet but Col. Welch says that he won’t take it further til we get our pay. we shall have enough to eat and wear. We are dressed warm and have enough to eat….. Derias Johnson has got the typhoid fever. He is very sick…..I take the best care of him that I can. The sick don’t have much a chance here…….I can take a napsack on my back and double quick a half a mile and then shoot as straight as you wanted me to. If I get a chance at the rebels I know how to take site for I have shot wild brutes as I think they are. They look wild to me. We can see them from the fort with a telescope walking on their beat on quard. They have little encampment…We can see their flag. Our men shot down their flag pole from the [?}. It is 4 ½ miles The Union gun weiths 52,00 pounds. I can crawl into it. If it is sixteen feet long will shoot seven miles. It is a hard old gun to shoot. Tell Jim I am tough as a bar. I weigh one hundred and 60 pounds. That is more than I ever weighed in Tioga. I can do as much as they want me to do and eat as much asthey give me. Tell my folks that I would like to see them very much but we have to do the best can till such times as will admit us to meet… Tell Sammy to remember me when he ain’t got nothing else to think of….. I wish I was up there [back home] long enough to kill a old buck deer.”

Alonzo Borden was a 26 year old lumberman resident of Tioga County PA, who was mustered as a private into Co. “I”, PA 45^th PA Infantry. He was described at enlistment as –“5’9”, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair.” He re-enlisted on 1/1/1864, was promoted to Sergeant 3/10/1864, and was mortally wounded at Wilderness, VA, 5/6/1864.

The 45^th PA Infantry was organized at Harrisburg in October 1861. Initially assigned to Fortress Monroe it was attached to the South Carolina Expeditionary Corps in 1862 and participated in the James Island engagements, including the Battle of Secessionville. Returning north it joined the Army of the Potomac at the Battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. Moving west with Burnside’s 9^th Corps, the unit was present at the sieges of Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi. Returning again to the east, the 45^th participated in in Grant’s 1864 “Overland Campaign”, which included the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the Siege of Petersburg. Mustered out July 17, 1865.

This unit is notable for having covered more ground and served in more theaters of action than all but a few Union regiments….with a casualty rate to match. During service the 45^th PA lost 227 killed and mortally wounded, and 252 by disease for a total of 479, which included Sgt. Alonzo Borden. Fine letters for Pennsylvania regimental collectors. Transcripts of the letters and a brief amount of internet research material included.

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