APRIL 1864 CIVIL WAR LETTER FROM LEBANON, PA RESIDENT JACOB FORNEY KREPS TO SOLDIER SON SERVING IN 67TH REGT. USCT

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Item Code: 945-497

FROM J.F. KREPS TO SON LIEUT. ADAM KREPS, CO. “A”, 67TH REGT. U.S.C.T., serving in Louisiana. Dated “West newton April 4, 1864. 4 pp. in ink on unlined paper. 4 pp. in ink on unlined paper 7.75 x 9.75”. Exhibits fold-marks, ink considerably faded while remaining mostly legible. In protective sleeve. Accompanied by documentation.

In this letter father Kreps comments on Confederate prisoner son Frank and his chances of exchange, and how the terms of exchange may effect captured Union troops and officers. As follows:

“I have a letter from Sergeant Franklin of the 77th [PA] a few days ago stating that he seen Francis on the 21st of March. He was well then with the exception of a sore leg…I wrote you in one of my letters that I have made an application for a special exchange for him and since then have had no encouragement…I am in hopes however that it will not be long before a general exchange is effected. There seems to be one great difficulty in the way that would effect you most seriously if you were ever so unfortunate to be taken prisoner. The Rebels are still determined not to exchange Colored troops or their officers but our government can not yield this point. They must either protect them or not put them in service…”

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Born in 1806 in Lebanon, PA, J.F. Kreps established himself in Greencastle as an enterprising farmer and businessman, moving to West Newton/ Rostraver Township. An ardent Union patriot, Kreps raised troops and money, and served as a civilian Pennsylvania regimental commissioner, spending two months in that capacity visiting PA regiments serving with Gen. Rosecrans’ army at Stones River, TN, in late spring/early summer 1863; also visiting PA Army of the Potomac units in 1864.

He also contributed five sons to the Union army—John, Francis, Adam, William and David Dempsey (with John, Francis and Adam serving as officers), in five different regiments, all of whom would survive, though son John would be severely wounded at Liberty Gap, TN, and son Frank, captured at Chickamauga, would spend 14 months in various Confederate prisons before making an heroic and hair-raising escape from Columbia, S.C., in 1864.

The bulk of the letters in this first family grouping (27 letters dating from August 7, 1861 to July 1864) are from J.F. Kreps to son Adam (15th PA Cavalry, 67th Regt. U.S.C.T., 92nd Regt. U.S.C.T. Also letters to son Frank (77th PA Infy) and son George, and six to wife Eliza, most of which were written during J.F. Kreps tour of General Rosecrans’ army. Subsequent groups contain letters home from sons Adam, William, John and David Dempsey. Taken as a whole, the Kreps letters present a valuable and fascinating picture of the coming and goings of an American family at war.   [JP]

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