J.F. KREPS TO SON LIEUT. ADAM KREPS, CO. “A”, 67^TH REGT., U.S.C.T., serving in Louisiana. Dated  “Rostraver Township / June 20^th1865.” 4 pp. in ink on unlined paper, 8 x 9.75”. Exhibits fold-marks. Else VG and entirely legible. In protective sleeve. In this letter father Kreps writes of his other sons and their various regiments, including lots of township doings. The war is definitely over for Pennsylvanians.

“The 77^th is still laying near Nashville Frank wrote in his last letter that it is rumored that they were going to Galveston Texas. Willie [15^th PA] was at Huntsville when he wrote last and expected to get home the last of June through early July. I would be very glad to see him and Dempsey make their appearance in a few days…”

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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 (15^th PA Cavalry, 67^th Regt. U.S.C.T., 92^nd Regt. U.S.C.T. Also letters to son Frank (77^th 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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