Dated “Downsville, Maryland Sept. 19^th 1862” Addressed to father, J.F. Kreps. 2 pp. in pencil on unlined paper, 6.625 x 8.” Exhibits fold-marks and front page soiling. Writing is faded writing is faded while remaining legible. In protective sleeve. Accompanied by documentation.

Note: Adams Kreps served in three regiments, mustering first as private into Co. “F”, 15^th PA Cavalry, 8/22/1862, then transferring with Lieutenant’s commission into Co. “A”, 67^th Regt. U.S.C.T., 2/24/1864, then transferring again into Co. “E”, 92^nd Regt. U.S.C.T., 7/12/1865, mustering out of service, 12/31/1865. He served exclusively in the western theater and with the U.S.C.T. regiments mostly in Louisiana. His correspondence consists of letters to family, primarily his father.

In this letter Kreps describes his regiment’s activities and the minor role it played at the Battle of Antietam. Excerpts as follow:

“This afternoon I am within 9 miles of the Battlefield…[earlier] we started south and came within 1 ½ mile from the Battlefield. That afternoon a part of our men were in it and one man killed. He was from Philadelphia in Co. D.  It was the hardest fight of the war. There was successive roar of musket & artillery from 5 in the morning to 6 in the evening. They would fight four a couple of hours and then rest for a couple of hours the men told me who were in it…I think our army has the rebels now…I think our army will capture the whole rebel army…

“Last night I helped capture two rebel soldiers. I was out on picket and those fellows came to a farmhouse ¼  of a mile from here and a man came and told us and we went and took them,. One of them had nothing on but shirt pants and red zouave hat taken from one of our soldiers…”

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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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