Dated “Camp Hill Jan.  26^th 1863. Addressed to father, J.F. Kreps. 2 pp. in ink on unlined paper, 7.75 x 9.75.” Exhibits fold-marks, slight soiling , tears and some water staining. Else good and mostly legible. In protective sleeve. Accompanied by documentation.

Note: Adams Kreps served in three regiments, mustering first in 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 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 to his father.

In this letter Adam Kreps comments on the resolution of the mutiny that occurred in Dec./Jan. when a sizable group of his regiment had refused to report for duty, angry over the violation of their terms of enlistment. Excerpts as follow:

“…a few of the Committee from Philadelphia came out and had an interview with Gen. Rosecrans. He received them cordially. They stated to him how the regiment had been raised. All the facts of the case all the time before that he did not know the true facts.

In reply he said he was sorry for the men…He then sent in two orders. One telling the men to come report to him and that they would be his especial body-guard. The other was to Gen. Mitchell Com. Post. Ordering him to let the men out of prisons. So that I hope that in a short time we will have a chance to win a name the old Keystone will be proud of…Lizzie received a dispatch from Frank that he had received his commission [as Lieutenant in the 77^th PA} and would start South the following week…”

----------------------------------------------

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]  [ph:L]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

THEN ON ‘LAYAWAY POLICY’.

THANK YOU!