Dated “Stevenson, Alabama. Aug 21^st 1863.” Addressed to father, J. F. Kreps. 4pp. pencil on unlined paper, 5 x 8.” Exhibits fold-marks, and a smudging of the rear page. Else VG & almost entirely legible. In protective sleeve. Accompanied by documentation.

Note: Adam Kreps served in three regiments, mustering first as private 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 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 family letters, primarily to his father.

In this letter—written a month before the Battle of Chickamauga, at which his brother Frank [77^th PA] will be captured [his 77^th PA brother John already having been wounded at Liberty Gap, TN]—Adam Kreps writes of hard riding with Gen. Rosecrans command detachment from Winchester, TN, to Stevenson, Ala. Excerpts as follow:

“Gen. Rosecrans came from Winchester by rail but the escort [15^th PA Cav.] had to take it by horseback…I never done such hard travelling in my life. The rebels (when they retreated)sent down a lot of trees across the road and mountain and our company had to cut them out of the road. The Gen. was out today to the Tennessee River (about four miles from here)  and being a fast rider I fell very tired tonight.

The rebels have pickets on the other side of the river from us. The Gen. has a son who rides along with him all the time. He is about 17 years old and I don’t consider him a very sharp boy for the son of a man who commands so much public attention as he does at this time…there is very little news here and I often feel lonesome for the want of newspapers…Stevenson [AL] is a dirty little place of a dozen buildings…”

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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]  [ph:L]

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