Dated “Port Hudson April 3^rd 1864.” Addressed to father, J.F. Kreps. 4 pp. in ink on lined paper, 5 x 8”.  Exhibits fold-marks & patches of light foxing. Else VG & entirely legible. In protective sleeve.

Note: Adam Kreps served in three regiments, first mustering as private in Co. “F”, 15^th PA Cavalry, 8/22/1862, then transferring with Lieutenant’s commission into “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 to his father.

In this letter Lieut. Kreps writes of heavy regimental training and of sickness among his company, as lists the officer Excerpts as follows:

“…We are kept so busy there is little time to call our own…This port is a school for soldiers. There is a drill for officers of the different regiments every day from half past ten until 12 o’clock and we are all required to attend. We have to instruct our men the way we are instructed. I think it is a very good thing.  Our Lt. Col. does like it very well as it comes in contact with his teaching. Our Regt. has very heavy  duty . Our men have to be one three days out of five.

I have forty nine men in my company sick today . I think the cause of so much sickness is the change of climate. I do not think the blacks of Missouri are very healthy. There is so much sickness in regiments raised there…I heard our colonel remark the other day that is is as double-head commanding darkies than white…There is some of my boys that are very anxious to learn to write and I intend as soon as I get a little more time to take five or six of them for instruction…”

You asked the names of the field officers in your last. Our. Col. is named J. Edgerton, the Lieut. Col. Milington, I do not know his first name. I think he is from Tennessee. The majors name is Sears he is from Kansas. We have to stand picket here. I have been out once. This regiment and the 65^th U.S. Infantry Colored from what is called a provisional brigade commanded by the col. of the latter. It is the opinion we will be here the greater part of the summer. If you have not ordered the express company to send the box the box here I would like you to write to them as soon as you get this and have the box sent here…”

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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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