Dated “Port Hudson La  May 15 1864”. Addressed to father, J.F. Krebs. 4 pp. in ink on lined paper, 5 x 8”. Exhibits fold-marks & slight foxing. Else VG. In protective sleeve.

Note: Adam Kreps served in three regiments, first mustering as private in Co. “F”, 15^th PA Cavalry, 8/22/1864, 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 to his father.

In this meaty letter Adam Kreps describes a rebel attack on a stockade attached to Port Hudson:

“I was on guard last night…we had quite an exciting time here today…there is a sawmill two miles from this place where fortification lumber is sawed protected by a stockade. There has been a Lieutenant with a squad of twenty men and a great number of negro families…This morning two or three hundred rebels attack this place and captured the Lieutenant and several of the men and negroes. There was several killed and five of men wounded…one of them was badly cut with a saber on the head on the head which broke hi skull. I think he will recover…

There is a cavalry regiment here that made pursuit immediately. They came up with the rebels about twelve miles from and retook most of the prisoners among who was one of my company. He came in a few hours ago. The rebels made him take off his clothes and run in front of them. There was great of fears for the safety of the Lieut. but our troops captured a rebel officer and if they   can kill him [they did, they hung him] we can retaliate…”

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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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