JUNE 1865 SOLDIER LETTER—PRIVATE WILLIAM A. KREPS, 15TH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY, TO HIS FATHER

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Item Code: 945-475

Dated “Huntsville, Ala. June 8th 65”. Addressed to father, J.F. Kreps. 2 pp. in ink on line paper, 7.75 x 9.75”. Exhibits fold-marks, slightly faded ink. Entirely legible. Else VG. In protective sleeve.

In this letter, Private Kreps writes of final regimental moves from Huntsville, Alabama, to Nashville, in preparation for mustering out and being paid off in Harrisburg, PA. Excerpts as follows:

I thought I would be at Nashville by this time…I don’t think there are many that stand soldiering soldier better than I do…Shortly after arriving here we had an order read at a dress parade stating that we would leave for Nashville in a few days, there to be mustered out of the service…

I think we will certainly start before long now. We will have to go to Harrisburg to be paid…The report is that we are going to Nashville in the cars. Dempsey is a strong kind of boy. I guess he intends Frank to do writing enough for both of them. I had a pass into Huntsville the other day. It is a beautiful place but I think Athens, Georgia, the finest place I have been in the South…”

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William Augustus Kreps was 18 years old when he enlisted on 9/14/64 as a Private. On that date he mustered into Co. G, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He mustered out on 6/21/65 at Nashville, TN. Following the war he lived in Greenville, Mercer County, PA. Kreps died in 1926 and is buried in Shenango Valley Cemetery in Greenville.

From Kreps’ obituary:

William A. Kreps obtained his Civil War experience in connection with Company G Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. In August, 1864, before he had reached the age of eighteen years, he joined this command for a term of one year, being mustered into the service at the old Girard House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His company was first sent to Camp Wilkins and thence to the regimental headquarters at Lookout Valley, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and participated in all the battles and skirmishes with which it was identified until the capture of Jefferson Davis, near Macon Georgia. Still a member of it, the young man returned to Atlanta Georgia; thence to Huntsville Alabama, and to Nashville, Tennessee where he was honorably mustered out of the service on the 21st of June, 1865.

At the close of the Civil War General Kreps returned to Westmoreland County and engaged in the buying and shipping of oil from Oil Creek Venango county, down the Allegheny river to Pittsburgh. In 1867 the plant at Oil Creek was destroyed by fire and General Kreps began drilling for oil. For two years he was in the lumber business with his brother, John W. at the close of which in 1869 he settled in Greenville, operating a planing mill for eighteen years, the firm name being known as Kreps Brothers. In the spring of 1887 the plant, located on Canal Street, was destroyed by fire. In was in that same year he was elected sheriff of Mercer County and served one term, which then consisted of three years. At the close of his term he returned to Greenville where he engaged in the foundry business until the spring of 1898. Then after retirement of about two years, he engaged in the agricultural implement business which he later relinquished. From 1917 to 1925 he was engaged in the insurance business and also served as justice of the peace, not being a candidate for re-election in the latter year.

In May, 1875, he organized Company K, Fifteenth regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania at Greenville and remained captain of that company for eight years when he was promoted to the major of the regiment and served in this capacity until August 7, 1884, when upon the battlefield of Gettysburg, in the state division encampment he was elected to the colonelcy. The Fifteenth regiment was composed of companies at Erie, Meadville, Clarion, Greenville, Sharon, Grove City and Butler. He was colonel of the regiment for 15 years and at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war entered in the United States volunteer service and was ordered with his regiment to Camp Mead, where the Fifteenth regiment was attached to the Third Brigade, third division, second Army Corps. In November of that year he was ordered with his regiment to winter quarters at Athens, Georgia, at which place he received his honorable discharge, January 3, 1899, and though his term as colonel of the regiment expired that year, he was not a candidate for re-election. In 1917 he was given the rank of brigadier-general. He took a great interest in Grand Army affairs and has been Commander of the John C. Dickey Post, Greenville for a number of years. During the World War General Kreps drilled many of the Greenville army recruits at Packard Park, previous to their encampment at military barracks.

He was a member of the First M. E. church in which he served for years as an official. He was prominent in Republican politics. He was a member of the Spanish-American War Veterans. He was a past noble grand of Alhambra Lodge No. 293 I.O.O.F., and a member of Eureka, Lodge No. A.F. & A.M. and mound chapter No 212, P.A.M. He was also a trustee of Greenville hospital.

Mrs. Kreps died Several years ago. She was Miss Lucetta Taylor and was united in marriage with General Kreps September 22, 1875. Surviving children of this union are George R. of Philadelphia; Corinne Susanna, wife of H.A. Reiber, Cleveland, Oh; Ida Belle of Pittsburgh, Pa; William Gregg T. Kreps of Greenville and Thomas A. Kreps of Eire. There are 11 grandchildren.

General Kreps was a man of ideal military bearing, straight and striking in appearance with vim & vigor up to his very last days. He was a man of unusual intelligence, kindly disposition, patriotic, religious and easily reckoned one of the foremost citizens of Greenville and Mercer county of his day and generation.

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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 (15th PA Cavalry, 67th Regt. U.S.C.T., 92nd Regt. U.S.C.T. Also letters to son Frank (77th 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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