~Letters written by Irvin W. Thompson~
Camp Realey (to his brother, James Thompson)
June 3 1864
James Thurs. morning and a pleasant morning it is! The first place I will endeavor to give you the rule and regulation of our camp. In the morning we have to get up and wash our faces, that is to be done before sun up and then have to go out on squad drill at five and half o’clock and drill till half past 6 and then we come in and eat our breakfast and then we go out and in company drill one hour and then we haint nothing to do till three (P).M. then we go out on company drill till four o’clock and then we come in and wait til five and we go on dress parade and then we all march up till supper then we have Roll Call at 08 and the lights out at 09 o’clock. What do you think of that? We have had good times since we got here. I haint done any gard duty yet only stood at the gate one hour and (took ?). Yes there was 4 of us put on Entry duty for not being here at Roll Call. It makes them simmer down. The rules is don’t (strd?) and takes a man to mind what his is made of to keep up to the times. There was parade gard on the last night and some of the companies did not know that and they was caught shitting on the parade ground and it would make you laugh to see them come out this morning to clean the parade ground. Some has spades and Ancis to clean it off. Do you know what thay have to carry Ancis for? To cut yards into there is any mount ring making. Bill Robertson is just finishing one. I have got one the size of a wagon shor. I must tell you E. Gillham writing right at inside. I got a letter from Nancy yesterday is the first I have heard from home since I left and she said John had wrote home. He werent well. He was not well last week. He was pretty bad but he is well now and alright now. He is sergent of the gard today and his time won’t be up till tomorrow at 09 o’clock. I must bring my letter to a close for this time. Only tell Minty I will write to her soon . Tell Mother I wrote her a note when I was at camp Chase and I would like to here from her.
Write soon
I. W. Thompson
(very faded)
….Delaware
June 10 1864
… I received…the greatest….and was sorry to hear that mother was not very well but I think she will be better when she hears from the 157 Bloody Butchers that is what we go by here. When we came through Baltimore last Sabbath some of the citizens and … that we was the best company in the regiment. Bulley for the 157 I say, don’t you? And for Co. K also. I suppose you have heard that we have left Camp Reley and I suppose you would like to know how I like the exchange. Well I don’t like as well as Camp Reley but a soldier like myself haint got a great deal to say. But I don’t care I like this place better than Camp Chase. We have got barracks to live in. There is three companies lives in the one room. Don’t you think it is crowded. I have not had to cook any yet. We have two cooks that has cooked for us all the time.
John Cloase is head cook and Olave (Olaf?) How is assistant. I guess they cant beat you. You wanted to know whether I have got the shoulder strapping yet. Well I haint got them yet but I think it won’t be very long. You wanted to know who sleep with me in our mess. A Hardesty, E. Gillham and myself is the happy family. You wanted to know if we had any knock downs. We have had none nor we haint any much up came as I knew said you would invite me and Hardesty over to our house when Strares is there. Well I would care to come over if Colonel Mc Cook would say so but I don’t think I will come over until the hundred days is up.
Nancy it would make you laugh to see the Rebels officers let out to wash. I tell you they make the water splash. There is about 800 officers. I saw a part of them last night when they were bathing and there is some as good looking fellows as ever you saw and if you saw the Privates you would pitty them although they are Rebel to our country and now they have to suffer the penalty of our country. You said J. T. Hewitt was sick. I want you to give me his address in the next letter and tell me how the folks is in general and tell me if youns haint got a pretty lonesome time and how is Janey getting along. I haint heard from her yet. That is all. I want you (to) answer this and tell me how Mother is. I give her my best wishes.
Yours truly,
Irving W. Thompson
We have the best times I would want so alright.
(envelope)
Mr. J. D. Thompson
Malvern
Carroll Co.
Ohio
(postmark)
Jul 4 Delaware City Del.
(letter)
Fort Delaware
June the 14 1864
J. D. Thompson
Sir I take this opportunity to let know I received your letter dated the 5 of June and I was glad here that youns was all well and getting along alright. We are all here on this island and expect to stay here the remainder of our time. We or the most of us did not like this place at first but now we like it better. We have got a heap to do that is gard. We have got nine thousand Privates to gard those Rebels and eight hundred Rebels Officers but we don’t, we haint to gard the officers. There is six batterys here that gards the officers. They keep them in the fort. We have enough to do the privates it take our company very busy to as gard them it takes twenty one and two every other day. You better think it makes them curse when they go every day. I haint had to do any gard duty since I have been in the service until last Sabbath. I was Corporal of the third relief of the gard and you had better think I had lots of fun and a good time of it. James have you got done shoring sheep yet.? If you haint why drive them over on this (?) and it will not take us very long to shear them. I haint saw a sheep nor a hog since I left Ohio but here is the place for dogs and Norway rats. The rats is as thick as flies in August. (Val?) Cor Maccoon made the Rebels come out and white wash our barrack yesterday and don’t you think that would make you mad if you had been in there place. We are scrubbing today and reading up. You said that Bazz (Aret Worley?) Worley drafted. Is he going ? I heard that Rub is drafted is it so? Did you fellers let those fellers that was drafted hire substitutes out of that money that was in the treasury at Troy or that Blythe had some of the boys thinks that if they did it aint right? James have you been up to see Tilla since I left home if you haint it is time you would. You said in your letter that you had no rain for two weeks. We have rain here once a week and I so Hay mad too weeks ago. Well tell mother that John is well. I heard that some of the folks over in Malvern heard John was dead. Is that so? Tell mother that we have prayer meeting in our barrack once every week that is besides them prayers she told me to say em every night and to keep the Sabbath day Holy. We have no Sabbath day here. The days is all alike here.
James I want you to write and tell me how the things is doing and all the news in of (general?)
Yours truly
I.W. Thompson
Fort Delaware
Delaware
July 2 1864
Mr J.D. Thompson
Dear Sir,
It is with pleasure that I set myself down to scribble a few lines to let you know that we presently are in good health. We have good oald times here. We have some fun and some pretty hard duty to perform. I will tell you what duty I have to perform. I have to go on gard once a week and that is all I have to do. Of course I have go on dress parade once a day, that is only ½ hour. Our oald Cornel aint here. His brother was wounded and I hear since he is dead. The oald Cornel won’t be here for thirty days from the time he left Ga. I think he will be glad to see us. James are there anything go off on the forth around home? That is my day to be on gard. I want you to listen and I think you will hear some very loud reports. The Batterys is going to let their guns off that day and I think they will raise regular Hell don’t you? You can tell Nancy that those apples did not all go to the hospital for I got three of them myself and I thought they eat like Ohio apples. Well James I guess I must have some more money. I have only one dollar left. It takes more money than I thought it would take. I ask John for some this morning and he only has ten so you may send me some, that is if you please. John sent home for a box, tell them not to forget me. Tell Baxter to mind and send that brandy. Tell him to put it in a tin can and seal it over so as the rest that is here won’t know what is in it for if they did they would drink it all. Put Waybill pickles and try and get the box up in crupeake stile. I can tell you that I have been living very fat since that box came from Malvern of oald Mary J. Hardesty applebutter. A.H Hardesty and his brother got two cans and they you me like a brother.
Will I have any wheat to cut (?) is so very good. I want you to write soon and tell me all the news. Give my best to mother alright? Yours truly in mud I. W. Thompson
Fort Delaware
Delaware
July the 20 1864
Mother It is with pleasure that I set myself down to let you know that I am well and John is better. He has got able to be up that is sits up all the day. He will be down with us in a course of a day or so so you need not be (uneasy?) about him for he will be alright in a course of a few hours. I got a note from Nancy yesterday and I was sorry to hear that Adam was dead and George was wounded. It will be hard times for those that is in the front for a while. It is pretty healthy here at present. There is only 6 in the hospital out of company and that aint very many for the amount of men that is in a camp. This is a very nice place to live a private life. I think we had better (sell?) out at home and we will run this island ourselves. I believe that is all at present. I think John will write you a letter tomorrow. That is all. Write soon.
Yours truly, Irving W. Thompson