Memoirs of a Civil War Solider

By Elliott Eugene Hunter

Transcribed from the original documents of Sinclair Smith, “Memoirs of a Civil War Soldier” immerses you in the times and language—the family farm and early schools in Pennsylvania, enlisting during a “call” in 1864 at the age of 20, recovering from wounds in Washington at the end of the war, and life after returning home. Smith memoir exposes drunken officers, the hardships of war, and the battle for survival.

Novice and expert alike will find the unedited writings of this Tioga County, Pennsylvania boy fascinating and insightful.

“When 1 enlisted Sept 1, 1864, I was 20 years old. Weighed 125 lbs., was small for my age. In fact thru my school years the boy's called me "Banty". I was 5 ft 8 inches tall, but in the great need of the government at that time, they were not inclined to be very particular, would accept anyone who could carry a gun. I would have enlisted sooner but for father’s illness, & subsequent paralysis. ...Lincoln had just called for 500,000 men & my towns quota was 40 men which would take nearly every available man, for it had answered several large calls before. Several of our citizens had fled to Canada to avoid the draft & they remained there till the close of the war.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elliott Eugene Hunter
• Release date: May 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458061522

Elliott Eugene Hunter

“When 1 enlisted Sept 1, 1864, I was 20 years old. Weighed 125 lbs., was small for my age. In fact thru my school years the boy's called me "Banty". I was 5 ft 8 inches tall, but in the great need of the government at that time, they were not inclined to be very particular, would accept anyone who could carry a gun. I would have enlisted sooner but for father’s illness, & subsequent paralysis. ...Lincoln had just called for 500,000 men & my towns quota was 40 men which would take nearly every available man, for it had answered several large calls before. Several of our citizens had fled to Canada to avoid the draft & they remained there till the close of the war.”Transcribed from the original documents of Sinclair Smith, “Memoirs of a Civil War Soldier” immerses you in the times and language—the family farm and early schools in Pennsylvania, enlisting during a “call” in 1864 at the age of 20, recovering from wounds in Washington at the end of the war, and life after returning home. Smith memoir exposes drunken officers, the hardships of war, and the battle for survival.Novice and expert alike will find the unedited writings of this Tioga County, Pennsylvania boy fascinating and insightful.

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Memoirs of a Civil War Soldier

Transcribed from the original documents of

Sinclair Smith

Copyright 2011 Louise Simon

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to my Great great grand grandfather, grandfather

and of course my father and all their spouses.

For the energy that was put into this portion of God’s green Earth,

The demonstration of durability for the love of this land

that eventually turned this into a century farm

Thanks for my heritage.

NOTE: This eBook contains the reminiscences of Sinclair Smith, a Tioga County, Pennsylvania boy who went from the farm fields to Camp Curtin, Petersburg, Baltimore, Fort Monroe, Appomattox, and more camps and many battles. Transcribed from his original writings without editing or changes, only minorcorrections have been made at times to simplify for the reader.

I was born in 1844 in Dryden, near the village of that name, in York State. My father was of Scotch descent on his mother’s side, & English on his fathers. His father’s father was not only a Smith but also a blacksmith for he worked at that trade in England many years ago.

Father’s mother was a Scotch lassie of the Highland Sinclairs. My mother’s father was Charles Manning whom I remember well. Really I know little of his parentage. I remember him as a jolly old man, very fond of hunting, & I am sorry to say also fond of his toddy. I have a distinct recollection of his coming to our house once when we lived on the old farm. There were lots of woods around us then. He was carrying a half grown fawn that he had killed with bird shot for he had been out for birds. He killed the pretty little thing in the bit of woods about where the road now branches off east to the old school house. Grandfather was as happy over that kill as a little boy over a new cart. Fathers name was Sinclair from his mother I remember the neighbors always shortened it to Sinkler.

My mother was Jane Manning. Your Aunt Hannah’s name was Hannah Arcena. Her mother was Arcena Blount. I judge she was part Irish & part English. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier & served under Putnam. He was bayonetted in battle, but as Putnams men had been three days without rations & his insides were very empty the bayonett did not kill him; recovering he lived to an old age, but with a big bunch on his side.

The Blounts lived in Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain, near the lower end of the lake. Later they moved to New York near Dryden, where I was born. When I was about two years old they moved to Pennsylvania buying a farm of the Bingham Estate 4 miles south of Knoxville. My mother’s brothers were Edwin. William. Asher, Henry. & Sister Eunice. Eunice married William Kelly. We all lived on farms nearby. I think Wm Kelly was not very prosperous, for I recall that they with a pretty daughter Adelaide of about my age lived with us for months. Adelaide died about that time with consumption. Now we call it Tuberculosis. I think Wm Kelly also died from that disease not long afterward. Probably it was their illness that drove them to take refuge with us for a home. It must have been a heavy tax on father & mother. In those days there were no hospitals nor asylums nor poor houses. Once or twice a year the town held an auction at which the paupers were auctioned off the lowest bidder, that is to the one who would take this pauper & keep him for a year furnishing him, or her, with food & clothes & in return get all the work out of him that he could. As very little supervision was kept over the matter you can imagine the poor pauper led a unhappy life often under a merciless master. Orphans were bound out till 21 for board & clothes, which very often were very poor & hard work was exacted to the limit. At 21 the orphan must receive a suit of clothes & possibly a small sum of money. If said orphan should run away from his taskmaster he might be arrested, thrown into jail & delivered to his old master. You see it was slavery pure & simple for the master might beat or abuse the orphan any thing short of murder. Verily the world has move in many ways in 70 years. My mother’s brothers were all in the Union army during the war. Uncle William who was a Methodist minister & a good one, was in the Christian Commission, that did some of the work of the leter Y.M.C.A. & of the Sanitary Commission. & the Red Cross.

These later commissions were unknown in the Civil War. Uncle Asher was in the Fifth Corps. The others in my regiment, the 207th of the North Corps, Uncle Edwin was in my company, Uncle Henry in co H. These all came thru unharmed. I was the only one of the family to get hit. Several of my Manning cousins were in the Worlds War, but I do not even know their names.

My father was a strong Republican but not so with all of his brothers. Uncle Joseph was Republican. He lived some where in Illinois I think. He visited us once when I was small. I remember his making me some wooden Indians that I cherished a long time. Uncle Johe Republican lived I think in Cortland County. I did know his daughters. He had no sons. Uncle Isaac was a merchant well off. He lived in Monroeville Ohio. I may have seen his oldest son Byron. I am not sure Uncle Isaac was a copperhead. Byron got a commission in the Civil War but when it looked as tho he might have to fight he promptly resigned. After I was wounded Father wrote Uncle Isaac about it & he replied that he heard I was in the army but supposed I kept out of danger. Uncle Freeman was very coppery. He was always making lots of money. Once he showed me lovely printed bonds by the thousand. He said then he was worth a million. But when the hard times came after the war, along in the 70's he went under.

Father had a sister Martha. I remember her well. She was a charming woman, an old maid. As I recall it she had been engaged but her betrothed died & she remained single in her betrothat. She died at our house where she lived many years. The brothers paying some small amount to father for her keep. You see Father was convenient to shove the sick and undesirable upon. I done believe father could do a wrong deed. I well remember him with black curly hair. He is yet my ideal of a good father.

But to go back to the little farm. There was a few acres cleared & on it a small frame barn that we used many years. It was on the hillsides some Ro rods from the log house that father built. I am not sure but he hired the house built before we moved. More probably he came out first, searched out & bought the farm & built the house then brot Mother & myself (2 years old) to his new house. I remember the house well. We lived in it till 1862. It had one room with a big fireplace of rough stone fire place & logs laid in rough mortared clay. The house stood just a few feet south of the present house. The home was in thick hemlock wood some 4 miles south of Knoxville village. For the last half mile the road to the little home was just a trail thru the woods, winding thru the trees where oxen could crawl with a wagon by using care & patience. I well remember the road. It was all we had for years running thru the dark woods. Our only team for years was the oxen.

Indeed I was quite a lad when one day an old gentleman from Knoxville came up and sold a very high spirited mare to father. Father paid a small price for old Doll whose spirits were high enough for a big price. We felt tremendously proud of her. Later I drove her to many parties & had some lively times doing it once. When I hitched her to the cutter to come home with my girl, but in my haste seem not to have securely buckled one of the reins into the bit. Going down a short but steep hill I had to pull hard on the lines & this one pulled out, jerking old Doll out of the road. It was a dugway, tipping the cutter over & throwing my girl down the bank. However I hung to the lines & after being dragged a distance brought the nag to a stop, righted the cutter. Gathered up the girl & both, yes all, not much worse for wear finished our journey. Whew, I hadn’t thought of that little episode in many years.

Some time when I was a nearly grown lad, father bought a rifle. Probably took it on some debt. It was smallish bore but heavy barrel, of course it was a muzzle loader. Father was no hunter. I am not sure that he ever fired a gun. It was heavy for me, but I managed to have some fun with it, hunting in the nearby woods. I never took real hunting trips. I remember one of the last times that I used it. The wild pigeons were at times very thick & I was trying to kill some. There were two on a limb close together & I hoping to get both fired between them, with the result you might expect. I got neither. When we to tell about the numbers of wild pigeons that would appear in the spring people now think we are off the facts. But they would come in such swarms as to