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10-05-81 
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Ridgewcx:xi 
Marwcx:xi Closed 
A'IM: Liberty 
Poland, Wedgsvood 
Rerrodel: Liberty 
Poland, Wedgsvcx:xi 
Newport Closed 
Regional Bank 
.. .-:"",- " 
. ,'!,t:. 
SOCIETY BANK OF EASTERN auo 
DATA 
05-01-16 
05-01-40 
04:-12-46 
04-12-60 
02-09-59 
01-05-65 
12-00-67 
05-06-68 
04-15-71 
lvbrris Plan Bank 
Iv'.ove to Central· 
. 'ScJu.:rre 
; 
Narre Olange .to 
. P~pl~s Bank..: ~.' .' 
Main Office  
Rerrodeled 
Newport 
Wedgavcx:xi 
Wedgsvcx:xi Enlarged . 
Poland 
Affiliation with· 
Society Corp 
· I 
MYRON ISRAEL ARMS 
1822 - 1864 
So~ of Israel and Rrandson of Dan~e1 who was one of 
the first settlers - of Sodus , New York . Daniel had 
been -a Good friend of Asher VJClrner \-lho was killed in 
1812 by a Sritish raiding party and is buried hc;side 
Daniel Arms thouRh they died years apart. 
,Jonathon , son of P.sher , moved to Youngstm.Jn prior to 
1840. He later gave employment to his young fric;nd 
I<'t vron ano · eventllall" heCnMe his f2ther in laH as his 
oidest ddup,hter Emaiine married Myron . 
~yron Israel Arms left YOlln8stown to ~nlist as a private 
in the union army in 1864. ':'ovln records of this '!ear 
incicate thnt he was the 4th larGest tClxpayer in 
Youngstown hehind ~r. David Tod and ~r. Brown and 
30tlnell all much older. He died shortly therea+"ter 
of Typhoid fever leavins six children. At the tine 
of his enlistment he Has manop,er o~ the r:a~le fu';"nace, 
the second iron producinG unit in the Mahonin~ Volley. 
It had been built bv Jonathon Warner and three OThers. 
Mr . Ar~swas also a" partner in a lorge department 
store near the Diamond in Youngstown . 
I have his letter asking for Warner~ daughters hand 
and also nume,;"ous l etTers from the battlefield Drlor 
to his death. One es~ecially poignant note to his 
brother Freeman , asking that he marry his widoH and 
help bring up his six c hildren. 
He appears to have been a serious, hard Horking man 
much respected by his wife and children. 
w';u ~~ ~J~ 
~ U '7V~ ~ (A~1 
~,) ~u cJr iL ,.)~ 
LJ~ ~ frd~ ... ~ 
.5Q f ~ /9"'. 
PREFACE 
This small book is built around a flurry of letters 
interchanged during a 10 week period of active service 
i n the C ivil War Union Army b e tween Myron Israel Arms 
and his wife, Erna line Warner Arms, in the Spring and 
Summer of 1864. 
To these I have added certaiI). other letters which 
tend to put into perspective this family relationship. I 
know, though the increment in each of us living 100 years 
later is very small, I still believe that it is exciting to 
find out what we have come from especially knowing that 
we will not find out where we go. 
The Arms and Warner family had lived in Sodus, 
New York, for two generations prior to 1843 when 
Jonathan Warner and his young friend, Myron Arms, 
moved their store from Sodus to Youngstown, Ohio. 
Sodus is on Lake Ontario east of Rochester, 
The first Arms in Sodus was Daniel, a fourth gen 
eration Yankee from Deerfield, Mass., who came out 
with his family in 1794. His first impressions are 
recorded(l) as a camp fire kept a pack of wolves at bay 
while they circled the wagon used to transport the fam  
ily. The first town meeting was held in his house and 
he led the band of 40 townfolk who engaged the British 
i n the battle of Sodus Point in 1813. In this engagement 
Asher Warner, father of Jonathan, was killed. 
Jon$l,than's earliest recollection as recorded by his 
son\2), Whitney, was of hitching up the wagon at the age 
of 6 to go to town and bring home his father's body. 
(1) History of Wayne County, New York, 1877, Everts 
Ensign, & Everts Phi l. 
(2) Dedication Remarks a t the T ablet 
Commemorating Battle of Sodus Poi nt. 
I 
.~ 
l 
) 
r 
Dani el and Asher ar e buried i n a djoi n i ng family plots in 
the Sodus cemetery. D a n iel i s gravestone carries this 
i nscription : 
liKind was His Breast a nd H is Whole Soul. Sin 
cere h '" s J udgement sound h i s understanding clear. 
To Friend to Neighbor to Suffering Poor~ he .held 
a Liberal Hand and Open Door. Ii 
This was also copied by Mrs. Charles Hofer· (Jennie 
Arms) a nd sent to Cousi n Almi ra Wick, thinking that 
i t portrayed her Father Myron I Arms Il, son of our 
Civil War writer. So at least we are able to tie together 
the first 4 generations of our stu<:ly. I like to think these 
qualities w i ll continue. 
D aniel i s son Israel m arried S a rah Axtel whose 
beautiful portrait h a ngs in the C. D . . Armshomestead~ 
n ow the M a honing County H istorical Society home, in 
Youngstown. I know nothing of I srael except through 
h is 5 child ren , a ll of w hom came to Young stown appar 
e ntly followi ng Myron. 
One fu rther connection of the Warner and Arms 
family was tha t Asher ' s mother Hanah, a cousin of 
Cyrus Field of Atlantic cable fame, and. Mayflower de 
sc endant, had come· from Deerfield, . Mass. 
The first letter i s written in August of 1848 and is 
a request by Myron of h i s emp10yer~ Jonathan ;Warner, 
for the hand of h is daughter. 
There follows the i nterchange of letters in 1864 . 
after Myro n h a d abruptly requested active duty and · 
left the same day b y trai n. The Arms had 6 children 
in 1864 and i n addi t ion to the stor e, Jonathan had built 
the E agle Blast Furnac e a nd Myron· was m a nagi ng i t 
very successfully. In fact, the y ear previous Myron 
no long er a poor boy, had paid the fifth highest income 
tax in the city of Youngstown. 
The s udde n enlistment h ad followe d a slur by some 
one as Myron paid the $300 . bounty for a draft r".eplac e 
ment. This was common practice for succ essful busi 
n e ss men with l arge families, especially when they 
were 42 years of age. I n t hose d ays the draft went to 
age 45. ) 
1 
He left the same day despite protestations from 
his wife, friends, and associates. Hi s train trip took 
him to Camp Dennison only two miles from my house 
in Cincinnati , where his first letter home originates. 
His younger brother Freeman, who worked for M y ron 
in the store, accompanied him on the trip sinc e he 
was an officer in a National Guard unit called up the 
same day. 
The last of Myron i s letter s is a fragment of one 
to this same brother, Freeman, written during his 
last i llness. 
Following this is a letter written from the North 
ern Michigan Peninsula by great- great grandfather, 
Jonathan Warner, to his wife living in Mineral Ridge, 
Ohio, on their 50th wedding anniversary in 18 72. 
Jonathan apparently fluctuated from periods of great 
prosperity as when he built the Presbyterian church 
in Mineral Ridge to periods of abject poverty. This 
letter finds him drilling for iron ore in which endeavor 
he was successful thoug h h e had missed the Mesabi 
range by so.me distance. 
The last notes are by my contemporary and dear 
friend, cousin Phillip H. Schaff, Jr. a sixth genera 
tion desc endant of Daniel Arms who begins this brief 
history of our family. It concerns Summe rs at North 
port Point, Michigan, where some 42 direct descend 
ants of Daniel Arms regul arly gather. 
The Civil War letters are beautifully written with 
not one mis spelled word disc over ed and show much 
good Yankee common s ens e . . Both writers knew ill 
ness was the chief danger. This is amply borne out 
by the 200,000 medical deaths in the Union Army as 
opposed to 100,000 battlefield casu·alties. The appal 
ling medical ignorance of the time in prevention and 
treatment of disease are now well known. Great 
Grandfather Arms was all too correct in expressing 
the fear tha t the doctor s knew very little about the 
epidemic of remittent fever which now we know was 
probably typhoid. His wife Ernaline too was all too 
correct in worrying about the environment in carnp 
near Norfolk. 
2 
Ij 
Mr. a nd Mrs, Warner 
August 1848 
Believing it necessary that you should be made ac 
quain~ed with my intentions and solutions in regiird to 
ErnalIne, I have chosen this time as the most fitting op 
portunity, naturally inferring that you, as well as my 
self would prefer this method to a personal interview- 
I have for some time had a sincere regard for Ernaline 
as my singular attendanc es at your home will testify, 
and believe her society necessary" for my happiness, and 
I have good reasons for believing that she is not alto  
gether indiffer ent to me. With your permis sion 1 should 
be glad to fulfill my engagement with her. You have a 
sufficient knowledge of my character and habits to 
r eadily judge of my capabilities for this important step. 
If. you sho~ld have any doubts in the matter, I hope you 
WIll exerCIse a frankness which such a subject demands. 
AS .I can assure you I would not wish to do anything 
WhICh would not meet your approbation. If I should be 
so fortunate as to obtain your cons ent I trust you will 
never have cause to regret the confidence you repose in 
me for her happiness. An early answer, and I remain 
Very truly yours 
M. 1. Arms 
Sunday May 8th 1864 
Camp Dennison, Cincinnati 
Dear Ernaline, 
I arrived here this morning at 7 o 'clock and feel 
ing very well considering I was up all night. I sent a 
letter from Cleveland yesterday by Kimberly. There 
are about 8000 men in camp. Most of them will be 
?rd~re.d off SOon. There is some difficulty about organ 
~zatlOn of or consolidating our battalion with the 92 reg 
(Yjent, for the rea~on that it is proposed to divide up 
Freeman' s Co. In squads and put them into different 
~ompanies, all strangers to the boys. Freeman' s CO. 
IS below the minimum number nec e ssary to organize a 
full company. They may therefore let them muster out 
and g.o home. The entire battalion has decided if they 
do thIS, they will not join the 92 and will not muster 
3 
-
' t How it 
mai n a state unl . 
i nto the U . S . f~rc es,' ~~~~~ I should like to be ho~e 
" 1 be settled 1 don t t g retted yet the step 1 
Wl.. b thaveno r e , 
with you' toda~, u 
t 
k l
' n 0'0ing In. 
00 1:> ~tt n 
, 1 d s above ,w1\ J. e 
. h ld be s ett e a 
J
f thi s . matter s. ou . 'm hington for defens e 
, , way to· vv as d ' d of 
we should b e on our' shall keep. you ,a Vlse . 
purposes in' a day ort~o, . {o time . . There ',ls plen~y of 
our movement,s from tlmde
l 
shall write often. 
't n camp ,an . 
t
' e towrl e 1 . 
1m . , 
. , 1 bad about my leavmg: 
1 
do hope you' wlll no~ fee trouble . . I don't thlUk 
. h ' that glveS me ' be 
It is the onlY ,t lUg . us service and you may 
we shall be ,in any dangero .. myself but keep ·as reg-
d t
h at 1 will not expose 
assure 'bl 
.' h'abits as pOSSl e. 
ularl
n 
.. 
' 3) 
{ . 
Affecti onately yours, 
M . . 1. Arms 
d 1824 two years 
. Brother . Born So us 
Younger . 
younger ,than Myron. 
19 May' 1864 
b 
g 
West Va. 
Martins ur ,. 
. My.D ear Wife, 
from home since I l eft. 
. I have receive no lett~: nOW n early two we,eks, 
I feel anxious to he~:~lt~ is good a nd my appetl~\::ans 
since·we left • . My . bl to eat my pork an 
~ Iso good. I have no ~rou e 1'c CNlti r e1'y to army 
a. k I onflne m yse J. " lth W e 
a nd h a r d tac. c the best f o:..· hea· , 
rations and thi nk they a~~l of M a rti nsburg. It 1S -
are loca ted. j'ust at the Vl . a~~entlY about 2~ years be-
~nold f a shloned pla ce, la
pP
l 
ft camp once slnce'l came 
<1, lhaveonye 
hind the age. d to a et shaved. 
~ d then ,went own b . 
C\.n , d childr en 
d 
d y oung worpen a n 
I noti c e that 01 a n f'f t the end m a de 
2{) t h , h f ' gers cut 0 ., a , 1 
mitt ens with t e .In s to b e a gene ra 
wear sheepsld n . It appear 
from common 
4 
pract i ce among r ich and poor i n o rder I suppose to keep 
the hands delicate and white. The country is beautiful, 
lime stone cropping out i n ridges over the surfac e. The 
fences are m a de of lime stone but are greatly out of r e  
pair. The fields are in this vicinity, mostly open to the 
commons and cattle roam over the country. In the rear 
of our camp stands the home an:d l ands of the rebel G en 
eral Johnson ·who reinforced Beauregard at the battle of 
Bull Run. H e has since been'killed in some battle in 
Tennessee last season. 
Our camp is rather pleasantly situated, but our 
t e nts are what is k nown as the dog tent made of two 
she ets say 2 yards square, each buttoned together at 
the top like in appearance to the roof of a house. The 
soil is a loamy clay and wh e n , wet is very disagreeable. 
We have no floors in the tent but put our oil cloth blan 
kets on the ground and cover' with a woolen one if we 
h ave an extra one which your correspondent has . . A 
few days in camp such warm weather soon causes a 
very disagr eeable smell and makes it very unpleasant 
for me. Our cooking articles also do not get any 
s courin g and but very little cleaning. Our kni ves and 
forks look the worst. Mrs. Warne r would h ave a fit at 
the sight of them. I do not want to see you nor any of 
my lady fri e nds i n the c amp. It is not a fit place for 
l a dies. It is surprising how soon we accommodate our  
selves to circumstances, particularly dirt. I shall be 
sure before my 100 days to have consumed my peck, if 
I n e ver did before . 
The fi r st nights I lay on the floor my bones would 
ache all the n ext day but now I rest as well on hard 
ground as I do at home and I think better. My duties 
daily in the w ay of drill fit me to eat my full rations 
w ith a good relish. I a m stationed today on duty in town 
as Provost Guard. We are on duty two hours and four 
off during the 24. My station is in front of ileal. Some 
body " qua rters. When I walk my "beat" with all the d ig . 
nity I can put on considering I have only a few days 
experience. 
Co. A of the 44th Battalion (Iron Guards) went out 
to guard a wagon train s o m e 45 mile s from here. The 
camp is constantly full of the most absurd rumors got 
5 
h' f We shall likely stay here for 
up for fun and misc Ie . out of hand at the front. 
a spell unless things get 
Two we eks today sin ce I left I ,,:,onder how a re :11 
the fu rnace will contInue to g r ow an 
of you. I hope W · k who came thro u gh 
11 I 1 a rn from J ames lC 1 
do we . ~~ t (4) MacKinley is ther e on duty. I fee 
yesterday a h ' ll attend to all matters as 
perfectly content that e WI 
well as I would. 
I find all little n ecessar y article~ nle~de~ put
l 
by 
l ' I was r athe r astonlS"le w en 
you i n my va Is e . think you were v e ry thought-
caIne to examine them - -
ful. 
L et me hear f r om you often with all pa.rticulars. 
. d to MacKinley I wIsh h e 
Kiss the chIldr en an .say 11 Direct mail to Company 
would write me occ asl
ona 
y. 
D 155 R egt. N . G .• Mar t insburg . 
Affectionately and 
truly yours, 
M. 1. Arms 
) 
f
BI t Furnace by 
(4 MacKinley left in char ge 0 as 
sudden departure of Myron. 
youngstoWn: May 18th 
My Dear Husband, 
. ' from day to day for the 
I h ave d eferred Wrlhng
h 
. to direct my l ette rs, 
reason that I do not .know ~nere: or spend this second 
but feel I cannot w.a:t any ou
g 
I have heard from you 
Sunday.without Wrl~~~gt~oh:ar'that you have made a 
three tllr~es ~ an: g of soldiering. I presume 
good begInnIng m the w~:st side out. I shall feel ver y 
though that you put the . and know of your 
anxious until I hear from you
h 
agalnFr' l' day h e thought 
. F an cam orne , 
destinahon. reem oin to New 
when h e left Cincinnati that you ~eyr:s~erd~y that y ou 
Cr eel< b ut I see from the paper 0 
had been sent to columbus, Va. 
It i s useless to s ay I am lonesom e. 1 am rnore 
tha n lonesome a nd the t i m e drags slowly along tho 1 
h a ve been busy clean i n g hous e s i ne e you left. When 
eveni. ng and bed t i me com e and I am a ll a lone - { then 
. wonder where you a re and how you are until I b ecom e 
s o n ervous that I ca nnot g o to sleep fo r hours . 1 can 
nC'l h e lp but think. that some one could have taken your 
plae e that could n ot do on e quarter the good at home 
that you can a nd still do just as well as a s oldier. Yet 
. w h en I k n ow how you feel a b ou t it$ ' I fe el proud of you 
a.nd if I could be as sured that you w ould come home a t 
the end of a hundred d ays all well I would willi ngly 
m..., ke the s",-crific e of your s ociety for the t i me fo r '1 
know :it w i ll b e a great sati sfact ion to you hereafter if 
you should b e spared to return t o us . You 'went out 
. when called u pon a nd when most n eeded instead of re 
m ain i ng at home a s many other s .h a e done. Please 
t ake care of yourself and if the r e is a nythi ng we c a n do 
.for you a t home let u s know . . W e h ave all bee n ·well 
since you left. I thi nk ( 5)Hattie ·m isses you more 
than a n y of the child ren. She often says she w i shes 
Papa could com e home and see his " HA TTJE ; I i most 
always when I am rocki ng her to s l e e p. (6) Jennie felt 
very bad the day you l eft. She thinks a great deal 
more than (7JEm does. (8) M a te w a s upstairs the d ay 
you left. She felt very b a d , but d i d not w a nt anyone 
to see her. I did not k now where she was until a n 
h our or two after - suppos ed she w as a t the depot. The 
b o y s were at the depot (Warner and Iv1 y ron Jr. j but 
sai d they did not see you. Freema n is boa rdi n g with 
us , h e was a nxiou s to b oard with us becaus e Carri e 
was here a nd there ·w as n o other place he could very 
well take her at present. Joseph has rente part of 
the i r house and have no room to spare. Free m a n was 
to l odge a t the store. I would r ath er not take h i m to 
board but under the circumstances. have concluded to 
do so. 
( 5) M rs. C h as. Booth - then 3 years old. 
(6) Mrs. Chas. Hofer 
(7) M rs . George Peck 
(8) Mrs . H e nry Wick ~ the n 16 years old. 
7 
(9)Ed came very near gOing- with you. The day you 
left he got his things ready intendin g to meet you at 
Niles, but Mary made such a fus s and felt so b ad that 
father persuaded him not to go . Father has been . 
obliged to s top his old furnac e , she chille d u p . r ~artIn 
Warner took dinner here the day after you left \Sdtur  
day) came down on the cars from C levelan d t.a see 
Freeman and returned by the two o'clock traIn. H e 
said Freeman was one of the jury of the Supr e me 
Court for c r iminals, and that Ashe~ (Warne(-lo~ad 
been taken up for making counte rfeIt money and d 
if it should be proved against him, he of course .wou~ 
be sent to the penitentiary. Said Asher had got In wIth 
a lot of fellows i n C leveland, an~ they ~ad all turned 
against him. They a r e keepin g It ~s shll as they c~uld 
but I believe the tria l comes off thIS week. H e thought 
if he could see Freeman that it perhaps would do some 
good though I fail to see it. I have not thought to say 
anything to Freeman about it. Do not know whether I 
ought to or not. 
The trial(ll) of t he R oss girls i s going off at Can-
f · ld T have been tol d that I and a few others whos e 
Ie . .1 h 't . 
husbands are away have been let off. lope 1 IS so. 
Col, and M r s . Parks are very anxious to get most of 
the influential ladies in t own to go over but I shall not 
go if it can be h elped. Day before yesterday 16 wer e 
indicted and taken to Canfield who had been summoned 
before. Among the numbe rs w e r e Mr: and ~rs. Bon-
11 Herm and Scott Bonnell, Paul WIck, JIm Rayen, 
~rs'. Park, Julia Scely, Miss Parish and ~rs. H asher. 
L a st n ite Fr eeman was subpoenae d for a wltnes s, the 
R Mr H all a lso nearly a dozen others have b een 
ev.., . M 
summoned to appear i n court Monday mornIng . . rs. 
Braden, Mrs. Dusnars and Mr . and Mrs. McMllla.n 
weI' e over yest e r day, I believe they have to ~o a~aln 
t . Mr Braden is very angry tha t hIS WIfe 
omorI ow. . . I I 
was on the street the night of t he "Tar and FeatherIng. 
(9) 
( 10) 
( ll) 
Edwin Warner then 32 y~ars o l d - worked for 
Myron Brother in L aw. 
No r ecord of this ma.n - not son of Jonathan -
perhaps nephew 
Ross girls were harlots tarred & feathe r ed by 
a grou p of young people in Youngstown. 
8 
" Freema.n thinks the suit will go harder with Our ladies 
tha n they have supposed. I hope not, it would b e a dis 
grace to the community if those creatures should gain 
the suit. 
'What good n ews we are havin g from our Armie s. 
T i s really c h eerin g, if it only conti nues as good. F rom 
a ll accounts o n e would concur that we w i ll be victorious 
i n the e nd. But on the other hand there has been such a 
great loss of life that I feel more like mour n i ng than r e 
jOicin g . How many a nxi ous hearts a re waiting afraid 
l est they may hear of their friends being lost to them 
forever. 
Freeman said it would not b e sa.fe to send my letter 
' unti l I h eard from you again but I sha ll venture to do so 
n ow as M ary Bently had a letter f rom her brothe r Rob 
ert yesterday written from Parkersburg s a ying that 
you were goi n g from the re t o New Creek. I know you 
' w ill be a n x i ous to h ear from us at home and I should 
h ave written several t i m es had I known you would re 
ceive my l etters . I consider it a pri vilege and a 
pleasure to write to you when I am deprived of your 
society. I do hope you w ill not get s ick but am afrai d 
you will a.s you are not accustome d to exposure. Most 
everyone here thoug ht you would come home i n a few 
days but I had not such hope when you left home _ 
knew you planned to spend the whole 100 days. When 
you write include a ll d e t ails of your journey, camp, 
manner of living as you k now how i nteresting all that 
will b e. 
We h ave j u st h eard that ( 12)Charlie has bee n 
wounded i n his l eft hand. I sent to Mr. Stambaugh' s I 
for a Pittsburgh paper w ith a list of the wounded from 
Penn. R egim e nts and f ound his name i n the 139th R eg. 
I was glad to hear that h e h a d escaped with so slight a 
wound for I have felt dreadfully ever s ince the Potomac 
Army has bee n e ngaged for fear he might be suffe r i n g 
from want of ca.re. There must be a great many such. 
(12) Younger Brothe r of Ernaline. Aged 20. 
9 
k'reeman went over to Canfield Monday, has not 
yet r-eturned. I hear they are\having great times over 
there. A great number of our ladies .h ave gone over 
and had you have been home I woul~ ha:e g.one a long 
but as it is I shall not go. Some thlllk lt wlll g~ har~ 
with Packard. The Miblocks have turned state s eVl 
dence and telling all they know and more too. They 
have sworn that Packard got a pistol for Mrs. Park 
to carry, showed her how to shoot it and how to load 
it and that he was with the mob which the defendants 
say i s n ot true. I shall look for a l etter from you to-
day. Write often. 
Yours truly,. 
Ernaline 
Hen Bonnell, Rufus Manning and Dr. Elder are drafte d. 
1864 May 21 Youngstown 
My Dear Husband, 
I have not rec eived a l etter from you since you 
left Camp D enn i son but I have heard thru others that 
you a re at Martinsburg. A man from. on.e of your Co ' s 
arrived here day before yesterday brlnglng s everal let 
ters from the boys. Freeman saw him, said you were 
out on guard the n ight before he left in the rain. How 
much I have thoughtabout you. To think you are w~y 
down there in Virginia in constant danger of guernlas, 
out in the rain and mud, without any comfort. It 
sometimes seems that I cannot have it so, it seems so 
unnecessary. If there was not so much dang e r of your 
losing either your life or your. health, I could endur e. 
the lonesome part very patientl y . ~ut yo,! ar.e c ~rtal.n­
ly running too rnuch risk for the satlsfactlon lt .wlll glve 
you to serve your country when another man wlthout a 
family would do as well as you and could ~ot do as ~uch 
at home . Mr. (13)Kimberly has been talklllg of gettlllg 
(13) Another Eagle Blast Furnac e Employee. 
10 
a man and going down to wher e you are and bringing you 
home. Says he cannot get along very well without you. 
F ather a nd Freeman have both advised him to do so. 
You k now what I would say about it. Oh Myron 'do come 
home. Had I known what I now know, I would never hav e 
l~t you go fro~ home, but I trie d to look on the bright 
slde a ll the whlle. I do not see any bright side now. I 
wrote you a long letter directed to New Creek to follow 
th~ Re.gt. Mailed it last Wednesday, hope you will re 
celve lt. I hope I shall get a letter from you today. 
~ather has gone to Washington to bring Charlie home 
lf he can get a furlough. He has been wounded in the 
~a.nd and back.tho .his back, I b.elieve, is not seriously 
lllJured, but hls nght arm is disabled. Gov. (14) Tod 
wrote a l etter to the President for father to take with 
him. They will probably get home by the middle of next 
week if Charlie can come. If you were home I should 
feel very happy hoping to see Charlie so soon but it 
seems that nothing will give me much pleasure while 
I know you are in so much danger. I know that I do not 
feel right tha.t I ought to trust that the same Providenc e 
that ~u~es over us here will wa.tch over you there, and 
that It lS probably all for the best, or else it would not 
be so. 
We are all well and have been since you left. The 
on~y news, I know of is that the Ross girls gained their 
SUlt, the Jury rendered a verdict of $5000. against our 
side. I w~ote you in the last l etter how they had nearly 
all the ladles and half the men in town over to Canfield . 
. 1 was not over. The verdict was against John Wick, 
Mr. and Mrs, Bonnell, Miss Caleb Wick and many 
others. Those that I have mentioned proved that they 
were not there but that is the way with the law. Our 
side are going to carry it to higher court. Emma Ross 
was the only case tried, her sister's suit will come off 
next court. This was a civil suit, the next will be ' a 
criminal. 
I believe the furnace is doing very well. Mrs. 
Kimberly has been sick. Mr. K. has been down most 
(14) Most important man in Youngstown - Governor of 
Ohio and Confidant of Linc oln. 
11 
1 
, all,~~1t.~,-'week. She has , a ' kind of dumb ague they think. 
(15~}Father has blown, out his old .furnace, the new one 
,is doing well. Do ·writeme all particulars. Don't say 
' you' are,welL when, you'are' not. I will write often when 
~I know, that you ar e r ec ei ving, my letter s,' 
,Yours truly and affectionately 
i Emaline E. Arms. 
_ P. S. Hattie often talks ' about you. says ,"you must 
, cGlme horne and ,seeyour-Hattie. Ii She sends a 
: kiss to, her' Papa. 
, r have ,just rece,ived' a letter sent last Saturday. 
, Such-a ,long time , in corning. Am glad to hear 
'you' are-well. , What a hard time, you are having. 
how I wi~h;I could· share. 
Sunday -June 1864 June 5th ' Martinsburg. , W. Va. 
_ Dear,-Wife, 
, I wrote you on,Wedn,esday but received ,your 
.letter-last ~ight written on,Wednesday. " When called 
,out on'Dres s ' P arade last night we received,orders to 
report at W ashington' D. C. and shall leave today-for 
-that place. _ I think likely ,that we shall be c'alled onto 
guard:1ines of communication from Washington out or 
- in the' defenses . at that place. This 'wasa sudden call 
and entir ely unexpected. We , ar e ' making calculations 
on' stayin g h ere,out 100 days , out. We had,not com 
Jortablyfixed,up ,jn;ourlair. the boys call it. We shall 
: be compelled to, leave ,all of our little conveniences 
,because'pr,ivates ' cannot carry' anything except, what 
, they carry in their nap sack, but your correspond~nt 
having, some ,influence,-with some of our' worthy offlcers 
(15) , Very, profitable' furnace at Mineral Ridge. a small 
Villag e outside , Youngstown -, Iron Ore ran out  
locally about 1863. 2.n~ prompted Jonathan to pros 
pect Northern, Michigan, - See' Page63. 
12 
~hin~s he c.an manage to get some of his extra baggage 
In WIth theIrS. Don' t know but what we shall send back 
a b~x of_ extra things which cannot be taken along. I 
d~n t t~lnk I have even given you the names of my asso 
cl.ates In our tent. they ar e as follows : George Bald 
WIn, Corp. Myers. Tuck and his two sons we also had 
include d in our tent, but they have been detached to do 
duty i n one of the town hospitals. Mr. Baldwin fis one 
of the best of men to hunt up little conveniences for the 
us e of o,:r t~nt and we are sorry to part with our quar 
ters haVIng Just got almost eve rything to make it com 
fortable. 
My health i s good in fact all the men in our com 
pany are well. If we only get as healthy a location 
agalll I shall be satisfied -- as I think the only risk is 
t~ keep well. I assure you I shall let you know if I get 
SIck at once. Either by letter promptly or by telegraph. 
You can rest easy that I am well unless you hear from 
me to the ~ontrary . . I do hope you will not worry about 
me but J?abently :"alt the expiration of my 100 days, 
then J wl ll, Provldenc e permitting, join you again. In 
10~kIng back over our sixtee n years of married life I 
thlll.k I hav~ expe~ien~ed as much enjoyment in your 
SOCIety as IS ordInarIly allotted to a man in this world. 
At a ll events. I do feel and believe i t was fortunate for 
me that you condesc ended to unite your future with 
mine because you have made my happiness the basis of 
your constant attention during the whole time. I have 
not done this or been the same to you, but I can assure 
you that it is not aris en from any such feeling at heart. 
I have always been true, although as I have written you 
be~ore, do not at all times exhibit it properly. My 
prIde and natu~e ,being entirely different from you, I 
k.now: But so .It IS and I cannot help it. Your disposi 
bor: IS well sUIted to get along with mine in that respect 
-- If I. had not devoted my whole time, attention and ' 
energIes to business during my young days, I feel I 
should have been better suited to make your happiness 
but have neglected that part of my education. I am not 
playful and do not take that pleasure or consider it 
necessary as .1 s.hould if I had been brought up different 
ly. I know thIS IS so, h ave felt it for the sixteen years 
last past. We are not simply created to work, strive, 
and devote every energy early and late to making 
13 
money. We should enjoy life better if suited or 
brought up to take the world as inte nded by our c reator. 
It would have been much pleasante-r fo r you t? have 
been mated with some mor e favored ,person l,n"that 
respect; but I am s elfish enough to . feel gra~lhed 
that I am so favorably united, norwlth standIng I am 
a man that in comparison, your duties .and trou?les 
far exceed mine, in everything taking\ Into conslde~a­
tion the rearing and trouble of children to say .noth~ng 
about the pain and duty which Mother Eve entaIled In 
allher - -
Youngstown June 5th i 64 
My very dear Husband, 
I continue to receive your letters regularly, which 
is a sourc e of gr eat comfort to me, am surpris ed that 
you have kept well thus far considering the great change 
in your habits I think it is remarkable yet I fear con 
stantly lest I may hear some bad news frorn you: I 
shall endeavor though to worry as little as possIble. 
Nearly a third of the t ime has pass ed that you were t~ 
be gone. I ha';e,lost all hope of getting you home unt~l 
the end of the 100 days consequently I shall try to walt 
patientl y until the end of that t ime , when I hope. and 
pray that you may be permitted to return to us ll1. h ealth. 
If you should continue to be well, I have no doubt but that 
you will be stronger and healthier than ever you wer e 
before. 
Several ladies with myself are intending to meet 
tomorrow to pack a box of provisions to send to .you, 
and their friends who are with you. I shall put In a 
package directed to you, hope you will not giv.e it .all 
away. There are so many going to ser:-d that It WIll not 
be necessary. You will probably receIve the box t~e 
last of this week. It will leave here Tuesday mormng. 
Freeman sent you those shirts l ast Wednesday. 
Louis a bak.ed some ginger snaps for you, says " you 
must say a good word for her to some soldier boy 
down there'! to pay fo r them. I told her that the sol 
diers were the kind to have, at l east I have heard you 
14 
say so. She thinks I better look out, or the girls will 
all be running after my soldier when he comes home. 
Charlie has been down onc e sinc e I last wrote you. 
He c a me down last Thursday noon with Mothers car 
riage, all alone and returned the same evening. Jennie 
is at the Ridge yet. From your account of your daily 
exercise i n drilling, I think you must be kept quite 
busy. Is it very tiresome? I see from the papers 
that one Regt. of O. N. G . volunteered to go into the 
front, and were accepted. I hope you will not think 
of doing so. 
Freeman says he wishes himself with you every 
day, says he has been mad at himself ever since he 
came home that he did not stay with the boys. I think 
that most of the men who s end substitutes are rather 
ashamed of it. Almost wish they had gone themselves 
particularly after they found you were determined to 
stay. Almost everyone thought you would come back 
after a week or two. There is no news, the children 
are all well and give me as little trouble as I could 
expect. The boys were hunting frogs yesterday, 
caugh.t 48 aag) cooked them. for their breakfast this 
mornIng. H e nry MannIng and,four others have 
been up to Con e aut Lake this last week fishing, re 
turned last night. Henry brought us up a nice black 
bass. Ed did not go, could not leave business. I 
wonder if you are writing to me today. How I wish 
you could be here. Sunday is the most lonesome day 
when you are away. I have so much more time to 
think. It is as you say, that we need to be separated 
to know how to value each other's society and friend 
ship. Oh Myron don't think for a moment fhat I can 
ever think of you as other than a kind affectionate and 
indulgent husband. You have ever been such to me 
while I have failed to often to do my duty. But of one 
thing be assured, I have always been true to you and 
eve:- shall be. May we look forward to a happy union 
agaIn. Do not fear that your letters will be read by 
anyone but myself, and be sure to let us know if you 
are at all sick. 
I am as ever your true and affectionate wife - Ernaline 
(16) Henry Manning had married Sophia, Myrons Sister. 
15 
3rd June, Martinsburg , W. V a .• 1864 
M y Dear Wife , 
I have r eceived all o f your l etters. The last o n e 
written on Sunday. T hey a ll c ome throu gh very 
prornptly. I a l so r eceived one fr om your fath er and 
Wm. Kimberly yesterday, also one from Freeman. 
Am g l ad to hear all are w ell and the busin es smatter s 
movi ng a long i n general, w ell. My health i s first rat e . 
I continu e to eat my bread, hard tack (by the way if 
ours is a sample it is first rate) boiled potatoes with 
out any seasoning , fried or boiled pork with occasion 
ally beans, ric e together with some Milk Butter which 
we have t he opportuni ty of purchasing i n camp from 
the country people. A ll together what I may say is 
full and good living for soldiers and I think I may say 
with safety that if this diet is strictly adher ed to i n our 
healthy l ocation, w ill bring our Battalion home with full 
r anks. L ast tim e I w a s on picket was night before l ast. 
It was very warm durin g the day. Just at day break it 
comme n ced r ainin g while I w as on duty. We a.re on 
two h ours and off four . After I cam eoff I lay down with 
m y rubber blanket and slept soundly for three hours, 
raining hard all the t ime. The only place I got w et was 
about the head a nd face, took no cold however and fee l 
well. They commenced yesterday fortifyin g h ere by 
throwing up earth works. We have some 6 to 8000 
troops here but some are moving out a n d sorne com i n g 
i n dai l y . I think it was the best thi n g to call out the 
Guard in Ohio . It puts quit e a large force in the field 
at once w hich would have t aken all summer to have g ot 
out in any other way. This is just the time t hat men 
are needed. If Gr a nt can have m e n , I think we can 
clean up the war t his season. It is all important that 
it should be done as soon as possible . This is the 
cheapest way to wind it u p . . 
I think I sl1.all n eed a n e w pair of blue pants before 
the close of the 100 days . I wish I had got my blouse 
made at F reemans , the one I have is a m ean thi ng. 
The outside is shrunk u p and the linin g hangs down be  
low the shirt. If Freeman c an get the cloth, a pai r had 
better b e made, want the r i ght color. They can be s ent 
forwa rd in s ome package sent by some one sending one . 
16 
The ~ights here are very cool particularly toward 
mornlng . To sleep w ith two blank ets over i s not un 
co~forta,ble . . 'J.'he only thing lacking in that way is - 
but .~ can t th.m k of what I was. going to say now. Will 
put It off untll I s ee you. 
. Our company w as ~etailed to sleep in town Monday 
n lght.l ast, to be ready In case it was n e cessary during 
the m ght to b e on ?and. We (the privates) slept on the 
s~one p avement wlth our heads on the curb stone for a 
plllow. I n ever slept b ette r , of course we had our 
bl~nkets. You s:e .that I take to soldie ring naturally 
thl nk s ome of enlIstlng for 3 years after our 100 days 
but wou\d w,:,nt a weeks furlough at home before I go i~ 
- - I don t thlnk we should h a v e an opportunity here of a 
shot at the enemy from present appearances, but times 
may a lte r before we get through. 
I see R. McGi nley and Jim Van Fleet every day and 
t~ey a~r e both well and hearty. Ther e is not one on the 
slcl.e lIst from our Youngstown boys Noth' 
t . • lng appears 
o glve them more pleasure than to get letters. Some 
that do not get them I feel sorry for Th ' f ' d 
. ' . . elr rlen s 
do ,n ot r ealIz e h ow i.mportant it is, if they did they would 
wnte.. I sha ll contlnue to write semi -weekly. I hope 
you wlll do the same. Kiss all the children for me and 
far ewell for this t i me. 
Aff ec t ionat el y your s " 
Myron 
Washington; D. G. 6 June 
My Dear Wife, 
I arrived. h e r e thi s morning at 6 0 I clock after a 
~omewhat tedlous ni~ht ride owi n g to our b e ing packed 
lnto a baggage car wlthout sufficient room to lay down 
Gons.equ~ntly did not get any rest but feel pretty w e ll' 
~onslderm~. We l eft Martinsburg yesterday at 5 PM 
m the evenlng. We shall very like ly remain her e for 
the pr~sent at any rate. A s yet we know nothing except 
by conjecture. We learn that the 150th (Ohio) R egt. i s 
17 
to leave for the front and w e may take their place. 
That Regt. is an extra drilled Regt. and is fit for any 
duty, while ours is what mayj)e called a g reen one. 
It is probable that we may be called on to guard lines 
of communication from her e part of the way out. 
Shall know b ett er ab out it i n 1 e s s than a we ek. 
After our arrival here we were marched down 
fo r breakfast consisti ng of coffee , boiled pork, and 
bread all of which I managed to consume. The country 
i n the vicinity of Washington is quite poor. Of a sandy 
soil and a pparently well worn out. Some parts of the 
country this side of Washington is very handsome. 
Fields of clover, wheat and rye and all look fine. But 
corn is only just up and looks backward for this must 
be a.t least 3 weeks earlier than ours in Ohio. 
Afte r our br eakfast a party of us went up to the 
capitol. It is really a magnificent place. How I wish 
you could have been with me and w ent through. I 
would have felt much more pleasure if you had gone 
through with me. If spared we will, at some future 
time, look at it together. Camps are viewed all around 
the city. There must be a large force here as neces 
sarily the re should be. Coming here as a private sol 
dier I cannot have the opportunity that I should if a 
citizen. In fact a private i s ordinarily considered not 
the highest in rank although he may be head and . 
shoulders above some· who wear the straps not w1th 
standing. I prefer the position I have to any that is in 
the company and consider it more honorable. 
Mr. Orr is going to the offic e and is waiting for 
this letter . Direct letters here same as before - no 
doubt they will come through all right. 
Affectionately yours, 
M. 1. Arms 
18 
Youngstown June 8, 1864 
My Dear Husband, 
I received your letter yesterday afternoon stating 
that you had moved from Martinsburg to Washington. 
I cannot tell you how I feel - am so fearful that you 
may be sent to th e fr ont. Think though that if you 
should remain near Washington it would be safer than 
Martinsburg. I was so surprised to hear you had 
changed~ shall feel so uneasy until I know where you 
a~e statlOned. Oh Myron, I could hardly think it pos 
sIble for anyone to feel as I have felt much of the time 
since you left hom e . Sometimes' I get along very com 
fortably, but at other times I feel such an uncertainty 
as regards the future. Such a mingling of hope and 
fear, can hardly express it. Dare not look ahead to 
the time when I can expect you home for fear some 
thi ng may happen to destroy the happy realization of 
all my hopes. I know I ought not to trouble you writing 
thus, but perhaps I shall feel better after telling you. 
You kno.w I have always been in the habit of telling 
everyth1ng to you. Have always looked up to you as one 
capable of advising in every instanc e and now you ar e 
away, I miss you. Oh you do not know how much. At 
times everything looks dark and it see ms there is no 
pl:asure f?r m: until you come back and every little 
th1ng that 1S sa1d or done starts me to weeping. A few 
days ago I was feeling very badly while rocking Hattie 
to sleep. She asked me what I was crying about. I 
told her because I wanted Papa to come home. She 
looked up at me and said, " Don't cry Mama, Papa will 
come bye and bye, the naughty Rebels shant shoot my 
Papa. II I suppose someone had been talking to her 
about t.he R.ebel~ shooting you. I don't feel this way all 
the wh1le, 1f I d1d I should be sick. We should trust .in 
a divine Providence and hope that all is for the best. 
May God watch over you and keep you from harm. 
I th.ink you stand soldiering remarkably well. 
Would lIke so much to se.e you marching with your gun 
. and knapsack. Should Hunk you would fare more com 
fortab.ly i n Washington. Will you go to Maj. Williams? 
CharlIe says you will find him at 299 G St. between 14th 
and 15th. Can't you put on your citizen's clothes when 
19 
you go out? As you say, privates are held in low 
esteem but it will make no difference about that where 
you are known. I suppose there al!"' e plenty of t~ose 
shoulder s trap fellows who are not worth speak.lng to. 
I wrote you last Sunday, suppos e it will be for 
waTded to you. 
We g ot together l a st Monday and packed two boxes 
of pTovisions and directed them to you at Martinsbu rg . 
Wonder if you will ever get t h e m. We had considerable 
SpOTt over to M TS. Van Fleet's where we packed them. 
Mrs . V. F. done up a small papeT of tobacco and di 
r ected it to you - wrote on the outside, I glory in your 
spunk. Signed n o n a m e to i t. 
C harlie comes down every few days. They have 
plenty of horses so he can come and go whenever he 
pleases. Enjoys it first rate. H is shoulder wound 
remains about the same a nd Dr. Barc lay thi nks he 
m ay not have the use o f the arm fOT 1 year. F ather 
will go to Washington with h im. Will try to get h i m 
into a hospital as clerk. Cha rlie appears very much 
as he us ed to, as full of fun a s eveT . 
Your affectionate wife , 
Ernaline 
I can imagine what you have reserved to 
t ell me when you ~ home. 
FTiday J une 9 
My D ear Wife , 
I wrote you yes terday morning of our arrival here 
and that I expected we would march yeste rday or this 
morning to the front but today I am pleas ed to s ay that 
we are to remain h ere perhaps peTmanently. We are 
about 12 miles from the left of Gra nt' s army, can hear 
every discharge of artillery, but can get no very reli 
able newS exc ept camp rumors but all tend to show 
that Grant is making progr e ss. The report is here 
20 
that this point is to be vacated and the bases of supplies 
changed to James R i ver i n order .to unite the left wing 
with Butler I s Corps i n the rear of Richmond. 
R ichmond is South or better East of South. I can 
n ot spend tim e at thi s time to write much but I feared 
that you would be s omewhat alarmed about our situa 
tion. We expected yesterday to certainly to march to 
day - - but perh aps our colonel is not any more of a 
fighti n g man than our Lt. Colonel a nd history s ays h e 
cannot boast a great deal i n that way at all events our 
regiment h as been broken up into details for duty her e 
-- which looks as though we are destined to remai n 
here for awhile. Our detail is now pitching our t ents. 
but for w h at duty we don't know. 
The regiment I am glad t o say is in excellent 
health, but three came in the hospital, I believe. One 
of this i s Mr. of Wilson. He has the enceph 
alopathy but is better this morning, a great deal, with 
a fair possib i lity of getti ng out soon. James Van Fleet 
h as had the diarrhea but a s says is a great deal b etter. 
Saw R. McCurdy a few m i nute s ago and is all right. 
H ave sent my valise back to Washington, J. C. 
R ich ards care of K House to remain ther e if he 
remains there if not to be forwarded to Youngstown. 
Am sorry today tha t I done so because I could have 
us ed some of the thi n g s to good advantage but suppos 
i n g yesterday that we wer e bound for the front I knew 
I could not take them. 
I h ave an excelle nt appetite eat my daily rations of 
Pork, beans, hard tack, and coffee and fee l w ell. 
H ave sufficient work to m ake the fare palatable . I sha.ll 
be physically bette r for this trip. I should be much 
pleased to s ee Gra.nt's army a s they are so near to 
that point, if he should succ eed i n taking R i chmond, 
we may have the pleasure of b ein g moved forward after 
the work is done. We should not deserve much credit 
in t akin g it, if left behind. But after all it may b e 
more satisfactory to you. Will write YOUabout t rip 
and country when I get tim e . 
2 1 
Very affectionately, 
M, 1. Arm s 
11 June 164 
My D ear Wife, 
I wrote you yesterday and promised at the same 
time to write with particula,rs when I found time. We 
left Washington, D. C. on Tuesday morning by steam 
boat Spa ulding, h ad a delightful ride down the Potomac 
to Chesapeake Bay, down Chesapeake Bay to the mouth 
of York River. Up York River to Westpoint. Then up 
the Pamunky to this point. The Potomac is larger than 
I supposed being a very wide, beautiful river. I saw 
Mount Vernon, it lies on the right side of the Potomac. 
Of course could not get a distinct view. The roofs of 
the buildings were red, it is situated on h igh ground in 
a beautiful grove. The Pamunky looks on a map to be 
a small stream but is navigable to this point for ves 
sels drawing 11 feet water. It -is astonishing the 
amount of stuff necessary to supply this army. The 
river is full of vessels going and coming from Wa,shing 
ton to this point. The country here is sandy soil with 
Springs coming out everywhere like they do at Ohio 
city. The water is very good and soft. This place is 
the plac e where the Widow Curtis lived when Washing 
ton married her. The chimney walls only remaining, 
the house having been destroyed during the war. The 
whole of the country in this vicinity has great histori 
cal interest. It would be very gratifying to travel over 
the country when Peace is d e clared. There are so 
many places worth visiting. Our camp here is a mix 
ture of men, horses, mules, baggage, ambulances, 
wagons, constant streams of each arriving night and 
day. The United States Sanitary Commission have 
headquarters here with baggage wagon teams, agents 
and in fact everything calculated to relieve the sick 
and wounded at all times. Part of ' our Rcgt. was de 
tailed to carry down wounded from the hospital tents 
to the boats to be transported back to Washington. 
They are carried on what are called stretchers and it 
is hard work. I was on other duty and did not get into 
that. 
We have orders today to move from here to But 
ler's headquarters on the James River to a plac e called 
B e rmuda Hundred, as soon as transportation c an be had. 
2 2 
It may be 2 or 3 days or not over 24 hours before we 
shall :start. Shall go by the way of the James River 
in transports - - am anticipating a pleasant trip ther,e. 
Don't you think Ernaline that we ar e in for the full bill 
of fare, Grant intends to change base of supplies from 
h ere to l ikely Hamsin Landing and it is expected that 
everything will be moved from here by Monday next to 
some point on the James River. Grant intends to ex 
tend his flank around in the l' ear of Richmond and keep 
Lee from retreating South. We are hearing artillery 
fire more or less every day a nd night. 
Although I was never in a plac e that s om e news 
could not be had before this, I have not seen a news 
paper sinc e we left Washington and men who come for 
ward here from the front are generally waggoners or 
drovers who are not in the front but in the rear of the 
army and fully six miles from the fighting and those 
who do come from the front do not report the news. 
So you see we are badly off as to knowing how the 
b a ttle stands. You know daily more about the matter 
than we do. 
I have received no letter from you since we left 
Washington. I expect you wrote one on Sunday, it will 
perhaps come tomorrow. Should be glad to receive it 
before we leave here. No more letters should be di 
rected here. It may be best if you direct them to 
Bermuda Hundred in the future. I shall write you 
after my arrival there. Keep your spirits up and 
trust that Providenc e will watch Over us and bring 
about what ever is the best. 
I don' t know why I should not as well bear my pro 
portion of the dangers and hardship attending this war 
don't you think so? 1£ Grant can succeed in these 
battles and take Lee's forces -- we Inay expect peace 
to follow I think at once. It seems that something 
decisive will turn up before long. We would not then 
b e needed and would likely be sent home. If I can 
stand the climate and keep my health during my stay 
out, I should be satisfied. The sun is very warm in 
this lat,itude but is accompanied by sea breezes from 
the Chesapeake Bay which appear to temper the heat 
and make it more endurable. 
2 3 
Tide water flows up this point and above and the 
river will raise a great deal in a short time and then 
recede. You have noticed the rise and fall of the t i de at 
N. Y. and understand the matter. 
I suppose that letters sent to Washin gton D. C. to 
follow the Regt. will be forwarded on but ~onlt k.no:",. 
At all events it will do harm for you to wrIte and dIrect 
at r a ndom if you don' t know where to direct. 
I hope W arne r and Myron will be good boys while 
I am gone and obey their mother i n everythin g . Mary 
is old enough to know how to do that. Tell Ern, JennIe, 
and Hattie tha t the ir Pa thinks often of them and a ll the 
rest. But my love is perhaps more on my mind than 
anyon e thing but our time w i ll expire after ~ whi~e, 
then I can see you again. Excus e the haste In WhIch 
this is written. You c an make it out however, I have 
no doubt. Farewell for this time - ' 
Affectionately yours , 
M . 1. . Arms . 
C ity Point June 18th 
My Dear Wife, 
r received your l etter mailed on the 9th and di 
rected to Washington this mornIng. We arrived h ere 
this morning and went into camp (as t?e colonel say~ 
permanently). I wrote you last at WhIte House l a ndIng . 
We left that point on Tuesday last for Bermuda Hundred 
by steamer. We went down the York River to Chesa 
peake Bay down Chesapeake Bay·to the James River, 
up said ri~er to Fort Powhatan when we found Grant' ~ 
pontoon brida es· thrown across a nd his troops a nd artIl 
lery, cavalr~, and baggage passing over. They ha,d 
been crossing s i nce e arly in the morning. We arYlv~d 
about 3 PM on W edne sday, l aid on the boat that evenmg 
and dis embarke d the next rnorni ng at Fort Powhata n. 
We could not w ait for the taking up o f the bridge as it . 
was expecte d Grant' s forces would not be over for a 
c ouple of days which proved to be the cas e. I send en-
2 4 
closed a map cut from the Philadelphia paper. 
We started with heavy knapsacks from said point 
overland across the country for Bermuda Hundred,' 
M a r c he.d that afternoon about eight miles. I was very 
tired at n ight. I sweat very freely so much so that my 
drawers and undershirt could b e wrung out. I changed 
my drawers and shirt that evening. Next morning took 
off my drawers and put them in my knapsack. The 
next forenoon we u1arched nine miles to City Point and 
took a steamboat across the river to Bermuda H. 
Marched out into the country about 1 1/2 miles and 
camped. Got orders last night to r ,eturn to City Point 
and go into the defenses here as we learn permanently. 
This is a very strong post and well entrenched and 
withall a very pr etty spot, situated high with g roves 
of trees through out the town. We took the place of a 
regiment which was ordered to the front. There has 
been a very heavy battle going on at Petersburg since 
yesterday morning. The firing of the artillery (and 
even musketry in the night) is plainly heard. It con 
tinues this morning very near. I hear our forces have 
met with some succ e ss by getting possession of some 
of the enemy works. Lee no doubt has a large forc e 
there, having transferred them during the time Grant 
was changing his base, from Ric hmond. 
I think perhaps this battle of Petersburg is going 
to be decisive. 1£ L ee gets whipped will fall back 
south instead of toward Richmond. But little idea can 
b e had of the immense amount of everything nec e ssary 
to carryon this campaign. I have seen myself more 
by this trip, more than I should likely to have if I had 
b een sent a year in any other time. Our March yester 
day was within eight miles of Petersburg while the 
fight was going on. I don 't think they intend to put any 
of the 100 days up at the front and it is as safe there 
as any other plac e. Do not Ernaline give yourself so 
much trouble about the danger. The chances you see 
if we were in a battle a re largely in our favor of corning 
horn e safe. B esides I do not anticipate being engaged 
in one. Older regiments are b ein g forwarded to the 
front and we, the 100 day m en, are filling their places 
for garrison duty but if necessary you would not want 
m e t o flinch from what would by my duty as a common 
2 5 
private. I can assure you that I shall not usele ssly 
expose myself in that way. I have other duties to ful 
fill at home, a dear w ife and children at home who may 
claim that I should not expos e myself unnecessarily. 
I 
You say that Freeman i s sorry that he did not 
come along . He is better a t home. I do not want him 
to thi nk of c omi n g out while I am away from home. I 
rec eived a letter f rom Mr. K. I have no time at p res  
ent to answer. Say to him that I am g lad to hear the 
furnac e is doing well. I have no doubt that he will s ee 
to this matte r as well as mys elf. My health so far i s 
good. I have stood th e marches as w ell as most of 
the company. V e ry few in our compa ny are complain 
ing and none sick so as to be in the hospital. We all 
t ake good care of ours elve s. The box you spoke about 
s e nding here never came but I should get it sooner or 
later, I think. You wili direct all letters to this place 
henc eforth. They will follow the regiment if we move. 
Don't know if you can read this or not. It is writ 
t e n on my knee and hand. The artillery firing at this 
time 2 PM, is from d iffer ent poi nts. Today will show 
a treme ndous b attle i n thi s vicinity about 12 or 15 
miles off. We can hear the volleys of musketry across 
the common. 
I shall write you tomorrow unless I am on duty so 
that I cannot, but l et me hear from you often and be 
lieve me your v e ry affectionate husband. 
M. 1. Arms 
16 June 
My Dear Husband, 
I rec eived your l ette r from White House saying 
you thought you probably should ;remain there for a 
while. I have not yet received the letter you s a y you 
wrote the d ay before s ayin g that you had b een orde r e d 
to the front. There seems to be c arelessne ss of the 
P. M. sODj ewh e re for som e of your l etters have come 
from Washington in 36 hours while others have been 
26 
four days. I think you are already quite near the front. 
. It is useless for me to say that I have felt very badly 
for a few days past. I felt bad enough when you left 
Martinsburg but you know all about that, and you krlow 
that is impossible for me to feel otherwise until you 
return. God grant that you may return safe. 
The Trumbell Co. men were sent from J ohnson 
Island to protect the borders from a raid that was 
anticipated by Morgan and his men. It was reported 
that they wer e near Cincinnati. Our men had an en 
counter with him which resulted in most of them (our 
men) being captured, 8 or 10 kille9., and 50 wounded. 
Mr. Kinsman's son of Warren was killed. Jane 
.Rayen's brother and Moss powers (a daughter of 
Eddy Moore's) son is wounded, their friends have gone 
to them. You know we h ave felt so sorry that our men 
were not sent to Johnson's Island. This shows how 
short sighted we are. Perhaps you are safer where 
you are. God only knows. 
We received the blankets and gun you sent home 
Monday evening. I wish you could have seen our boys 
' when they got the gun. Bob (Warner) particularly. he 
went down to the store to see what you had s e nt, a 
short time later he came home with the gun over his 
shoulder and the blankets hanging on the end of the gun. 
He just jumped up and down when he got in the house 
after examining it over and over. Said he had notion 
of wrappi ng h ims elf up i n t he blankets. take the gun 
and go into the yard to sleep just to see how it would 
seem. I thought when I saw the blankets that they were 
the n ext thing to your self. thought s om e of taking them 
to bed with me, wonder if there would have been any 
danger in doing so. According to what I have hear:cI"'"" 
you say perhaps there would be. 
It is too bad that you have not your valis e with 
you. Could not you have sent it on to wher e you ar e? 
But if you should move about much it would be trouble 
some. There is a nother draft to come off soon. Some 
one told me that Paul Wick yesterday hired a man as a 
substi tute for himself in case he should be drafted. I 
suppos e he is afraid that m a n might be scarc e when he 
might want one. Freeman says that he thinks Paul 
would give $10 ,000. b efore he would go into the army. 
Mr. Kimberly left a letter for me to direct to you and 
say s the furnace i s running along about as usual. I 
supp ose he has written everything conc erning bus iness. 
/ 
I fear sickness more where you are now, than I 
did at Martinsburg. You must be very careful. B e 
sure to telegraph if anything is wrong. You ought to 
have som e good whiskey and qui nine. I s e nt you some 
quinine in my last letter. You did not. tell me how to 
direct, suppose I know though. Ma and Charlie carne 
down yesterday to stay most of the week. Ma sai d she 
had to corne along to t end to Charlie. 
I presume where you a r e now, you will have an  
opportunity of seeing a great deal that you could not 
know, if you h ad remained where you were and w ill of 
course be a great satisfaction if you should be spared 
to corne horne. Suppos e you have to work pretty hard. 
Mr. Taylor wrote horne that you wer e looking quite 
thin for you, but healthy. Nearly half of the time has 
p a ss e d that you were to b e g one. I sha ll try to keep 
up g ood courage and patiently wait for brighter days. 
Believe me I am only yours and yours truly Ernaline. 
Perhaps it may prove to be a good thi ng for you 
and I that your CoL is not a ilfighting man." I have 
written this l etter in a great hurry to get it into the 
H1ai l this morning. We h e ar that our men that Morgan 
took prisoners have all bee n parolled. Charlie s a ys 
that a parole will not be accepted from a guerrilla. 
The re wer e so many that carne in l ast night to hear 
what you had written. They had not receive d letters 
sinc e you l eft Washington. 
19 June 164 City Point, Va. Sunday 
My dear wife: 
I wrote you yesterda.y on our C'l.rrival h e re. Today 
b eing Sunday and havin g some leisure t i m e concluded 
to put it i n, writing you. 
On closing my l etter yesterday there was a heavy 
28 
battle going on at Petersburg. The firing appeared to 
corne out towards this point. We could distinctly hear 
the volleys of musketry. After an extra quantity of 
both artillery and musketry some of our boys who were 
out at the breast works say they distinctly heard cheer 
ing after which it ceas ed. We learned after that Burn 
sides h ad fallen back towards this point about two or 
three miles i n order t o deceive the rebels. Then 
Mead swung in between them and Petersburg and that 
Petersburg had surrendered. Whether correct or not 
I donit know, for the reason that the camp is full of 
rumors first one thing and then another. If I hear be 
fore I close this will add in a P. S. 
We cannot be over 15 or 20 miles from Peters 
burg. I was t o enclose a map yesterday in my letter 
but forgot to do it - will put it in this. I will trace 
from the point where we disembarked to this point 
showing the route we marched. We went, you see, 
within 8 or 10 miles of Petersburg during the first 
day of attack. Our course lay on the Petersburg road 
part of the way. It was full of marching columns, artil 
lery baggage wagons, ambulanc es, etc. Sine e last night 
everything is spread all around. You see we are in a 
position t o hear every discharge of artillery in the 
Richmond vicinity. Consequently keep posted when 
anything is going on. Although as I said before the 
poorest p lace to find any reliable news. You will no 
doubt get the main part of the news by telegraph at 
hour before we do even here judging from our past ex 
perience. The reason is that those who know the re 
sult at the front do not tell i t while all teamsters and 
cavalr y men are hardly ever within 2 to 5 miles off the 
battle ground and they are the only ones if we except 
the wounded who are corning in. I just learned that 
Wm. Beity (a young fellow who used to live with P. 
Wick) has just arrived in our camp from Petersburg. 
H e w a s wounded in one of his fingers, had his canteen 
also h it but otherwise uninjured. He left there yester 
day. Thinks we took the place just after he left. 
You will notice tha t we are in a county hereabouts 
which i s the oldest or has been settled the longest. 
The point where we landed, Fort Powhatten they say 
is the very spot where Capt. Smith was s aved by 
29 
Pocahontas . At all event s the fort w as bui lt on the 
r u i ns of an old fort. The tri p here by Fortress Monroe 
was deli ghtful. We s a w quite a l arge number, of ves  
sels. They were l ying by or near the fortres s. Nu  
merous g un boats . One R a n1 , s a.i d to be the Ram 
Atlanta captured of the R ebels. 1 thi n k at the Sav.:,.n n a h 
River. She was a boat built someth i ng like the M oni tor 
o n ly sharp at both ends a n d I should thi nk w e ll c alcu  
l a ted to sink a n y o rdi nary ves s el. My l o a d on our 
m arch con sisted o f my k n apsack, blanket, rubber 
blanh~et, woolen shi r t , drawers, camp tent, haversack, 
canteen, woolen a nd rubber overcoat, g un a nd equ i p  
ment with 35 rounds of cartridges , a ltogether ma.de a 
prett y good load. It was very warm weathe r and very 
d u sty owing to the large amount of m en and rnaterial on 
the road. I saved all my clothes though, t owards night 
the fi rst day (we left at noon) I was pretty well walked 
out b ut not a n y mor e so perh aps than a ny oth er man in 
the company. A great many strong men fell out of 
r anks . The want of water o n some p a rts of the way 
was the worst. The second day we d i d better - got 
s t arted by 6 AM, arri ving a t the point wher e we took 
the board f o r BenTIuda Hundred a t n oon. Arrived a t 
Bermu da Hundred (i t i s only a mile or a mile a nd 3 . 
half across the r i ver) marched o u t and camped, stayed 
thru the n ight, a nd were ordered back here next morn 
ing. I think the march d i d me good. I felt well, only 
tired a nd s w eating so freely done me good and I think 
I may say the same for the whole regiment, stayi n g on 
the boat for two days and being i n acti ve with the r iver 
wat e r t o drin k , which is more or l ess impregnat ed 
with salt water by the tides which flow up o n ce every 
24 hours, was mo r e unhealthy than the march. 
G eor ge Baldwin who now tents with me a lone a nd 
has done so since the beg i nning i n · company w ith others 
is the best man in the compan y t o get together some 
thing s t o eat and other littl e thing s f or o u r comfort. 
h e can stand any amount of marchi ng and fat i g u e, i s 
out after o n a scout for extra s. Am indebted to hin1 
for n umberless f avors. You k now I a m poo r hand at 
cooking and hunti ng up conveniences o r provi d i n g . 
I was called out whi le wri t ing thi s t o help bui ld a road 
from the l a ndi ng to the hospi tal tents yesterday. I 
resume t h i s , thi s morni ng. Whi le out came across 
30 
some m .ulberrie s in the woods we were cutting down. 
They taste d the best of anything I have had lately. This 
plac e is situated high and almost surrounded with water 
as you see by the map. Springs coming ou·t of banks 
all around, of good water. The whole country here was 
sowe d a nd pla nted. It is not all to commons. 
Wheat is ready to cut but is of course all and 
will n ever b e harve sted. Corn is very favored but our 
cattle are turned in and in fact no crops can be avail 
able to the rebels in this vicinity. 
Robert McCurdy and James Van Fle et are in good 
health and spirits. 
We h a ve plenty to do here. The wounded from 
Petersburg commenced coming yesterday morning. 
We have suffered a heavy loss in the four or five day 
fight there. It must necessarily be so as our men had 
to attack entr e nched units I learn,. several lines deep. 
They say the Rebels will not stand out to a fair fight 
nor will they stand and charge. It is not probable as 
I learn today that Petersburg is yet taken although we 
have take n a portion of their works, I feel sanguine of 
tak ing the city - I am ordered out on company drill. 
I expect a l e tter from you today. We are, I think 
getting a ll lette rs written. They being forwarded on 
to the R egiment whe r ever they move. I feel very 
thankful that my health continues good. This would 
not be a very pleasant place to be sick in owing to the 
l arge number of men wounded who are sent to this 
poi nt for treatment and shipment. 
Would like very much to see you all, particularly 
on Sunday not that that day is any differ ent in the army, 
but I h a v e generally been at home all day on that day 
and you writ e you are more lonesome on that day than 
on a ny other. I do really wish, Ernaline, that you 
will try a nd feel as c heerful a s pos s ible for your own 
good. We have not as y e t and the probabilities are 
sha ll not b e plac ed in a ny very dang e r ous posi t ion. 
The m ain thing i s to keep w e ll a nd I can as sure you 
that I make tha t a point to g uard against anything 
liabl e to make me unwell. I thi nk from the reading 
of your l etters tha t y ou worry yourself too much. 
3 1 
I hope when I come home to find your health and 
strength renewed. 
I have strung out quite a long l etter her e for me. 
There are great many thi ngs I could write about.' No 
difficulty in hunting items. 
On r eflection I think i t best for Freeman not to 
send a ny clothes. All of our company got theirs as 
d irty as mine and it would not look well on comparison 
to have one new suit in the cOH1 pany. 
Affectionately truly yours, 
M. L Arms 
Excuse the dirt on this - everything is dirty that we 
touch except our bodies which we wash daily if we 
have time. 
City Point, June 24th 
My Dear Wife: 
I received your letter written Sunday 19th today 
and have read all that you have writte n in all probabil 
ity. They are sent on to the regiment from Washing 
ton. We have not received the boxes sent by our 
Youngstown friends, but are trying to get them soon 
if possible. 
We are yet as you see at City Point, not yet at 
the front. Of our future we know n othing but think 
we shall remain here or some other place like it. 
You have discovered in this that P etersburg is not 
yet ours and some sharp fighting will have to be done 
before we get it. I think if I am spare d to get back I 
shall remain at home insomuch as you desire it. Our 
100 days are about half over as the boys say here. 
Some of them are counti ng them d aily as they pass. 
James Van Fleet has got well again also R. McC. is 
in good health. Besides, I may say the same with the 
whole battalion. Not now knowing o f a nyone who is 
seriously sick. Some few have the d i arrhea, but get 
32 
over it in a few days. I still remain well and continue 
to eat my rations with the rest. I have some money 
left over, about $20. I have been pretty liberal with it 
since I left. Have lent some and want to be in condition 
to continue to do so to any from our place. You may 
say to Freeman and Kimberly to let you have a $20 
note and enclos e it (gr een back) in one of your letter s 
to me. I wrote Mr . K and your father this week and 
you a good long letter. Shall continue to write you of 
course - could not help it. I think of home, yourself 
and the children as often no doubt as you all are think 
ing of me here. Have not dreamed a dream that I re 
collect in the morning sine e I left .which doctor s would 
say would indicate sound health. You can rely that I 
shall be careful of my health as possible. Rather 
think I shall stand exposure hereafter better than I did 
before I left home. The weather here this week has . 
been extremely warm and no rain having fallen here 
for a long time. Yesterday and today it has been ex 
tra hot with no breezes to temper it. Tho this lying 
on a tidal river always has.more or less air moving. 
I took off my red woolen shi rt yesterday, now only 
have one shirt on. Those shirts had shrunk up con 
s iderably owing to my lack of knowledge in washing 
them. We cannot get anything washed here unless we 
do i t ourselves. George Baldwin acting as bosswasher 
and myself as assistant such as getting fire ready, 
pouring i n the water. 
Mr. B. made an arrangement with a captain of a 
cavalry company who was moving out to get his tent or 
rather the wood part of it which consists of a good 
board floor and s ides about 10 feet high - - by pulling 
our dog tents over the top we have what the boys call 
an extra good " shebang" and are very comfortable in 
it. R. Miller, Geo. Baldwin, Jess Hamilton and my 
self are the only occupants. We also got two rough 
wood settees with the bench part raised like one at 
home with two duffle sacks filled with hay for ticks 
(which 1 have been allowed owing I suppose to my be 
ing considered the weakest one) to occupy at night 
while Baldwi n and R. Miller bunk down on the floor. 
We bought a few figs, a ham, and some tea and a few 
other extras at the post commissary here so you see 
we are £ar from being confined entirely to our hard 
33 
tack and pork. We generally wash ourselves in the 
James R. at least every other day and so far have 
kept clear of those vermin called ilgrey backs" which 
all admit is nearly impossible to avoid when camping 
In areas occupied by other troops. 
Pa wants to see you a nd all the children very much 
and hopes that all of them w ill be good and dutiful. You 
need not fear that I will not get your letters. They will 
follow the regiment so do write me as they are my 
gr eatest pleasure - Good bye now, very affectionately 
Myron 
City Point, Va. Sat. June 25/64 
My Dear Wife, 
I w rote you this morning. This is about 1 PM and 
the warmest weather I have yet experienced. We are 
doing nothing however today but lying idle in our tents 
trying to find the coolest by shifting from corner to 
corner but everywhere it is warm. Clouds of dust fill 
the air from the exc es si ve large amounts of baggage 
trains and o ther moving a n i mals of all kinds. Today 
is Saturday. Do you k now it is difficult for me to tell 
the day of the week. Sunday passes by the same as any 
other day here. I have often to reflect some time to 
see whether it; is the first or latter part of the week. 
We had a pretty good dinner today which consisted of 
tea, coffee, pork , dried peaches, potatoes, hard tack, 
and a small amount of jelly brought i n by one of the 
boys who had been waiting on wounded at the hospital. 
We also bought some hams today but concluded not to 
cook any for this meal. The army has plenty of rations 
generally of the good wholesome 'kind except perhaps at 
times when on a march or some accident prevents the 
supplies from coming up. No inhabitants live in this 
beautiful spot, they having left for R i chmond. The 
same is the c ase i n the country occupi ed by our troops. 
I have not seen a woman since I l eft W a shi ngton if I 
except occasi onally one of the nurs es who stay at the 
hospi tal quarters and o nly two or three of them. The 
onl y kind of people we see outside of soldiers on the 
cant o 'lments, there may be some few i nhabitants here 
34 
not many. My duties do not call me in any part of the 
city (I say city - it is only a small place) consequent-
1 y could not see anything going on. 
Our mail comes i~ every afternoon at 4 o'clock 
by boat a nd we then get a Washington daily paper of 
the day before, and our lette rs - we dream and dwell 
on the contents and think of home and those we love 
there t i ll the next arri val. Speaki ng of ladies, I can 
not say from my experience at Martinsburg that I am 
very favorably impressed with the good lovely and 
lady like manners (as the school boy would say) of the 
Virginia fair sex as McMurray told his wife, have not 
been tempted or had my desires raised by their fair 
proportions yet. Not that I am not mortal like other 
men but their manners and appearances have not been 
ravishing. They no doubt have their "ducks" like 
, other women and have likely raised their proportion 
of children or we should not have such a hard fight 
down here. No doubt there are beautiful and ravish 
ing women here as well as in Ohio only I have not had 
the pleasure of seeing them. If I had been an officer, 
. I might have had, since their privileges are greater 
than mine. I only speak of the privileges of officers 
generally not referring to ours. There is quite a step 
between a lieutenant and a high private. If I had had 
some of their privileges would have been able to give 
you a n entire different opinion perhaps could have 
went about you know and perhaps seen a great many 
things which would have changed my opinions which 
. I have so hastily written down here. But as present 
seen will let them pass as a high private's opinion 
of the females i n old Virginia. I really have no busi 
nes s thinking a n ything about thes e women or any of 
thei r charms. This is an acknowledgement of weak 
ness that I have written the foregoing consequently 
shall throw mys elf on your mercy and expect forgive 
nes s fo r having any thoughts on the subject a t all and 
will plead as an excuse the number of days I have been 
out among the b arbarians. 
You write that Mr. K. wants me to bri ng him a 
black boy. I cannot, I have no opportunity to t ake one 
here. I m ay when I get back to Washington, get one 
there not tha t they are not plentiful but have no way to 
3 5 
care for one i n my present situation. 
Heard today that the boxes were divided up a mong 
the sick and wounded at Martinsburg. If so they w ill 
do some good. We would h ave b een glad to have SOHl e 
of them. No one has any busi nes s out this way exc ept 
U. S. Army and nothing is brought here except for their 
purposes. Write me as often as you can - very af 
fectionately yours 
Myron 1. Arms 
City Point, Va. June 28, '64 
My Dear Wife: 
We l earn this morning that we are going to leave 
here for Norfolk Va. Shall likely leave within 24 to 36 
hours - by directing to Washington, the letters will go 
t o the Regt. wherever they may be sent. I received a 
letter from you last night mailed at Youngstown on 
June 24th. We get all l etter s from you i n 3 or 4 days. 
I think they ought to go from here i n the same time. 
You see that no cal culations can b e made of our being 
permanently located a t any special place. There is 
One advantage in our moving about, it gives us an op 
po rtunity of seeing a gr eat deal and hearing some. 
They say the place is very desirable at all events you 
h ave the satisfaction of knowing that we are not within 
six miles of our fighting l ines but whether i n any safer 
place or not time will tell. We hear daily artillery 
firing from all points. Some of it is quite heavy. We 
are here about 15 miles on an air l i ne from Richmond 
and about 9 or 10 from Petersburg. Nothi ng decisive 
is made out at Petersburg yet unless it was last night 
- very heavy fighting was going on there. 
I am pleased to say that I remain in good health. 
Have taken off my undershirt and wear j ust one shirt 
now a nd no drawers. H ave not taken off my c lothes 
exc ept to wash sinc e I left. Sleep i n them and shall 
continu e to do so if I am spared untIl I get home. 
Will take them off then a nd put on some clean ones . 
Donlt mean to say that I do not put on clean shirts 
but my p a nts are very dirty. My coa t and vest is 
3 6 
Iiditto. II Onc e in 2 or 3 days I wash from my head t o 
_ my feet. Have kept free of the body lice (is that the 
way you spell it) cannot hardly expect to escape them 
though taking into consideration that we always go into 
old camps. It is a common occurrence here to see 
soldiers with undershirts off examining them for the 
article - generally successfully. 
Our company drill comes off in a few minutes. 
Don't think I shall have time to write this o ut. I want 
to send it in the morning mail - our mail comes here 
once a day at 9 :00 AM and leaves here at 5 PM once a 
day. I shall have to close now - will write you again 
today when I have time it will go out tomorrow morn 
ing. 
Yours affectionately 
M. 1. Arms 
City Point, Va. 10 AM June 28 ' 64 
My D ear Wife, 
You will see that I have taken up my pencil to fin-  
ish out my letter which I broke off so suddenly and sent 
you when called out for drill this morning. I was 
anxious to advise you by today's mail of our moving 
from here to Norfolk unless our orders are counter 
manded befor e we get started you will see by this time 
that we are known as the moving Regiment, the U . S. 
being bent on our seeing as much as possible during 
our time. 
I write none scarcely except what I write you. I 
make this apology for my numerous epistles to. you. 
-I rather expect you scarcely get time to finish reading 
one before another comes to hand and it must be very 
tiresome to make them out but you see I have nothing 
else to do after I get off duty. Some men play cards 
and checkers but having no passion for such recreation 
time hangs heavy. Think best to try fo do something. 
I cannot say we are doing the government very much 
good. Although likely taking the plac e of other men 
who ar e at the front. We ar e doing what the military 
considers necessary such as marching guard in front 
3 7 j 
of officers tents back and forth all day and n ight but 
for what purpose n ever could tell. Have often thought 
of the idea (when doing some such duty) that a person 
who had the amount of business at horne to a ttend to 
that I h ave to be spending days in front of some mess 
t e nt and pr es enting arms to any and every man with 
shoulder straps or going out with say 20 other s to dig 
sink holes, but it is necessary that all such duty I 
suppose should be performed. D on't read that part 
of this l e tter to a nyo ne. I don't complain. I would 
r a ther be a private as far as the honor was concerned. 
Only in the army among strangers they are not con 
sidered l'Yle n generally above ordinary mortals. I am 
well satisfied so far only I feel constantly the U. S. 
may not be getting out of me what she ought to. I feel 
as though in the amount of good rations and pay - we 
are not doing their equivalent. But enough on that 
score. Would advise Freeman not to join the army if 
he has such a notion. It would be better for him to 
remain at horne. I write this for the reason you wrote 
me he was sorry he did not corne along last May and 
perhaps he may be thinking of going i n. 
I think I shall be physically benefitted by corning 
out also my mind has been r elieved from the routine 
of business which I have increasingly pursued for so 
long a time, if it should not have the effect of making 
me lazy and inattentive to it on my return, shall be 
lieve that some good is done in that way if i n no other. 
I write you to send me some money enclosed in a 
letter. I have only about ten dollars and the boys are 
getting out and want small sums which I want to ac  
commodate them with if i t is possible. I don' t t hink 
there would be much risk in sending it in a l etter di-
l' ected to my addres s c/o Capt. Whitaker 155 O. N. G. , 
Washington or via Washington.' They know there 
where all the regts. are w i thout doubt, and when, they 
ar e moved. 
Speaking of Warner wanti ng to be doing something. 
I think best that he should get older before thinking of 
putting him at work. He will have opportunity enough 
to earn something when the proper time arrives. I 
hope that a ll the childr en will obey you and make little 
38 
trouble to you as possible. You have decidely the 
worst end of it. The little cares of a household to 
gether with a womans other duties are perplexing 
enough and lucky is the man who gets one that will 
get along with them like you. That is not flattery, 
nor is i t intended in that way. It is only due to you. 
You are blessed with one of the best dispositions and 
are well calculated to get along with me and I appreci 
ate it. Consequently it is no sin to admit it. Is it? 
I suppose each man think s his wife the best. 
That is right, this world could not get along without 
that feeling. Providenc e has ordered all things for 
the best, and in the end will bring out all things as _ 
they should be. 
Speaking of dreams, I have not dreamed but once 
that I could remember in the morning, and that was 
on my 15th day out, or fifteenth night rather. I would 
like to write you by detail what it was, but will not at 
this time. I will only say I dreamed of being in 
familiar rooms i n the state that Adam was before the 
fall (the weather has been exceptionally hot here for 
some time) when I was surprised by the appearance 
of some one I well knew who was habited in a similar 
manner. I have only to remark that the dream made 
a great impression on me and I could scarcely keep 
it from my mind for several days. It had the effect 
to make me quite homesick, if that would express 
the idea. , But enough of this. Do write me often 
when you feel like it, and don't put it off. I don 't 
expect much news, but you can write your thoughts. 
We all keep thinking all the time. We are not writing 
for the newspaper consequently don't make any ex 
cuses if it is not as fashionable as it should be. We 
are not writing for others and we can say what we 
please and put it into any shape we please knowing 
that all errors will be overlooked. I suppose that 
some parts of my letters are read or heard by others 
but hope that some parts are not read or hea rd; 
though I do not recollect much at this time that could 
not be made public, but I write mainly for your eyes 
. and ears. Remember that some of yours (I forgot to 
say ours) are large enough to read some. Don't leave 
them carelessly about. You can of course write me 
39 
anything here. No one sees or even thinks of seeing 
your letters, consequently no reserve is necessary on 
your part. 
I,Vhen you write please mail at once, I notice some 
times two days from your date and the date of posting 
from the offic e. 
Kiss all the children for me and believe me truly 
and very affectionately yours 
M. 1. Arms 
Sunday June 26 
My very Dear Husband, 
This has been a very hot day. I think as much so 
as any that I have known. How can you endure the heat 
where you are, it must be much hotter there than here. 
I think of you oh so much of the time, but do hope that 
you won't be sick--:- I expected a letter from you yester 
day but was disappointed. Suppose there will be some 
irregularity in the mails now from where you are, 
your other letters carne through from City Point in four 
days. I wrote you immediately on receipt of it. Have 
written twic e a week, Sunday and Wednesday, as here 
tofore and directed to follow the regt. We are all well. 
I believe we have not much news, only the 7th Regt. 
is expected home sometime this week. There is to be 
a reception for them I think, soon after they return. 
We expect your mother and Aunt Mary to come home 
this coming week. Your mother writes that she feels 
anxious to be her e wher e she c an hear from you, says 
Foster's wife has a young son. That must be quite an 
event for them. 
Emma has b.een visiting at the R i dge the l ast week, 
will stay another week. I presume that Charlie 
(Warner) h a s been to Painesville several da.ys, do not 
know whether he has returned or not. He expected to 
bring Josephine home w.ith him. Where he is at the 
Ridge he drives down here about every other d a y.' 
Seems to enjoy h i mself first rate. Poor fellow he has 
40 
to put another year in the Army yet, though I do not 
feel he will be able to go into active service in the 
field, his arm is stiff and lame, otherwise he is 
perfectl y well. 
Fifty days have passed. just half of thetime. I 
shall soon begin to live in expectation of your com 
ing home. Every Sunday evening that comes around 
reminds me forcibly of the many happy hours we 
have spent together. I really think we have enjoyed 
each other's society as much as any two can, ,have 
always thought that few enjoy another's society as I 
have yours. Have sometimes thought I loved you ' 
too fondly, that something would happen to take you 
from me; but again I do not know that a wife could 
love a husband too much unles s she neglected duties 
in consequence that everyone owes to their Maker. 
How apt we ,are to neglect those duties. I feel that 
I am greatly behind, that I do very little comparative 
ly, and yet how many blessings I am constantly re 
ceiving, and so unworthy. Oh, how I long to see you, 
you will not think of going out again, will you? . 1£ 
you only come safe, we may yet look ahead to many 
\ more happy days in each other's society. I feel that 
you have been a kind, true, and affectionate husband 
to me, and when I look around me and see the misery 
and distress of all kinds, I think that up to the time 
you left home, our home was ilo ne among a thousand." 
That I have been highly favored, we cannot expect un 
alloyed happiness in this world. Everyone must have 
more or less trouble, we probably had much less 
than our share. 
How much suffering you must witness. I suppose 
the wounded are brought in from Grant's army to 
where you are. I do not suppose it is the intent of the 
government to put the 100 days men into the front yet. 
Grant may be forced to calIon you before your time is 
out. I trust that no harm will befall you. 
Freeman thinks there will be a large draft soon 
and that every man that is drafted should go. In that 
case the war would soon be closed. Prices are running 
up enormously. Prints 35 to 40 cts., sugar over 30 
cents/lb. and everything else in proportion. 
41 
Hattie (Mrs. Booth) has been playing around me 
most of the time since I commenced writing, when you 
write, tell me everything you have to db. All little 
particulars. You know they will be interesting to me. 
Now good nite and remember that I am ever your true 
and aff. wife, Ernaline. 
Camp Borner Hill - 7 miles from Portsmouth 
June 27th 
My Dear Wife , 
In the ab sence of anything to do at this time I em 
brac e the present time to write you again although I 
wrote you yesterday from our camp near Norfolk. We 
received orders to report at Portsmouth yesterday 
afternoon, that place is just across the river from Nor 
folk. We then took cars and came out here to this post 
as we suppose only for three days ' as we were ordered 
not to take our knapsacks or tents and only three days 
rations. We are only two companies out of the Regt. , 
the balance remaining in camp. We suppose we were 
sent here in place of some two cavalry companies who 
are out on a raid at some point towa rds Petersburg. 
Our present camp is quite pleasant taking into consid 
eration the general face of the country hereabouts. The 
country is generally low, level, and sandy. Grown up 
with low scrubbly bushes with an occasional piece of 
tilled land put in corn or oats . With some wheat briar 
bushes are plenty. I believe they are a poor sign of 
cultivation in any cou ntry. The white population is well 
cleaned out partic ularly the male portions. The fe  
males are here to some extent. (I haven't seen any of 
them) and a great a bunda nce of negroes old and young. 
This country is celebrated you know, for raising 
negroes. That was the main dependence the economy 
h ad for their support. They bred them as we did our 
cattle. A good breeder being rated :i n value a t the 
most money and they were resold in other Southern 
States. 
Our post l ies on the RR to Norfolk but on}y runs 
s even miles to a burnt bridge fron') here. 
We had some fine new potatoes yesterday, quite 
large. At Norfolk there is a large market of any kind 
of vegetables but I have purchased none as yet. George 
Baldwin brought me yesterday from picket post a cup 
of nic e berries and some few onions which were very 
palatable. 
He made arrangements to have me go out with 
him and get some mulberries and cherries which 
were in great abundance near here but were ordered 
to march by another route which broke up our "party." 
We came down here without knowing just where we 
were corning and brought no conveniences 'along at all. 
We only supposed we were going to- town to do duty 
there a day or two. We had very good luck here to 
get into a log hut of some Lt. who is out on the raid 
or we should have been in poor circumstances to resist 
a heavy storm which we all knew was coming up. It 
passed by without n oticing us after all. The weather 
here has been remarkably dry for a long time, likely 
it is healthier than with a long wet season. Our men 
all keep very well with the exception of some little 
diarrhea none of which however have I had. - My ap 
p etite is exc ellent often too good. I want to be eating 
all the time. Have indulged in some cheese. and old 
fashioned gingerbread and got our Lt. Silliman to get 
in a pint of whiskey of the sutter. None but officers 
can drink. anything stronger than water. They can 
get too much occasionally. As the condition of·our 
Colonel yesterday attested. None of our Co. officers 
have this problem. Needless to say the privates do 
not have the problem either. 
We left C ity Point a week. Tuesday and I expect 
when we get letters I shall get more than one. You 
will address all letters to Norfolk to follow the regi 
ment. 
At this post two of the officers have their wives 
with them. Two very lady l ike women they are. It 
seemed good to see two ladies of our kind of people 
out here. How would you like to be sent away where 
you wouldn't see any men for sixty days - If you can 
you will realize how we are beginning to feel. I have 
given up shaving a nd suppose I look as rough as the 
very worst. Shall remain so for m y entire stay unless 
4 3 -
I change my mind. You wouldn't know me in my pres 
ent costume. My coat and pants pretty well greased 
up. My hands, fac e and neck well tanned .. I wear no 
neckerchief but wear my simple woolen shut open at 
the neck as do a.ll common soldiers. I think I rather 
overdo t he thing of dirty clothes with one exc eption . .. 
I have my woolen shirt washed often and my body 
washed e ach day or two. Don't have any verrnin yet 
that I have discovered. Good by this time, my sheet 
is filled up and I have only room to add your very 
affectionate 
Myron 
Sunday Eve July 3, 1864. 
My Dear Husband, 
Thi s being Sunday, I had intended to write you a 
good long letter; but it is now past 10 o'clock and this 
is the first I have had time to write. There has been 
someone in all the afternoon. I attended church this 
morning. Carrie being confined to bed mal7es me 
some extra care. Your mother and Aunt ( )Mary 
arrived here yesterday forenoon - tomorrow being the 
fourth . . I suppose we will go to the Ridge. Your mot.her 
will stay with Carrie. Father and Ed have been makmg 
calculations to have uS come up sO.metime while Charlie 
is at home , and tomorrow is the day they set some 
time ago. I think I would rather stay a t home and spe~d 
part of the day in writing to you than to go) but the ChIl 
dren will enjoy it and I have concluded to please them 
as all the rest are so anxious to have me. It will be 
more a day of s a dness to me than rejoicin g to think 
that you are so far away from us, not knowing where. 
Oh Myron I sometimes think I cannot have it so. 
That I must see you, a year ago now I little thought 
of you being i n the Army. No I never thought you 
would go. If you are but spared to return to us I will 
never regret it. 
(17) Mary wife of F oster B. Arms, Sodus Bro. of 
Israel. 
44 
I received another letter from you yesterday, 
saying you expected to go to Norfolk. It appears to 
me that that is a much better place than where you 
have been staying although I would not be able perhaps 
to judge correctly. You will certainly have the ad 
vantage of sea breezes and will be farther away from 
the fighting. I have felt very, very anxious about you 
lately feeling that you might be called into the front. 
It seems to me that Norfolk used to be a Summer re 
sort for the Southerners. Perhaps you will have a 
chance while there to change your opinion in regard 
to the females of Virginia, for I suppose it is a large 
place and you will see more of them than you have 
before. 
We heard last eve that Henry Baldwin is mortal 
ly wounded. He has b~en under Col. Wilson in that 
great cavalry raid through Virginia where so many 
miles of railroad was torn up. The 6th cavalry suf 
fered a great deal they say. Poor fellow his time 
would have been out this fall. 
I saw Mr. Corsell in church today, he is home 
on a short furlough. It made me feel so badly fo see 
him that I could not refrain from weeping in church . . 
He looks well I thi nk. I would l ike to see and talk to 
him before he leaves though he doesn't know as much 
about you as I know. 
Charly Arms told me today that Gov. Tod had 
told him that when he was in Washington a week or 
two ago, he talked to Mr. Taylor about you and 
thought of getting you excused and sending for you to 
come home. Mr. Taylor told him he thought you 
would rather stay. I hear every day something about 
your good deeds, that someone had written home to 
their friends a.bout. This is very gratifying to me. 
I have written more than I thought I should but 
am afraid you cannot read it. Please excuse this 
pood y written letter. I will try to do better with the 
next one. Will write when I come horne from the 
Ridge. I wrote you three letters last week, in one 
enclosed $20.00. Write me a ll the particulars and 
believe me to be your true and affectionate wife, 
Ernaline Arms. 
45 
Sunday afternoon, July 10, 1864 
My very dear Husband, 
This has been a lonesome day as usual. How I 
would like to know just where you are and what you 
d
Ol' n
cr 
even that would be a great satisfaction, 
are 0' d ' ' 11 
T i me is passing away, e v ery day counts an It WI 
not be long before I can say your time is almost out. 
So you think that you w i ll be allowed to return at th.e 
end of 100 days? It seems to take s.o long for ~oldlers 
to get home after their time of serVIce has expued. 
So long to be mustered out even when they are near 
home. I have counted about two weeks more tha.n your 
t ' me so that I shall not be disappointed. That wIll 
blring your time of getting horne about the . fir st of 
September. That looks like a good long tlme ,yet, 
but if you cah only come home safe, I can patlently 
wait. 
I saw John Stambaugh, h is wife, and two children 
riding by a few moments ago. It made me feel so bad 
ly. Oh you know I could not help feel ~or ,a moment . 
that you could just as well be home enJoymg the. sOClety 
of your family as to be so far from home endunng hard 
shi ps of every kind; exposed to so much danger an~ 
without any comforts. I know Myron that your m?tlves 
in going were noble and good, and feel .that 'you wIll 
meet a just reward. I k now i t is not nght f~r me to 
fret so badly, if I can help it, consequently I hav.e 
tried of late to look on the bright side and feel, If 
possible, cheerful. Sometimes my lonlines~ cO,mes 
over me so forcibly that I can-hardly throw It off. I 
ought not to write this to you had I, but you know I have 
al ways said that I could not k eep anything from you. 
Now I presume I shall feel better. 
Then our family all met ~t (18)Hannah
l
s yesterday 
afternoon to tea. They were all there but you. Aunt 
Mary you know is here. She has not been at our house 
( 18 j 
Wife of C. D . Arms young est brother - worked for 
:tvlyron - had been a Stone M ason in Sodus. Very 
strong and tough. Never bested in fight: B.ecame 
very wealthy owning 20% of Smuggler MIne In 
Aspen, Col. in 1893. 
46 
to stay y et , is coming here next week. She sends her 
love t o you. Said she would love to see you. Will 
probably return home in 2 weeks. Charlie (Warner) 
will be out the 25th of this month. Dr. Barclay tells 
father that he can get his furlough extended sixty days 
longer, that Charlie will not be fit for duty. He is 
obliged to keep his hand and wrist bandaged and his 
arm in a sling. I tell you Charlie is a first rate look 
ing soldier, if he is my brother. Father allows him to 
drive his horses and carriages around every day. He 
can take anyone he wants to, visits the ladies quite 
often. Takes them riding and seems to be as fond of 
the girls as any of the Warners . . Seems to enjoy him 
self first rate. 
Em (Ernali ne Arms Peck) says "ask Pa: if he had 
had any pineapples down ther e and to write and tell her 
when you are coming home. II She has heard someone 
say that pineapples could be got there in abundance. 
The children are all well, Warner is just at the ridge 
yet working in the harvest field. 
I don't think that Freeman (Arms) intends to go 
into the army at present. Yet he says he thinks that 
everyone who is drafted ought to go, if they possibly 
can. Sinc e the next draft is large he thinks he stands 
a pretty good chance to get drafted. I think just at 
this t i me that he is thinking more of a certain young 
lady than of joining the Army. He seems to be greatly 
taken with M iss Anne Perkins who is visiting here. 
He told me that he thought her to be a very fine s en 
sible girl and that he saw many things in her to re 
m i nd him of Emily. He told me that he had visited 
her in Akron once this Summer. What the result will 
be I cannot say. Your frequent letters have done me 
so much good. I feel after reading them that I have 
almost been with you. Do you ever think of our Sunday 
evening suppers. How many we have enjoyed a nd how 
muc h comfort we have taken after getting the children 
to bed. It is just about that time of evening now. I 
would give most anything if you were here. I think 
tha t I could put i n time better than in writing although 
now I enjoy this kind of intercours e very much indeed. 
I am glad you have sight of two females, should think 
you would feast your eyes. How you are sent all about 
47 
the country. It seems strange that you can't stay in 
one plac e longer. I hope you will keep well and take 
g.ood care of yourself and remember that my thoughts 
are almost constantly with you. I begin to look forward 
to the time when we will, if God is willing, see each 
other face to face and enjoy a happy reunion. Yours 
truly and faithfully - Ernaline . 
I sent you $20. in my last. letter written Thur sday, 
had sent $20 before directed to City Point. George 
Nicholas from N. Y. stayed with us part of two days 
last week. Lodged in Freeman's room at the ~to~e, 
he took his meals at the Mans ion House and sald It 
was the poorest he had ever eaten so Freeman invited 
him to stay her e . 
Youngstown July 7th 
My Dear Husband, 
Having just rec eived another letter from you dated 
Norfolk I feel just like writing to you in answer. Al 
though my last l etter here only this morning. Do you 
know, 'tis the greatest pleasure I have next to rea~lng 
your letters, this putting my thoughts on paper WhlCh 
I know will so soon be perused by you. Although I most 
generally write in a hurry with~ut much reg.ard to style, 
but I know it will b e all nght wlth you. I thmk you de 
serve a great deal of praise t o say th.e lea~t for writing 
me so often. Something you have wrltten IS almost 
constantly on my mind, which helps to pass the time 
away pleasantly. I am very glad you have moved away 
from the front, should think it much pleasanter and 
h ealthier where you are; and very much safer. You, 
it seems can buy plenty of edibles if you h ave the where 
with. I sent you $20 last week, will enclose another 
for fear that may not have reached you. 
Mr. Kimbe~ly was in today says he will send you 
a $ 100 check on N. Y. soon. Says the furnace is doing 
well is making from 19 to 20 tons p er day. L ast month 
she made f20 tons which i s an aver ge of 21 to~ per 
day. He has anticipated some difficulty i n gettmg coal 
particularly about the 4th of July, but he has h ad some 
and thinks more that he can get e nough in the future to 
4 8 
carry along the furnace. Coal brings $4.50 at the 
mines and has advanced some. Mr. K . says he has 
sold 11 or 12000 dollars worth from the bank near 
Sharo n. That he is today taking the last money up 
to those works that he needs there or that he will have 
to payout. His wife stays most of the time at her 
sister's in Wethersfield. They are going right to 
work to build a brick barn in Sharon to live in this 
winter and perhaps next Summer. All being very 
tired of being without a house. There is to be a pic 
nic here Saturday for the returned soldiers of the 7th 
and 23rd regiments. "Tis to be held in Mrs. Emily 
Wick's grove. How I wish we could send something 
to you all. Do you think we could? I feel so sorry 
that you did not receive what we sent to Martinsburg. 
I suppos e you heard that Gov. Tod did not acc ept the 
Secretary of Treasuryship. 
Everything is advancing so In pric e that it is 
really astounding. Prints 31 cents per yard, sugar 25 
cents per lb. , butter 28 or 30 cents per lb. Ishould 
think such prices are beyond the reach of poor people. 
I hope that soon there will be a change for the better. 
Speaking of the price of iron, Mr. Kimberly says the 
mill men are trying to keep the price down, don' t 
know what the result will be but I believe he has not 
sold any lately. 
I know not why my letters are posted two days late. 
I have generally written in the evening and posted them 
the next morning supposing they would go out in the 
afternoon mail by way of Cleveland but find they go in 
the morning Pittsburgh mail consequently it is 2 days 
after my letters are dated that they are mailed. We 
are having extremely warm weather. Had a thunder 
storm last n ight and another today, and yet the air is 
not much cooled. I thi nk it is remarkable how you 
have kept well in such a warm climate. It seems prov 
idential. Does it not seem strange to you sometimes 
that you are in the Army, so far away from home? It 
does to me. I had never given myself any anxiety on 
that scor e - Had never thought it pos sible that you 
would join the Army and now I have the sad reality, 
yet I am hoping for the best. Often I find myself look 
ing forward to a joyous future. I hope and pray' tha t 
you m a y be spared to return to us, whe n I hope I w i ll 
(by being deprived of your soci ety so long) better ap 
preciate having such a husba nd as I am blessed with. 
I think I am particularly f a v ored i n that respec t and 
that there is not another w ho could fill your place. 
That l ittle imaginary arti cle that you sent me I 
r ec e i ved w ith gr eat pleasur e but must acknowledge 
though that it was not equa l to the reality; but under 
exi sting circumstances w a s . only thankful for it. 
Mrs. Murray has just come in and I will close in 
order to put this in the o ffice thi s evening. .It w ill go 
out early tomorrow morning. I will write soon - tell 
me all you do - Good bye for this time and believe me 
I am truly yours, 
Ernaline 
Sunday July 10 or 11th, Picket Post 1 1/2 miles from 
Camp Near Norfolk 
My very D e ar Wife, 
I rec eived your two letters and received great 
pleasure i n their perusal. You will see that I am on 
picket post this Sunday morning (now about 9 0 I clock) 
just about the time you are eating your breakfast at 
home, seated at the head of the table with your six r e  
sponsibilities gather ed around you. Perhaps thinking 
about me or talking about me wondering where I am at 
at this moment and wishing I could be there to partake 
of your good coffee and doughnuts or some other extras 
which you know so well how to get up. The fact is that 
I am not so bad off in this r e gard · thanks to our worthy 
scout George Baldwin who made a raid into town last 
evening and brought out one ham, fiv e loaves of extra 
nice bread, two pounds of good butter, 1 doz. cucum  
bers, some ginger cakes, last but not least 1 pound of 
aood tobacco. So toaether with some nic e blackberries 
b b 
and m i lk w h i ch we had on hand I thi nk we sat down to a 
table which our offic ers a re a stra nger to. My appetite 
w a s good, I c an assur e you that we a ll did full justice 
t o the b reakfast. W e "i n vited Lt. Sullivan to s i t down 
w ith u s . I f org ot to menti on t h a t we a lso h a d some 
good bourbon whiskey which was very difficult to ob 
tain but our worthy scout succeeded in getting some. 
He n e ver fai ls in anything he undertakes. 
Our post is under a cedar on the road side. The 
woods across the road in our front, field of corn be 
hind us. Our duty all day being nothing, but at night, 
not to allow anyone to pas s on the road after dark till 
broad daylight, tomorrow when we shall be relieved 
by new pickets. We bring out with us coffee, Injun 
bread. We build up the fire and cook, make coffee 
three times a day. Lay our oil cloth blanket down 
next to the ground and with our woolen blanket over 
us, look up in the heavens, see thousands of bright 
stars twinkling and think of those at home, wondering 
what they are doi ng just then, what particular part of 
the house they are sitting in and those they are likel y 
accompanied with. We go to bed precisely at 9 o'clock. 
Home is toward the north star somewhere about 9 or 
10 hundred miles. Can tell very nearly the direction 
you are located. Have slept in my pants with the ex-
c eption of two nights, then in my drawer s and mean 
to do so until I get home. Got my pants washed yester 
day and wore my drawers all day instead. They feel 
much more comfortable this morning. 
There is a field of cotton growing a short distance 
from here. Will send a plant enclosed so you can see 
how it looks. I always had great curiosity to see it my 
self. It is a different looking plant than I imagined. 
Corn here is very backward. Old residents say no 
trouble with frost - none till Christmas consequently 
it will have time to ripen. Saw a water - melon and 
musk melon patch yesterday, some were as large as 
a goos e egg. They will soon be fit to eat. There are 
a few apples and some peaches but not a great many. 
There are also SOme few wild plums but they are 
about all gone. 
The vehicles used by the people are a very singu 
lar kind of one. Nothing but a very common cart made 
in the rougher manner and all classes appear to use · 
nothi ng else. They pass with a whole family in jolti ng 
along drawn by one horse. We see hundreds of them. 
The country people appear to be 50 y e ars behi nd the 
age in comparison with our countr~ in some su~h 
things. In Norfolk they sport buggIes and carnages 
such as ours but none in the country have I seen. 
Our c amp is located on one of the main roads 
leading from Norfolk back into the country. Cons e 
quently we see daily many horses and carts pass on 
their way to the city to market loaded with produc e 
o f all kinds. The negroes are all very polite and 
civil and in fact are the only friends we Northerners 
have. There are some exceptions of course but not 
many. 
It is only 6 or 7 miles to the Atlantic. I should 
like to go down and see it, may not have another op 
portunity of doing so. If I am spared and get rich we 
will see some of the country some time. Will have to 
wait u n til the children get out of the' way or you or I 
one of us will have to stay at home to look after them. 
We never took a trip yet did we_? Exc ept the Middle 
town trip. You see if you had only married rich you 
miaht have been on an excursion at least once a year. 
Yo~ see what you have lost by taking up with a broken 
reed after having refused so many splendid offers, 
and could have done so much b'etter too. Is it not a 
pity one cannot forsee one's future li~e. How l';!cky 
we might make over ourselves but stlll somethIng els_e 
is wanting besides riches. In fact, some of the most 
wealthy have the least enjoyment, particularly if they 
are not blessed with some other virtues besides the 
one of them - how to make the most money. "Fuss" 
Boarts has just handed me a plate of fine black beans 
which broke in and discouraged my thoughts which I 
was getting out above very rapidly - what more I 
should have said if he had not happened to come up as 
he did I do not know. But you have no doubt lost some 
such ideas. Now when I come to resume I have unfor 
tunatel y to write with a full stomach, which all c ele 
brated writers (I am one you know) agree is the very 
worst to undertake to get o ut anything brilliant, I 
fear I shall not be able to fill out this paper. I am 
constantly scratching my head for somethi ng interesting. 
Here 'comes a cart and horses with a young country 
buck and his girl taking a Sunday ride. He is rather 
green-looking but she, I must say, has a sha rp eye and 
prepossessing face with some c heap jewelry hanging 
at the ears same style of the James Richards stock 
which I purchased a long time ago. You remember 
then), donit you? I must say I am very favorably im 
pressed with her. She rather smites me. Perhaps it 
i.s owi ng entirely to my being so situated that no op 
portunity .is had for seeing women-k.ind at all. I 
rather think it might be dangerous for me to stay out 
another 100 days. She has gone now. Don't suppose 
she saw me at a ll when she passed, but still cannot 
help thinking about her charming face. Excuse me. 
I had about forgot I was writing this for someone else 
to read. You will find no fault if I make a looking 
glass of my heart and mind and let you read it all 
without reserve. You occasionally see some good 
looking man, don't you, who will i n spite of yourself, 
bri ng some new ideas to you. You know it is now 
about 60 days or more since I left home and I cannot 
help thi nking of what you said about those blankets I 
sent home. If I had known what you intended to do 
with them before I sent them should have liked i t 
b etter. It is too late now, but should I conclude to 
get som e other clothes. i t may not be too late when 
I send them, (old ones) home. Let me know how you 
feel about it. Is it nec es s ary or not. I don It think I 
am i n condition yet. Would like the opportunity of 
testing that matter if you would give me the oppor 
tunity but still do not much expect you have any dis 
position of the kind. It would be so unlike you that 
it's hardly worth talking about. You have a large 
family now, would scarcely feel anxious to increase 
it, but if you do I think I could send you at least six 
more from here. Shall I do it? Are you capable of 
entertaining that much. It would require some exer 
tion on your part as well as mys elf. But if both felt 
mutually agreed to it, it might be done with pleasure 
to us both and perhaps profit. I think it would do you 
good but of that you of course must judge. All I can 
do you are welcome to with great pleasure. I re 
ceived a letter from Mr. K. yesterday w ith yours. 
Find our business progressing favorably. I am glad 
to hear it. How much money is going to mouth I don't 
know. I think best to pay all debts with stuff on hand 
and keep out of debt. If we make anything and it could 
be i nvested in property at anything lih:.e old rat es it 
might be well to do it. It is h a rd to s a y what money is 
going to be - depending upon the success of the wa,r I 
thi n k . I do hope and pray that we may succeed a I].d 
clear up thi s thing soon. But if not, fe e l under any 
circumstanc es that we ought t o give it up without put 
t i n g down the rebellion. Cannot see that we could do 
it w i th any hopes for our country hereafter. Say to 
Mr. K. that they were (the Cleveland Iron Co.) to 
charg e us $3.00 p e r ton for the R. mill cinder. No 
other arrangement was made with them. Still no c on 
tract was made for any special time or quantitYi they 
w i ll not expe ct to charge us more than the going price 
that other furna ces will payor at least they had not 
ought to. That can be ascerta ined by findi ng out what 
others pay. I believe I would sell metal at the going 
rates and payoff all debts. I see by New York papers 
that Scotch Pig Iron is worth there about $72. per ton. 
$1.00 will pay as much on debts no:v as it ever would, 
and the time may come when i t might be hard to get it
i 
c o nsequently, it is bett er to keep things ahead of us 
than to be behind. Write me as often as you can and 
b elie ve me v e ry a ffectiona tely and truly yours -
Picket Post 5 mile s from camp at Tanner's Creek 
Friday, 15 July '64 
My dear Wife, 
We (4 of our men) came out here yesterday to do 
picket duty for 4 days. W e should remain here till 
Monday morning next. We are only two miles from 
Chesape ake Bay on this tide water creek. By the way 
it is quite a creek with different arms of water or 
bayo e s as they are someti mes called putting out from 
the creek in d ifferent d i rections. The channel i n the 
creek is 4 feet deep at h i gh t i de and i s navi gable for 
quite large v e ss e ls. Qui te a large tra de is done i n 
oysters here. They are tak en on the borders of the 
Che s apeak e a nd tra nspla nte d here during the summer 
months and then tak en up i n the w i nter and sold to 
vari ous m a rkets.. Thi s i s now out of the season for 
e a ting them a nd I h ave not tasted them. If I was 
posted here i n the Fall months should g row fat i n 
e a ting shell fish a nd other extras peculiar to thi s 
51 
clinlate. There are also grown here figs on the farm 
at our post on some 3 or 4 trees . . I have not seen 
them yet but shall before I go back. They will ripen 
someti me in August. We get what potatoes, tomatoes , 
a pples, onions, cucumbers we want. Watermelon and 
p e aches too. I have abstained from eating very much 
of any of these vegetables believing it was better for 
me to do so although some of our boys eat everything 
that comes along and still keep well but they are gen 
erally young 1 tough and hearty and can stand anything. 
When the tide is out there i s quite a disagreeable smell 
arising from the muddy bottom of the creek left ex 
posed. I take occasi onally a portio'n of the quinine 
YO,u s~nt. me and give it out,to whoever wf91ts it. I 
thInk It IS a good preventatIve to fever. ( 
The death of Wm, Calvin which came so suddenly 
and so unexpected to the company has had a tendency 
to make many of us imagine that something might be 
in our systems which might breed of similar disease ; 
but so far I am thankful today that I feel well. The 
weather at this point is very a i ry cool and very com 
fortable indeed. We get the sea breezes from the 
Che sapeake Bay .and have an excellent opportunity to 
bathe in salt water, Some rather amusing times are 
had when a stranger to sea bathing takes soap and 
undertakes to wash himself. The more he tries to 
work up a lather the worse it is for him. If you go 
sea bathing remember this. 
Located about 200 yards in front of our post is 
quite a respectable family consisting of several young 
ladies who are married and have children and the 
little fellows both boys and girls are playing around 
with their wax dolls and other play-things. It puts 
me very much in mind of my home far away. These 
are the first I have seen since I left home, being al 
ways in camp or out at the front where no children 
are seen. It seems right good to see them. They 
(19) Qui n i ne and vaccination were the only effective 
medical resources during civil war - no one 
really kne w what they w e re taking quinine for -
no one knew the differenc e of typhoi d f ever and 
malarial fever. 
are tastefully dressed and more like white people. I 
remark that all whites i n this country here talk just 
like negroes. the men I mean, I have not talk. ed w ith 
any o f the women. They say ;Idar" for there and ~v~ry 
other real negro .word or way of talki ng as you know 
without explanation. 
At night we hear the whipper - will singing. It 
carries me back to the days when I used to go to Grand 
pa (Daniel Arms) v isiting. We used to hear them in 
those days. We also h e ar the real mocking bird hold 
ing forth all n i ght and copying all birds that you ever 
heard. Would like very much to get one to take home 
but they say they are quite valuable. They are a 
brownish b i rd not very beautiful in thei r plumage. It 
is the male bird who sings. There is one bird they do 
not mock which I can recollect of hearing s i ngi ng about 
during the day whose notes are more cheering to me 
than any 'I have ever h e ard. .I hope to be spared to 
hear it again for many year s. In my i dle hours I have 
a good time for reflecti on a nd my mind i s ' consta ntly 
employed i n think ing o f those a t home - too much so 
I am afraid for my comfort. I almost f ear sometimes 
I should get homesick, they say that is a disease to 
be dreaded at least while so much of our unexpired 
time is in the future. I do not allow myself to count 
the days, it is yet too long. If I should time would 
drag more heavily than it doe s now. 
I am glad to hear of mother and Aunt Mary's 
arrival there. Hope Aunt Mary will have a good visit 
and wait to see me before she returns home. Is Uncle 
Foster coming out? Should be very much pleased to 
see him. A-\],ways remember him as the nearest rep 
resentation of my father and of course the n e arest to 
me of any of my ·uncles. .I hope the trip d i d mother 
good, I suppose Aunt Ivl a riah went back without coming 
to Youngstown (you did say). 
. Our mail faciliti es are broken up 'here for the 
present owi ng to the rebels bei ng between Baltimore 
and Washington. We h a d received no lette rs for ten 
d a ys bef ore I left camp. Donlt know whether any mail 
h a s arri ved since I left yeste rday. Some of our boys 
are comi ng out w ith provis i o n s for us today a nd 'v ill 
b~ing a.ny mailJor us. I don't anticipate the rebels. 
wlll gam Washmgton this time. Think this is a good 
opportunity for us to take a lot of them if things are 
managed well. I really hope we will be able to do it 
I don't just like this post or camp. I would like to b~ 
shipped to Washington and see some of the excitement 
ther e. It would be a relief in one way from the dull 
duties of such a camp as ours. Hardly expect we shall 
be moved before our time is out for the reason that 
government has many soldiers she thinks are much 
more available than us for the duty. about Washington 
now. We are daily improving in drill, so our officers 
tell us but I'm sure it will be quickly forgotten when 
we take up our old routines at home. We shall not 
lov~ it enough to do much of it when once we get home 
agaln. I wrote you to send me $50. I have received 
$20. since but think you still had better send it along. 
I have only about $5. of the last $20. left. Have loaned 
some of it and could do more of it. I am not expecting 
to save very much this trick, you know. 
If I do not receive any mail from you today will 
have to commence back on your old ones and read 
them Over say one every two days in order to content 
myself .. I don't think the mail will be stopped long. 
They wlll forward it by sea from N. Y. if no other 
way is open. 
Our forces occupy Martinsburg again. Would like 
very much to be back there and see what the rebels 
done. Government has dodged us around just enough 
to keep us .out of all. fighting. Don't think they would 
have done It better If they had tried so far. 
Mr. Baldwin went down to town the morning that 
~alvin died and made arrangements for the embalm 
mg of the body, and for coffin and transportation home. 
~ould not telegraph Mrs. Calvin owing to the line be 
lng cut ne.ar Washington that day. Our Captain was to 
attend to It that morning. We left Wilson Calvin ap 
parentl y one week before his death standing a better 
c~anc~ of living th~n most any of us. He was just in 
hls prlme. I was In to see him just after he went to 
the hospital. He was able to sit and walk about but 
w a s t hen lyi n g down on the b ed w ith h i s clothes on: 
He appeared to feel very much depressed in his spi rits 
and I think he then thought he would not get well. Tears 
were in his eyes. I told him to cheer up that i t would 
not do to give up, that he would likely be about i n a day 
or two. If there was anything he wanted to eat we 
could get it for him in town. He replied that he now 
had all in that way that he n eeded. The n ext day we 
went by the hospital when going out to drill and I was 
sure I saw him out under the shade tree (but I was m is  
taken since he did not leave his room after my visit). 
I consequently did not go in the next morning to see 
him. That afternoon was in to see him and saw at once 
that he was much altered and very sick. The next 
morning at 6 o'clock he was dead. It will be a sudden 
blow to his family, f ather, mother, and sisters, they 
could hardly have been aware of his sickness. The 
time was so short. 
How is Papa's Hattie - Pa wants to see her and all 
the childr en very much. He felt like rolling on the 
grass with those nice children who were near us yes 
terday, it seemed so good to see them. You must all 
be good children and remember to .do as your mother 
directs you. She knows better what is for your good 
than you do. Mary is getting to that age when she will 
be very liable to believe that she has nothing to learn 
but knows it all now. That is very natural but she 
wants to remember that her mother knows best and to 
obey her in everything. I hope Warner and Myron will 
not play away down street and be sure to be in and go 
to bed early as is their custom. Keep out of bad boy's 
company and obey their mother, and to try to make 
her as little trouble as possible - remembering always 
her cares and burdens which are e nough without the 
burdens of naughty childr en. 
Do write me often and long letters too. I believe 
I considerably outdo you in that line and believe me 
your affectionate husband -
Saturday 
I concluded to say you may send me some more 
quinine. Send that which is good. The kind we get 
here is not very good. Two men of our regiment were 
58 
buried yesterday. One from the Berlin Co. and one 
from Pickaway Co. Nathaniel Leafron in our Co. 
w~ll not li:e lo~g. yvm. Britcher who was in Company 
Wlth Hall IS qUlte slck - good many complaining in the 
company. So far I keep well. I shall li;kely get some 
letters from you soon. Have received none for some 
tim e owing no doubt to the Rebel raid near Washington. 
Wm .. Bald,,:in. and I were out across the ferry this 
mornlng plcklng berries. We got some four quarts. 
It put me .in mind of old days when ,I was young in 
Sodus. Thlnk I was never out in Ohio berrying. " When 
we got in found Hamilton and Wilson here from ' our 
camp with some rations of bread. I shall s end this 
letter back to camp to mail by them. From present 
appearanc es this camp is not very healthy but I hope 
many of us will not be sick. The sickness is remittent 
f ever attended with congestive chills (the same that 
Calvin died with)~ . I don't think our physicians under 
stand very much about it. We ought to have the best 
~f do.ctors ~ith so many men who are camping about 
In thlS varylng climate. . 
We hav: a con:fortable place here, quite a strong 
s ea breeze IS bloWlng all the time. We occupy a small 
shanty about the size of a smoke house here. We lay 
down on the floor nights and sleep well except for the 
annoyance of mosquitoes. Cook Our rations over a 
smalll fire of sticks. Boil our coffee in a quart mug. 
Don t like the country very much. Would not want to 
live here on any account. People are very different 
from ours, are entirely behind the age in all improve 
ments, ways of living, etc. 
I have written you an extra 
feel this morning like writing. 
sayar how to say it. 
long letter. I don't 
Am at a los s what to 
Very affectionately yours _ 
Entrenched Camp - Norfolk Thursday 21 st July 
My Dear Wife, 
I wrote you yesterday that I was some sick and 
glad to say that I feel bette r this morning. I took 
59 
sorne cold and I gues s i t h as s o far acted som e l ike 
the spells I used to h ave at h orne for two or three days 
- b ein g chilly a n d sweatin g, pretty f reely at t imes. I 
am a t Doctor Elder's quarters. H ave taken some v ery 
heavy portions of quinine. I walk o ut a round for exer 
cise. Donlt think I am going to b e seriously i ll. We 
have had very heavy rai ns for the l ast three days, i t 
will n o doubt cool the atmosphere. I am not goin g to 
write much only to l e t you k n ow just how I was getti ng 
along. Will write you again t omorrow. 
Affectionately yours -
S a turday July 24th 
My Dear D ear Husband, 
I have a little l eisure a nd wish to employ it in 
writing to you. I have not done as well as you have in 
the length of my letters . I must say that I am p articu 
l arly gratified i n tha t respect, think you have done ad 
mirably your long and cheerful and interesting lette rs 
have bee n welcomed with the greatest pleasure imagin 
ably. I hope and trust that I may welcome your own 
dear self before many weeks. I fin d myself thi n k ing 
so much about it that I am becoming quite impatient. 
Feel very anxious to get you away from tha t clima te 
as soon as possible as I fear sickness very much while 
you remain t here. Some of t he boys have written horne 
that you expected to leave ther e the 5th of August. I 
do not r e l y much upo n that however. I will enclose a 
few lines which I cut from the Cleveland Herald about · 
using quinine, it seems very reasonable to me. Do 
not e at much gr een stuff. Dr. Woodbridge was In 
here today, inquired very particula'rly about you. Says 
he would advise you n ot to go in the Army again. I can 
tell you, I have made up my mind that if ever you 
corne h o rn e I shall n ever l et you go again. I donlt 
believe you will want to, will you ?- Mary Woodbridge 
k n ows Mrs. Brooks and her husba nd are here. Carne 
down to attend Dr. McCurdyl s funeral. Mr. Brooks 
is r a ther fine looking - should think from a ll I hear 
that Mary had done very well i n marryi n g him. They 
see m devoted to each other, but it is said that h e is 
very jealous, has been very fond of ladies society, 
quite a flirt. Perhaps, that i s why he is suspic i ous 
60 
of her - do n o t presume though that ?e has any reason 
f o r being jealous. 
The funeral of Dr. McCurdy was largely attended. 
The r e was a telegraph dispatch sent to Robert. Mary 
Bentley feels quite anxious to have him corne horne im 
mediately if possible. Donlt know why, unless it is to 
attend to some business matters appertaining to her 
father's e state . Charlie Arms h a s bought a piano late 
ly. $450.00 for one. Not n ear as good as ours. He 
sent to Lawso n t o know what he could buy one like ours 
f o r? They could not be b ought les s than $600. now _ 
so h e concluded to purchase one from this Warren man. 
He a lso bought a good sewing machine for Hannah. 
Hannah says she is afraid people will think they are 
getting rich, but there is no danger of thinking so her 
self. I donlt think there is! 
I sent you some quinine in my last letter, hope you 
will get it in time to prevent disease. Mr. Kimberly 
has sent you a draft also. You have probably received 
it by this time. 
Sunday afternoon 
I h e ard last evening that Mr. Ellis had written 
h o rn e to his wife , that you had just corne in from Pick 
et duty with a chill. I had Warner go down there with 
me (it was about 9 o'clock) t o know for certain what he 
had written. It was just what I had heard. I then went 
from there to Mrs. Vials, as I had heard that she had 
receive d a letter from her husband. His letter was 
written Tuesday but did not say anything about you. 
You d o not know how I have felt, have imagined you 
sick and suffe ring among strangers, in fact have 
feared almost everything and as I receive no letter 
myself, of course, felt more anxious . Oh! the agony 
of suspens e. It is terrible. This morning sent Mary 
over to Mrs. George Baldwin's. She had not heard 
from h e r husband for several days but said Mrs. 
Heavill had r eceived o n e saying that you .and Mr. 
B a ldwi n had corne in from p i c ket Sunday quite unwell. 
I have sent to the office today (Sunday) thinking I m ight 
get a l etter. I found the mai l carne in so late last n ight 
tha t it was not distributed. Bob (Warner) stayed down 
there one hour before Church t ime, to watch fo r the 
61 
P. O. to be open. I sent down a short time ago and g ot 
a lette r written last Sund a y - just one week ago. I can 
tell from the way you wrote y o u were not feeling well! 
Oh! .1 f eel as though I could fly whe n thi nking of you. 
You have no quinine and p e rhaps n o money and I am 
away off here and can d o nothing for you. P erhaps you 
will be brought home with disease - perhaps worse than 
that. The thought is heart rendering. I k now it is n ot 
best to fee l so until I k n ow for certain how you are, but 
I cann ot help it, hearing of so many that are s ick and 
so very sick. Mrs. Jame s Miller is worrying about 
her husband. H a s hea r d that he is sick but is getting 
bette r. That is what Mrs. Calvin heard just a few days 
b e for e she h eard of her husband's death. Mrs. Miller 
says Mr. Miller has no money. H a s sent home for 
funds but she has not hard l y enough to get along on. 
Says that a number that owe them and promised Mr. 
Miller before he l eft that they would pay. Will not pay 
her a cent. I told her that I thought you would have 
some to l e nd him. She said he would sooner die than 
a sk for any. 
Mr. Kimberly was in her e yesterday. Told me to 
tell you that the m e n at the banks (coal) were on a strike 
f o r $.25 on a t on. He says that the y have raised $ .15 
since you left. The business is progressing favorably in 
every other respect. They have plenty of coal and C. 
But I c a nnot write a n ymo r e. I hope to hear soon again 
that you ar e well but Oh! I fear so much, until I know 
I shall continue ·to be v e r y anxious. All are w ell here. 
I r emain yours truly a nd affectionately, 
Ema line 
Undated fratment of lette r t o his brother Fr eeman 
Arms. (20) 
(20) 
There is also the brin gin g up of those six children 
This letter was printed w i th the greatest difficulty 
and undoubtedly in a nticipa tion of death. Needless 
t o say the children were beautifullybrou ght up and 
I 've a lways felt that even thei r chi ldren g reatly re-. 
spected the memory of M yron Arms. My father 
told me he had a photographic memory. Tho I 
hardly think he could h ave h a d more than a 6th 
g rade education. 
62 
by Emaline will be the gr eat trial for her without 
as sistanc e. It is not to be expected. anyone would 
marry h er. If you could so feel as to occupy my full 
place in the family it would suit me. No better woman 
was ever made. I am simply putting down these mat 
t e r s for your and her consideration. If you should 
think favorably of it. It is a delicate subject to write 
about, but I b elieve better to write it out than keep it 
back. While I have thought of it a good deal since I 
hav e b een out as to the best disposition which could 
be made. 
I am not fit to write any more. 
Your affectionate brother, 
M. 1. Arms 
Don't go in the Army. 
R epublic Mine , Marquette Co., Michigan. 
Nov. 22, 1879 
Mrs. Eliza Warner, 
Minera l Ridge, Ohio. 
My dear Wife, 
This day brings to mind an event that took plac e 
50 years ago. A peculiar change in the life of both 
you and myself, and I remember well the day and the 
h our which was at 7 o'clock in the evening, · A. D. Nov. 
22, 1829 in So dus when I led you to the matrimonial 
altar. Y our dress white muslin with white satin slip 
p e rs and a becoming head dress which I had purchased 
for y o u in Canada where I had been a month or two be 
f o re o n which trip I came near being drowned. All is 
as fresh to m e today as yesterday. I remembe r well 
how beautiful you looked and appeared to me, as · we 
stood there and made the solemn pledges or vows one 
t o another b efor e God and man for all of time , that 
might be given us. I remember the many pleasant i n  
cidents of that ever memorable day and evening to 
both of us. We w ere both of us poor, were homeless 
63 
orphans. 1£ you remember this wedding cost me just 
$40.00. Mr. and Mrs. Cooley ware very kind in lend 
ing or giving the assistance needed by opening thei r 
house and doors whare we ware then boarding and pre 
pared the wedding supper. By my paying the whole 
cost of an outlay of provisions which cost me about 
$40.00. We had no home to be invited to and a recep 
tion given to us. Nor did we take a pleasure trip, but 
saved all we had left and all that we could earn to go 
to keeping house and make a home that we could call 
our own, together with some little capital for busines s, 
and how happy we lived in our humble home, at the dif 
ferent places as we changed from time to time in places 
most convenient for our business. Ernaline was born I 
believe, in the little hous e that stood a little east of 
the house we were married in, and that my father died 
in. How many happy hours while Rachel Dean stayed 
with us who became the wife of William Christian. 
Both of them now gone home to their ' reward, and 
nearly all of our early associates have travelled the 
same road. Not only our early associates but genera 
tions many who have come on the stage of man and 
womenhood have travelled the same sure road, to either 
a home in heaven or a home in torment. And we are 
still spared in time and really I can but wonder what 
for. And now my wife, look over the history of our 
lives in part with me, during these 50 years and an-
swer then what have we done, whare have we been, 
how have we lived, and what has been the result of 
this long married life, to ourselves, to our family, 
and to our friends. Together with those we have min 
gled. I think if I had time I could give you correct 
answers to all of them. But suffice it to say I will 
drop nearly all of these questions and return to our 
selves and our family. I trace our footprints from 
Sodus Point to Ohio and back again to Sodus Ridge and 
from thare to Ohio, then my trip to Indiany and Ft. 
Des Moines, then' to Middletown, Pa. and back to 
Youngstown a nd lastly to Mineral Ridge, whare stands 
the only home that we today have any claim to. I have 
not in this list named one-fourth of the changes that 
have taken place with us during the 50 years. And how 
many troubles and trials h ave appeared along this path- , 
way during this wonderful kiss of time. How many 
times rich in this world's goods, and how many times 
64 
poor. We surely knew what prosperity i~, and what 
adversity is also. --we can see this longufetime's 
earnings swept away as it were in a day that we had 
not a single roof left over our heads. And we to can 
bring t o mind the little troubles, family and household 
troubles . You have been very much offended with me, 
and I have been very much offende d with you. We have 
had much of clouded home life. God has given us many 
children. Some of them have done as they ought, and 
at other times they have acted very badly, as we thought, 
and has brought with it its troubles and fearful forebod 
ings. I could relate much of our homelife and its many 
changes while at Sodus Point, Hamden, Ohio, back to 
Sodus Ridge, then to, Youngstown, 0.,' and last of all 
at Mineral Ridge. How many pleasant remembrances 
and how many unpleasant remembrances. And after all 
there has never been any place like our own home. 
Mrs. Prevost came into our family at the Ridge, and 
remained with us or we with her making us a comfort 
able and happy home, I believe for about ten or twelve 
years, and became so endeared to the different mem 
bers of our family that she seems to be one of us, and 
other members as well as myself realize in the recent 
past troubles in her purest, disinterested friendship. 
And when such a friend appears in such a time' ... she 
is therefore as one of our own family, and will always 
be looked upon as such by at least some of us. And 
now my dear wife, in looking over all the changes that 
has happened, all the troubles, all the trials the won 
derful adversity, the many little hous ehold spats, the 
angry mom ents, the disappointments, the troubles 
with our children, the fearful forebodings all along in 
these periods of change during the time of this wonder 
ful married life and in it all there was no place like 
home. No place so pleasant and whare we have been 
so happy as home. And with all have we not been 
blessed, and have we not much to be thankful for, how 
our lives have been prolonged and how we have been 
blessed with health continued to us, strength of body 
and mind, clear up to these last days. And every 
child that has been given us is today living in the enjoy 
ment, I trust, of health and the many grandchildren and 
the great-grandchildren also and all of them endowed 
with a given amount of tallent. And those who have be  
come matured occupying some respectable calling as a 
65 
livelyhood, and nearly all have made a pro:fiession of 
religion and belong to some Protestant Christian 
church. Only 4 deaths in the whole family for the 
fifty years. J. B. W. little boy, E. I. W. 2 little c hil 
dren and our respected and ever-beloved son-in-law 
Myron L Arms who gave his life for his country 
when endangered. And all have no doubt in my mind, 
gone home to heaven. vVhare we shall ere long meet 
them if we continue to live as it is our great privilege 
to live throughout our pilgrimage course, be it longer 
or shorter. And now my wife, if we are spared, let 
us go to keeping house once more by ourselves. As 
soon as we can arrange so to do and have an earthly 
home, that we can call our own while we remain and 
perhaps as in the midst of so many bles sings from our 
Heavenly Father during our long past history he may 
bless us still further and make our last days on earth 
our happyest days. I here send all the love that I can 
to you, to the children, the grandchil'dren and in this 
list I include Mrs. Prevost and Alphia, and remember 
me kindly to all the friends. 
Can't you and Mrs. Prevost get together and write me 
a letter. I would like to hear from both of you. When 
I return home I shall bring to Mrs. Prevost her Re 
public Stock and I shall return as soon as I can for 
this climate does not agree with me, when I got to 
Marquette the snow was from 2 1/2 to 3 feet deep on . 
the land, but the warm sun and rain took it all off. 
The weather has been very changeable rain and sleet. 
Ic e forms on me and the nights have been very cold 
and now it is snowing and blowing. Anyhow it is very 
cold, and if this is the climate now it,will go hard with 
me if I am obliged to stay until January or February. 
But I intend to get away if pos sible in December some 
time perhaps before Christmas. I would not live up 
here and be obliged to be in the .storms as I now am 
for all the Republic Mine. Our mine is looking very 
well, but I have been disappointed in getting the diamond 
drill as I expected. I enclos e you a letter from Edwin  
as he requested me giving I suppose only a part of the 
details of the dreadful time he had. I have answered 
his letter. I have had a letter from Bone also and giv 
i ng about the same account, only more i n detail. I 
shall answer Bone's letter tomorrow. 
Affectionately your husband, Jonathan Warner. 
hh 
Reminiscenc es - Phillip H. Schaff, 3r. 
Summer, 1962, Northport, Michigan 
Ar;- indescribable sense of nostalgia, a loss -- or some 
Ithmg. Very hard to describe. 
Some of the things that go through your mind: 
- Your grandmother is gone. She used to live 
in this house. Someone else does now. 
- Your grandfather will never lead another family 
prayer and hymn sing after supper. Today, 
someone. else lives in the house, and they do dif 
ferent thmgs. They have a family picnic instead. 
That someone else is you. 
- On the last Sunday night picnic, there were 15 
children. This is smaller than normal because 
the weather was cloudy, and it had to be held 
inside the house. 
They were full of life and pep. They ran on the 
~ame beach you did years ago; skipped stones 
Into the water the same way your Dad taught you. 
These children cared about you, and yet in a 
way they didn't. They had a certain kind of fun 
together that only kids can have together. 
- Your Dad is dead. You 
in church each Sunday. 
more. You are. 
remember him sitting 
He isn't there any 
And there are a lot of his friends who aren't 
there any more either -- George {Mr. to me} 
Dryden, Ellen Dryden, Charlie Davis, Fax 
Funsten, Uncle Fine, Edna Stuart and others. 
(I fell into a pot of strawberry jam at her hous e 
when I was a child. ) 
Now their children are about the age their 
parents were when I began to know them. 
- A lot of people I used to consider young and inde 
structible ar e now in their 70' s. They are no longer 
indestructible. Each has his or her ailments. 
- The girl I used to be so fond of in my teens is now 
married to someone else. He is a good friend of 
mine, and we play golf together. She now has three 
children, the oldest now 14. This summer her son 
filled in as a fourth for tennis. He's as good as we 
are, and next season he probably will be better. 
She has the same spirit and thoughtfulness she used 
to have, but her hair is gray. And she has taken 
under her wing four orphan children of her hus 
band's sister . The oldest is as old as I was when 
I went to war. 
- I am married now, and my wife and I have five 
children. We don't expect to hav~ another. In a 
way this idea is a milestone, or a year-stone, or 
the closirig of a door. 
Our oldest daughter is 12. Already she has most of 
her growth. At 13, I was skipper of a boat that won 
a sailing championship. 
- Instead of looking to my Dad for money, I look to 
myself. Others do, too. 
- I never used to need glasses to read the hymns In 
church. Now I do. 
- Torn Ford, an old friend of mine,_li ves in Calfornia 
now. He says he and his family plan to corne back 
to the Point every four year s. I us ed to see him 
every day. When I see him now,' I know why we 
were good frie~ds then. 
- It's not as easy to remember people's names as it 
used to be. 
- The corner office i s a long way from the tree house, 
and yet maybe it i sn't. What you learned from your 
Mother and Dad and from older friends such as Mr. 
Pelton, Mr. Heidrich and Mr. Dryden is still good. 
10 
-At the office, you used to call the boss "Mister." 
Now the new bright young men call you "Mister," 
even though you say to them, "Call me Phil. " 
- The younger men in the business seem awfully 
smart. Probably smarter than your generation. 
This is good. 
- 20th Reunion memorial s ervic es last June - 63 
had died. 
- Don't break the chain. Try to le?-ve the world a 
better place than you found it. And try to leave 
behind you - - in your children, your younger 
friends, your business associates and others 
whom you may influence an equal desire to be 
come another link in the chain, to keep the faith. 
Know that they have the capacity to do better 
than you. Encourage them to .do so, and be proud 
of them when you are old and they put you in the 
shade. 
---------~ 
•• " ' , • • .' • , " . , J J. ~, l '_.I . j . ,J' " t .... , 
' h¥ 
I ' 
iln tW ,_ 
OBIIUARIIS :f .. 
Plillip Hofer, 86, art collector. 
and former curator· at Harvard 
Philip Hofer of Cambrld~. an 
art colledor. scholar and former 
curntor of printing and graphic· 
arts In the Houghlon Library nt 
Harvartl Unl~rslty. died ThurS 
day In his homt. He was 86. 
When Harvard presented him 
with nn honorary degree In 1967. 
the citation read: "The unfalllng 
concern for college and for art. 
and the ·dl~rlmlnatlng taste of 
this generous scholar-collector 
have wonderou~ly illuminated the 
. Hnrvard chronicle of our time." 
Mr. Hofer founded the depart 
ment of printing and grnphlc arts 
In the Harvard CoIIC6'<e Library In 
1938 - the first of Its kind In the 
Americas. He stepped down at the 
a~ of 70 In 1968. For 12 of th~ 
years. he also served as secretary 
of Harvard's Fogg Art Museum. 
He was a.n enrly "In~tor" In 
German. Iberian and italian 18th 
N':nlury books when other collec 
tors were preoccupied with lIIuml 
IUlted manusrrlpts and books 
m!!d~ before 150L His 18th cen 
tury italian books are consldert:d ' 
the finest oulslde Italy. He had 
i, trnv~led to almost every country 
In the world In search of books. In 
eluding some 60 trlps to England 
and almost as many to France. 
Over his lifetime. he gll\"e H3.~ 
vard more than 10.000 books. 
prints. draWings and manu 
scr!pts. 
At'COrdlng to John M. R~n­
field. professor of oriental art and 
nctlng dlT'e('tor of the Fogg Muse 
um. "or his day. Hofer wn~ one of 
the most creative nnd valued pa 
trons of the Harvard University 
art museums. His Interest!') \\-e~ 
encydopedlc. extendlng from Eu 
rope through the Mldro~t to the 
Orl~nt and his m{lIlY gins com 
prise one of the wluable collec 
tions for teaching and ~rch 
tluH the musrums possess." 
Another rolleague at Hnrvard. 
Konrad O~rh\lber. n professor of 
One uts. saId, "Phil Hofer was 
one of the most farslght~ col~ 
' tors that Harvard hbS e~r had. 
He h:ld an eye for buying that 
which no one else hnd, works that 
were not populnr at the time .... " 
In 19.18. he joln~ t~ Harvard · 
O:lllcge Llbrnry staff, whert he 
helped de~lop the IIbrary's collec 
. lions In manuscripts. call1grnphy. 
printing. design and Illustration. 
F'rom 1934 to 1937. he served 
ns the Orst appointed aSSistant dl 
rtttor of the Morgan Library in 
New York. 
In 1930. he became curator of 
the Spenser Collection of the New 
York Public Library and began to 
study book Illustration and the 
processes of putting words and, 
pictures on the printed page. 
In addltlon to an appolnhnent 
as honornry curator of the graphIc 
D.rts at the Peabody Mllseum In 
Salem. Mr. Hofer was a truste'e of 
the American School for Classical 
Studies In Athens. a memJx>r of 
the American Academy of Arts 
and ScIe-nt.'eS. the Council of For 
~lgn Re-Iallons. New York. the So 
Ciety of Antiquaries. London. and. 
for several years was chairman ~f 
the commIttee for Bernnrd &oren 
son's Villa I Tnttl out5!de Flor 
ence. Italy. which the fa mous art 
connoisseur had len to lIarvard. 
He wns a trustee of the Muse 
um of Fine Arts. Institute of Con 
temporary Art. Boston Athenae- 
um. Smith College. Groton School. I 
Dexter School. Bishop Rhine 
lander F'oundallon. Corning Glass , 
Museum and the Parsons School 
of Deslgn, among others. 
His principal publlrntlons In 
cluded, "F..d~rd Lear as a land 
scape Drnughlsman," "Baroque 
Book illustration" nnd four books 
on the gl"aphlc work of Guyn. 
t.fr'. Hofer WtlS born In Clnch) 
fl~tl on March 14. 1898. the son of 
Charles F. and Jane (Arms) Hofer, 
He WQ:<l n graduate of the Pomfret 
& hool. Pomfrd. Conn .• and of 
Ha.rvnrd. from which he ~Ived 
an A,B. dt-gree cum lau~ In 1921 
and. Qn~r ~vt':rnl yt'llrs In busl 
ncs. ... Q mnsler's d~ree In 19:29, 
In addition to his honornry de 
grre from Harvard. Mr. Hofer held 
one from ~\t~ College nl)d was 
honored with the Signet Socltty 
Med~l. the Syracuse Un'\'~rsltv 
Medal and th~ Donald F. Hytfe 
Award of Prlncetcm Unlv~rslty. 
He was nlarrled to the In.t~ 
Frances L. (Hecksher) Hofer or 
New York, who also gaZre many 
ASian . mnnuscripts and nrt ob-
PHILIP HOn: R 
Jeds <lnd Eun Jpcan drawings to · 
the Fogg. 
l\.fr. Hofer II laves a son. Dr. My 
ron A. Hofer 2:, I of New York; and 
three ~r:lndr.hIJ drcil. 
A memoria I servIce will be held 
at a later date.