Los Angeles, Calif. Sept.1” 1907 Dear Friends: You ask me for a brief his tory of my experiences in the late Civil War. and I am glad to comply with your request for the reason , as it seemes to me, that the remembrance of those days from 1861-1865. The darkest days in our Countries History, is fast passing away from the minds and hearts of men, and when I find one who takes and Interest in the Conflicts of those times, I am glad to Contribute just a leaf to the great ‘vol- ume which details the greatest war of modern times. and in its outcome one of the greatest in the world History. The present material age has no use for sentiment. The almighty dollar absorbs all its time and energy. and any thing that does not have the $ mark on, is not worth Consid- erring for a moment, but bad as the present age is- in its graft and consumption and disregard of the rights- of others. I can see signs of a better day com- ing, as men like Roosevelt, and Jerome, and Hughes. and Gov. Folk and La Follelle, and many others. are giving their time and Energy (2) in looking after the rights of the People . and the People will rally around. and sup- port them. until the great object for which they were raised up. is accomplished and this Country. under God. has a new birth of Freedom -., Another 4 years. with- Roosevelt as President will go very far toward bringing about the much- to be desired Conditions -. But I am wandering from my subject and will resume. I was a great reader when a boy and a young man. and every thing connected with the Revolution- ary war was egerly read. Father was a great admir- rer of Gen. Francis Marion. and almost the first thing I remember. was his telling me what a brave man he was & how he fought the British. and on he told me about the Prison ships in New York. and the great Battles of those times and finally of the surrender at York- town. I deeply regretted that I had been born too late to take a part in that struggle. but as the years passed away and the controversy between the north & the South increased in importance. I felt that in the not distant future, my opportunity might come. and come it did. sooner than I expected. and I availed myself of it- 3 You will doubtless remember that I came to N.Y. in Dec. of 1860 and Staid with Cousin Julia Starr, the most of the time. and had the greatest treat of my- life. I went to hear all the great Preachers. Beecher and Tallmage (whose son is preaching here now). the [illegible in original] preactrer Milburn- and Chapin - at whose Church I once saw Horace Greeley. and in Febury of 1861. I went one Sunday morning to hear a Young Preacher from Philadelphia- whose praise was in all the churches- a beautiful Saintly Character.- who prea- ched the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with such power. That the spirit soon wore out the frail casket and He early passed away to be with his master, whom not having seen the loved. His dying words were “I'm sweeping this [through?] the Gates. washed in the blood of the Lamb.- Your mother & I went once to heard Dr. John Hall on 5th Ave.- and You and I went to hear Edwin Booth preach on Broadway. His Text- was “Rich iluir [ideas?]”. This was before the great crime of his brother. had embittered his life. Q. I omitted to state the name of the young preacher murdered above. It was Alfred Cook- man- & he has a soon son preaching here-now. 4 After I had visited all the Churches. and [illegible in original] and Central park and was some what Satis- fied. I wanted some work to do, and one day I boldly went down to the President of the Street Railways- Mr. Pierson by name – at the foot of Fulton St. and applied for a position as Conduc- ter. I told I had recently come to the city: that I did not want to work Sundays, as I was anxious to hear the great miniters [ministers] of the city. He was so astonished- I presume, at my presumption, that he gave me a job.- My run was from the foot of Fulton St. to the City Hall when we turned to the left up Myrtle ave & went way ont to the Will- amsburg Road. I soon got used to it and liked it very much. By being attentive and [regular?] attendance. I soon got a Car, and as there were plenty of extra Conductors monied [?] I could get excused when I wanted to generally- but one stormy afternoon I learned that Edward Everett, the great Mass. Orator was to Lecture at the Brooklyn Acadamy of Music I tried hard to get an extra to take my place, but they had all gone Home and I had to run the car. I deeply regretted it as it was the only oppor- tunity I ever had to hear him- 5 Prior to engaging in the street car service, I spent about 2 very pleasant weeks, in the old Home at Round Hill. Your father and family were then living there tho he had an office at Port Chester and Oscar was assisting him, we went over every foot of the old place, all over Buckfield, slid down the Big Rocks up them [?], and had a good old time. Your mother told me many incidents of my mothers life, and we looked up some of my mothers old letters written from Michigan. I divided them with my three Sisters, and they prize them Highly. When back on the street cars again, I learned, one day, that President elect Lincoln would pass down Broadway. in the afternoon. I soon found one glad to take my place. and I went up Broadway, toward Union Square to meet the procession. It was an ever to be remembered scene- The street was entirely free from all Vehicles, with policemen. some 2 Rods [Roads, Rows?] apart. Lincoln stood in an open carriage, bowing right and left to the people: all the windows, on both sides of the street, to the upper stories were filled with spectators, and the waving Hdkf's [handkerchiefs] and the waving cheers of the people as he passed along, no doubt encouraged and Comforted him. 6 By the time the procession had got down as far as the Astor Home. I had been crowded far to the rear, and tho' I could hear his voice & occasionally a sentence I lost the most of his speech, but of course, we all read it in the evening papers. From this time on, to the Inauguration, the whole city and ideed the whole entire country, was in a state of Intense excitement. The story of the midnight ride to Washington to escape assassin- ation: of the Mass. Regiments marching into the mob at Balltimore: of the great speeches made in Congress: in favor of, & against Seccession: of the action of Southern Senators and Representatives resigning their seats in Congress & going Home to assist in destroying the honor: of Lincoln's pathetic Inaug- ural appeal to the People, both north & South. -These are all matters of History & I never tire of reading about them. After the Inauguration, the ex- citement increased and the question of what would be done with Fort Sumpter, was the great question of the hour. 7 In the fore part of April of 1861, the question of [relieving?] Ft. Sumpter, and what would be the attitude of the South toward it. came up. and these was intense interest in the Country regarding it, as on that point would determine the issue of civil war.- and the issue soon came- One dark stormy night, about the 9th of April, I was on duty on the Car all night and coming down myrtle ave. about midnight. I heard far down the street the cries of the news boys. I could not for some time make out what they said, but felt that something important had happened, as they drew nearer I heard this: “ Fort Sumpter has Surrendered” “Ft. Sump ter has Surrendered”, and I saw men coming to the door in their night dresses to get the momentous new. The next day & for days- after men looked at each other as if dazed: as if they had lost dear friends:- as if they almost questioned whether they had a country or not.- but most felt in their hearts, if they did not express it in words, that this utter madness of the South, would result in Civil War. A few days after this, a great union meeting was planned to be held in union square representative men from all over the Country 8 were there. I procured an excuse from car service early and was on hand. a large stand had been erected on the Broadway side of union Square- and one on the other side. Flags – the Stars and Stripes, - were in evidence every where by 1000's & tens of 1000's Every window around the Square had them waving: every Carman and Drayman, had small ones stuck in the Harness of his horses and any man who did not carry one that day had better watch out. The papers said there was a crowd of 150 to 200,000 men in the square that afternoon. Gen. Anderson was there from Fort Sumpter & brought with him the flag that had floated above Ft. Sump- ter, and that afternoon it was attached, by its Staff to the arm of the Equestrian Statute of Washington, which stood in the square and evoked great enthusiasm- after a time a horse and dray forced its way through the crowd, to the stand and several large Baskets, filled with papers, was placed on the stand. They were printed copies of songs. -the Star Spangled banner: Hail Columbia- Red White and Blue, tied up in packages of a dozen each, a man threw them into the crowd in 9 every direction, and men then there was a great rush to get them- men – women - & children were thrown to the ground & trampled on. I got my arms on the shoulders of some men and for 5 minutes my feet did not touch the ground, as they carried me back & forth—but it was a good natured crowd & no one was seriously Hurt. I obtained possession of one song- the star spangled Banner & I have today among my treasures- One of the first to speak was Senator Edwin. D. Baker of Oregon, an Intimate friend of Lincoln- a peerless Orator. and an Intensely loyal man. He was a farmer looking man and much resembled Beecher in form, He was afterward killed at Ball's Bluff and some here thought there was a deliberate plot to get rid of him. as he was not supported in the Battle & was left to his fate. 46 years have passed away since that afternoon & I can repeat the opening of his speech from memory. He said “The majesty of the People all here to day to support the majesty of the Constitution, and I come , a wanderer from the far Pacific, to record my oath-. with Yours of the Empire State.” and he then went on 10 in beautiful Language, to describe our Country, Its natural resources, its educational advantages &its prosperity and that a civil war if once started would retard & set back the civilization of the whole world. The effect of his speech was lost somewhat by the way they cheered him, he could only speak a sentence or two before he would have to stop and wait a minute or two. There is a part of his speech in, “Gems for the fireside”, Compiled by Rev. O.H. Tiffany. Fernando Wood the mayor of New York, made a good speech pledging the whole power & wealth of the City to the Cause of the Union. John, a. Dix, whose order, “If any man attempts to haul down the American Flag, shoot him on the spot”- met with great popular favor, was loudly cheered- Daniel a Dickinson an old war horse, from western new York; Washington Hunt, an ex- governor of the State: and manay others, made strong speeches, pledging themselves and their fortunes to the Cause of the Union. It was a great day. and in its effect, it did a great deal to strengthen, the northern cause throughout the Country. I grew tired of the car service after a time I went up to Round Hill and assisted uncle Sammy Brown in his haying. 11 and while I was there the first Battle of Bull Run took place. & then grand sons Eugene and Lleuiollui Jones bury were in the battle & one of them was wounded. This Battle caused as much excite- ment through the Country, as the firing on Fort Sump ter. The South took great Courage from the way it re- sulted. Counting it as a victory. but on the whole, I believe it was a good thing for the north that it resulted as it did- Oscar was all stirred up over it, and wanted me to go right off. with- him to enlist, but I wanted, when I went, to go with the boys from my own County & State. I knew that a good many whith whom I was acquainted with would soon enlist & I thought it would be better to go all together. I went home in the Fall, taught school that winter, read every thing in the way of war news, I could get, and when Lincoln's Proclation came out in the Fall of 1862 calling for 300,000 more, men I was ready to go.- Thus we dithe the first Chapter- The next chapter will commence with my enlistment in aug 11/1862, [different ink in original]