NEED SOME HELP ON THIS CIVIL WAR CAMP LETTER FROM 1862

[petroguy3666]

Hi everyone, i need some help with this cool but unidentified camp letter. i found this in a pile of letters i bought. I cannot figure out what camp this soldier is referring to on the top of the page. It is a terrific letter describing camp life and does give some clues as to when this was written. I just need some help from you guys if you can.
Like always,
Thank you
Rick

 

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[tennessee digger]

Very interesting but I just can't figure it out.

 

[Mackaydon]

Camp Preston, Va. is my guess.
Don....

 

[CRUSADER]

Looks like the stove just vented into the house.

 

[vpnavy]

Really neat just imagining the person writing the letter - what he ate that day - neat!

 

[petroguy3666]

I cant find much info on a camp preston , any help as to where. It does look like he wrote camp preston

 

[DCMatt]

Try this book

[h=1]Repairing the "March of Mars": The Civil War Diaries of John Samuel Apperson[/h]

 

[petroguy3666]

I have a question about the book you were talking about

Hi, thanx for the book you mentioned i was reading some of it on google books and its good reading, is there a reference in the book about the camp in the letter i posted. Amazon sold out of the book, so i am still using what google gives me access too.

Thanx again for your help,
Rick

 

[Honest Samuel]

May God bless the author of this letter soul.

 

[Mackaydon]

Colonel James Francis Preston of "Smithfield," his plantation near Blacksburg,VA,was so belovedby the men of the 4th Regiment that they named their encampment after him,and the place was called Camp Preston for some years thereafter." Source: Page 190, footnote 95 here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=LeY4lwwjRH8C&pg=PA205&lpg=PA205&dq=%22Camp+Preston%22+1862&source=bl&ots=aJVyuPXIqm&sig=uc8ig59B_jT4zq8QA3lh_uQlhOg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSu5zLjpLWAhUJ2mMKHdhDAmQQ6AEIKTAB#v=onepage&q=%22Camp%20Preston%22%201862&f=false
Don......

The letter seems to be written by a person named "Vern".
If true, you should be able to find a soldier of the 4th Regiment, stationed at Camp Preston in 1862, with the first name of "Vern".

 

[Mackaydon]

The letter gives clues as to when it was written. This soldier thought he was going to get paid by March 10th. If he got paid monthly, the letter was written after February 10th but before March 10th. Under "Camp Preston" is the number '62'.My guess is that refers to 1862.

The letter also states where the soldiers slept within their quarters.Note that the second from the right vertical name is the same handwriting as the authors:Vern.

I could press my luck and also suggest that the drawing of their billeting is one of the out-houses that was at "Camp Preston"--and exists today as this buildingsource: https://www.smithfieldplantation.org/outbuildings)

Don......

 

[petroguy3666]

I have to say thank you for that really good info Don, i am going to dive deeper into this with your knowledge. This site never lets me down

 

[HistoryTeacher]

Some random, non-expert thoughts...
This is really cool and if you can pin to an individual that would be awesome.
I agree with the name Vern and I think he wrote the names of the people sharing his abode where they slept on the floor (note he is at the right with is butt facing the guns)
I agree with the dating...Early 1862 so early in the war and possibly written in winter quarters.
Is it possible that this is some type of winter quarters with the top made of canvas (convoys?)
He seems to be pretty well off (overcoat, rubber blanket, plentiful food).
He also has coffee...while Rebs had coffee, it was hard to get and often mentioned special note in letters if one had it. I think his equipment and food might make him a yank.
I think the name of the camp is the key, but I think the last letter could be a "T". The last part reads to me "fort." His cursive his inconsistent even by period standards so I don't know.

Good luck with this. I hope you get it solved.

 

[petroguy3666]

i DO AGREE THAT MAYBE IT MIGHT BE A UNION CAMP, BUT THE WORD PRESTON FITS IT AND ITS THE ONLY CAMP I CAN FIND. WHENEVER I LOOK UP ANYTHING WITH FORT AND THE FIRST PART OF IT I CANT FIND ANYTHING THAT MATCHES. I WOULD LOVE IT IF IT WAS A CS CAMP, BUT I JUST WANT TO ID IT. THE NAMES ON THE BUNK I HOPE WILL PUT ME A LITTLE CLOSER. THANX TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR INPUT!!!

 

[Mackaydon]

I wrote a request to the Historic Smithfield Plantation.
I'll let you know whatever I may get as a response.
Don.........

 

[Spats]

Camp Prospers
23 Rt
62

I think you have a soldier from the 23rd Regiment who is in camp in February of 1862 who is writing a letter with both illustration and description of how he and his hut mates are prospering in their camp and specifically in their hut. He is very proud of how they have made a comfortable winter home in the field.

Handwriting research shows that the fifth letter is similar to his "p" in "cups" in the illustration at right of the hut and just above his name. It is also similar to the "p" in "steps" in the description below the illustration. It looks nothing like a normal "p", but it looks just like his "p"s. The other letters seem to fall into place to form the word "Prospers".

 

[Spats]

Food for thought re: my "Prospers" theory. The last letter of the word has a flourish that may have been more emphasis on his pride that he and his buddies were doing so well. But in looking at other words in his text, he only uses that flourish in crossing his "t"s at the end of words such as in "breakfast" and "get" on the other page. He has a few ways to form his "t"s at the end of words, but the two mentioned look a lot like the last letter in Camp _______. I thought it might be "Prospect" and found a Civil War Camp Prospect in Massachusetts in 1861 and one (Union) in Virginia throughout the war. But I can't bring myself to see "ec" between the "p" and the "t".

I'm just throwing stuff out there in hopes that it may be of some help.

 

[petroguy3666]

THANX DON, I WAS LOOKING INTO CALLING THEM, BUT I DIDNT REALLY KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT IT IS I HAVE. I DO FEEL THAT YOU ARE RIGHT AND IT IS CAMP PRESTON. IF YOU LOOK HOW "VERN" WRITES THE LETTER N, THEY ALL SEEM TO LOOK ALIKE. I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, FINDING OUT WHO VERN WAS, THATS THE TRICKY THING. THANX AGAIN DON FOR HELPING ME!!!!!!

RICK

 

[petroguy3666]

HEY SPATS THANX FOR THE HELP, ANY HELP IS ALWAYS WELCOMED. I AM TORN BECAUSE OF HOW HE SPELLS IS CONFUSING. BUT, THE N REALLY SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT .
BUT I AM GOING TO LOOK INTO CAMP PROSPECT!!!!!

RICK

 

[DCMatt]

After comparing other similar letters from the writing, I believe Spats is on the right track. I have difficulting seeing the "c" in the camp name, but based on the surrounding letters I'm pretty sure the name is "Camp Prospect" - possibly the one near Fredericksburg, Va.


Here is a clip from a book about the 84th NY Infantry who was camped there in early 1862.