These are letters that Adam Bentz (1842-1886), a Union Civil
War Soldier from Meigs County, Ohio, wrote or received in the Civil War era. Reading them in succession from 1 to 18 gives
an interesting story. William W. Bentz
(1913-2001), Adam’s great nephew and my Dad, found these letters in the family Bible of Adam’s
parents, Michael (1815-1864) and Mary Harpold (1823-1912) Bentz. Emma Bentz Hayman (1854-1934) and Matilda
Bentz (1857-1944), Adam’s sisters, lived together in Syracuse, Ohio and had
custody of the Bible for many years.
First Letter December 12, 1861
Camp Ulm
Parkersburgh
5 Va regt
Dec 12, 1861
Dear Mother
It is with greatest pleasure that I now sit down to write you a few
lines to let you know that I am well at present & hoping that these few
lines may find you all the same. I am
here at my old Camp in Parkersburgh & it is a pretty place & we are
peet to say here all this Winter perhaps we may go out on the Rail road again.
& I wish we would. We past Pomeroy
in the night but I could not see no one we hallowed & Mike Eppley took the
candle out of the supper Window & shook it at us. I heard some of the boys hollow but did not
know who they were.
I heard that John Brectal has gone away. & henry is gone to I
guess. You must tell him where I am
when you write to him. & you must tell him to write to me. Ross was here 4 or 5 days ago but I did not
see him he will be here in a few days again. He is going to be first lieutenant
in a Cavalry Company in the 2nd Va regt in the regt where Capt
Wallace is in I saw Capt Wallace &
his Company yesterday I saw Geo Shoemaker & Geo Crowpact & a good many
of the boys. I cant tell when I will come
home perhaps not until the war is over. but I will still write home. Mother I have not been tight since I have
been in Cenedo on this place yet & meant to keep from getting tight
Tell Pa I have not got my money yet & don’t know when I shall get
any but as soon as I do I will send it home so nothing more at present.
but write soon
A Bentz
Direct Letters to
A
Bentz
Parkersburgh
Wood
Co Va
5 Va regt, Company H
Care
of Capt Vinton
did you even get that discharge Papers of mine if you let me know in
your next letter.
Direct
letter
Parkersburgh
Wood
Co
5
Va regt.
Company
H
Care
of Capt Vinton
Second Letter January 14, 1862
Camp New Creek
Jan 14th 62
Dear Mother
I now sit
down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am very well at this
present time for I have a very bad Cold & a very bad Thumb. I think my thumb is a going to be a bealor on it we are in a pretty good place
for a battle now. I think there will be
a fight here before a week passes by.
We first went to Cumberland Md out 28 miles from here Now troops are coming in to Cumberland by
thousands there are about 40,000 rebels a Winchester in Va & they cant get
out without coming where we are then we can give them the devil some of our
boys are in Parkersburgh yet John ?ess Company is here where we are & I saw
all & I saw Peter Saier he is well. It is mighty Cold out here & I am
so cold I cant hardly write so I will come to a close now no more at present
but write me as soon as you get this letter And you get that letter which
I sent by Johon Leroyl.
So no more
Adam
Bentz
Direct Letters
To Adam Bentz
New Creek PO
Hampshire CO Va
5th Va regt
Company H
Third Letter April 5, 1862
Morefield Hardee
CO Va
Company H 5th
Va Regt April 5th 1862
Dear Mother
It is with
the greatest pleasure that I now write you a few lines this Morning to let you
know I am well at present & hoping that these few lines will find you all
enjoying the same blessing. We started
form New Creek Station April 1st & arrived here in the 3 in the
afternoon. We was all very tired when we
got here. We packed our knapsacks on our
backs all the 45 miles. Adam Berckes
give out the 1st day & 2 or 3 more but I stuck it out first
rate. It is a fine Country where we
are. We are in tents now 15 to 20 sleeps
in one tent. They are very large tents
& we have Stoves in them to keep us warm and comfortable. We have plenty to eat our here & we don’t
know how long we will stay here but I think not more than a week or 2 for we
are a going to be in a brigade in a few days. There will be 3 thousand here a few days &
then we will go to Stanton & there will be 4000 to meet us there. We are under Gen Fremont, now, he will be in
the field with us, we got paid off the night we came here, & I should have sent
5 dollars more to you but I could not spare it for next payday we to pay for
our Clothing then I wont get no Money at all nor will any of the rest of the
boys. & I have quit buying things from the Suttlers for they are dearned
rascals they charge to much for their goods.
I got $20.00 dols this payday. I
sent home $10.00 home for you to keep for me.
We sent a bundle of letters with Mr Minse from Ceredo to put them in the
PO Office in Pomeroy. I have nothing
more to write to you this time but I will write more to you when we get farther
in Dixies land. I took that seeestc
money out of that letter again. Is
nothing more at present but write to me as soon as you get this letter &
let me know where Henry is.
So
goodby I am your Son Adam Bentz until death.
Adam
Bentz to his Mother Mary Bentz
Don’t forget
to write
Direct letter to
Morefield Hardee
Co Va
Com H 5th
Va Regiment
Give my best
respects to Eppelin.
No letters
to day
From home
and the darling ones
I left
behind for the tended field with my neighbors gallant Sons
2nd No letters today
Oh what can
this silence mean
It pains my
heart and stealthy fears
Springs up
from the dread unseens
3rd No letters today
It came from
the lips of those
Who
wondering wait with nameless fears
When unfelt
before our foes.
4th No letters today
Have all of
us left our friends
It cannot be
for Gods sake write
Write and
make amends
5th Soldiers love their Friends better than ever
before
And they
long to hear from home sweet home
And the
hollowed scenes of yore.
6th
Send letters every day
They are
worth their weight in gold
They keep
our hearts and precious Sons
From ever
growing cold
7th
We cant write we could in the open nor yet
in a tent
when the rain comes down
with
everything soaking wet.
8th
Guard duty and drill
In the march
or at grand reviews
And the
lonesomeness of picket guard
Brings
windrow thirst for news.
Sent to his
Mother Mary Bentz
From Adam
Bentz
Keep this
sing for it is about the truth, and read it over to the children, I will write
a little more today I am well and received all the Letters and papers you sent
me. The Mail has come again it was
stopped 10 days. The boys are all well.
I got 6 letters last night with you as I got the first stamp you sent and was
very glad to get them. I got Henrys
letter and I will write to him in a few days.
Adam Bentz
To Mary
Bentz
Fourth Letter May 13, 1862
Franklin
Pendleton
CO Va
Com
H 5th Va regt
May
13th 1862
Dear Mother
& Father Brother & Sisters
It is with
the greatest of pleasure that I now sit down under this shady tree to write you
a few lines to let you know that I am well at present & hoping that these
few lines will find you all enjoying the same blessing. Dear Mother I have had no time to write to
you any sooner for we have been Marching & fighting for the last 2
weeks. We had a big fight at
Mcdowell and
Cowshill about 2 miles from the Town the fight lasted 3 ¼ hours we killed fewr
hunderd & wounded about the same. Of our boys is about 50 killed & 1.50
hundred wounded. There were 6,000 of us
& 25 pieces of Canon and of the rebels there were 15,000 of them, this fight
took on the 8th inst the next Morning we fell back to this place and
they followed us up to this place on the 1st south inst and then we
had a little skirmish with them. They
have killed 3 or our Men and we killed about 35 of thers Men the rebels have
about 10,000 men here within
2 miles of
our Camp we are a waiting for Gen Fremont to come in he will be here today or
tomorrow with 9000 Men. We have old
Jackson in a pen now and he cant get out no way unless he fights his way
out. That is what he don’t like to
do. Gen Banks is on the other side of
him and he cant retreat back. They have
2 Canon but they cant them planted on us & we think he has no ammunition and
another thing they are about starved out.
We will attack them as soon as Gen Fremont comes in.
We will send
them to the happyland of Canaen and make them sing rout boy or die Our boys
fight like Wild Cats. A man got a few of
our boys into a little scrape here a few days ago he was a rebel he cut the
Telegraph wire down and we got him and shot him 8 times and took his Wife which
she was confined only 2 nights before and took her bed out and layed her on it
and then burnt her house down and everything they had. Some of our poor Men are
in their graves now to pitty them so
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