Friday, July 18, 2014

Letter #38 -- Camp Near Petersburg, VA -- July 17, 1864

5 Cent Fractional Currency Note from John W. Derr Collection
I'm a day late on this one, but as they say...better late than never.

The digging goes on...and so does the camp life for John W. Derr.  The mine is still in progress with the eventual explosion on July 30th.   Though this letter does not reflect it, John spends his days working in the mine as well as driving team for the dirt removal.



Letter #38 discusses a commitment John made to John Kramer to lend Kramer $200.  He is confirming his verbal commitment to Kramer and tells his father to do the deal, but to get "his note and a good bale" from him.  He has loaned Kramer money before and he directs his father that when he gives him the $200, that if some of the money Kramer paid back in the past was not greenbacks (or gold/silver) that his father should use that money for the loan.

During the war, and prior to the war, there were many varieties of currency printed.  Some was literally not worth the paper it was printed on.  As a result, most only wanted to deal in hard currencies such as gold or silver...and at a minimum..."greenbacks".  Greenbacks were printed by the Federal government and had slightly more trust than local currencies...but not much.  Memories of the old Continental currencies, printed during the Revolutionary War, were still fresh in the minds of Americans.  The Continental currency essentially became worthless after the war and many soldiers of the Revolution held worthless pay.   During the Civil War, many of the soldiers had grandfathers that had fought, so they knew the stories of "bad money".  An earlier letter (Letter #19) illustrates his concern about taking local money.   In that case...Schuylkill money...







Confederate $5 Bill from John W. Derr Collection



Confederate $5 Bill from John W. Derr Collection

Civil War Token from John W. Derr Collection


















                                                                                                Camp near Petersburg, Va.   
                                                                                                July 17th, 1864

My Dear Father,
            I take the present opportunity of informing this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  I let you know that John Kramer ask me to lend him two hundred dollars of my money and I did promise it to him.  So if he comes for it and gives you his note and a good bale (bail) * on it you can give it to him but no sooner than you get the note.  He told me that I need to use only on bail but I will leave that to you.  Or if you don’t know anybody let him put old Reed or Dengler or who you think is best to have on (it).  And if he paid you any money that ain’t greenbacks give him that and see that you won’t get cheated.  It is more trouble than it is worth but still I have to do it.  I have no more to write for this time so I will bring my letter to a close.  This few lines from your son.

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Answer soon and direct your letter as before.

*It appears that the term bail as used in this letter was, during this period of time, synonymous with our current use of the term co-signer.           










Jim D.




Sunday, July 13, 2014

Letter #37 -- Camp Near Petersburg, VA -- July 13, 1864


In July of 1864, John W. Derr would give insight into one of the most (in)famous battles of the Civil War.  Outside of Petersburg, Va, and during a stalemate in what would become the newest of battlefield tactics...trench warfare...officers of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry regiment devised a scheme to break the lines of the enemy.  The plan consisted of tunneling under the lines of the enemy and filling the resulting chamber with black powder...exploding the black powder...and thus undermining the lines of the enemy.  While the plan was good and the engineering was revolutionary...the follow-up attack was a disaster resulting in a failure of the union army to rout the enemy.







During the digging of what became known as "the Petersburg Mine", men of the 48th PVI spent over a month using knowledge obtained from coal mining in the anthracite regions of Pennsylvania to develop an effective mine tunnel under the Confederate lines.  It would later be filled with black powder and on July 30, 1864, exploded resulting in the famous Civil War "Battle of the Crater".  John was part of this mining effort and the letter below is a precursor to the execution of the attack.

I find this letter extremely fascinating and it provides an insight to the man and the effort.  It also gives me connection to the battle, whenever I visit the Petersburg National Battlefield Park.  Additionally, his bit of humor in the closing gives me a feel for the man...

"G.D. the mules they shake too much I can’t write anymore."

John would die a young man in 1876 at age 37.  Depositions provided in the widow pension application reference both his wounds received in battle, as well as his service in digging the mine.




*This is an uncensored reference in advance of the mining and preparation for the upcoming explosion which did occur on July 30, 1864 and resulted in the famous Petersburg “crater” and the breeching of the Confederate lines.  The 48th Pa. conceived the plan for the mining and destruction of these fortifications; however, an otherwise brilliant plan deteriorated into a debacle when, after the successful detonation of explosives and breeching of fortifications, failed to follow up forcefully with the scheduled infantry attack (Depositions from Official Records (O.R.) indicated that J.W. Derr was actually more involved in the undermining than he indicated in this letter- See deposition of Sgt Otto Bodo, dated June 23, 1880).







                                                                                                Camp near Petersburg, Va.           
                                                                                                July 13th, 1864

My Dear Father and Mother,
            I take the present opportunity to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  I received your letter today and I was very glad to hear that you are well all the time and I am happy that I can say the same.  I am also glad to hear that you got my money and I hope you will take good care of it, as you did before.  And if we don’t soon get paid I will be very apt to send for some of it but I hope we will soon get paid off.  We don’t need much money, but I want some once in a while.  I suppose you took good care that you got my pay all in good money for I wouldn’t like to have any bad money for I have to work hard for it.  We hear that the rebels are making a raid into Pennsylvania again but I hope it will be to their sorrow.  I hope they will lose more men then they did last summer at Gettysburg and they didn’t gain much that time by all appearances.  It is for no use to write anything to you about the war for you know more at home then we do out here for we do hear very little but what we see.  But I will let you know that we will have a great explosion here before very long.  We are going to blow up the rebels forts.  They are undermining them now.  They have two or three all ready now and our regiment is working at one and they are near done with it and I hope it will work all right, if they get it going. *
            I have no more to write today so I will bring these few lines to a close for this time with the intention of hearing from you soon again.  So I will remain your affectionate son.
                                                                                                John W. Derr
Answer soon and direct your letter as before.  Give my love to my brothers and sisters and to all inquiring friends.  Tell Josiah Fetterolf if he wouldn’t write a letter to me I would pin his nose up on his forehead.  G.D. the mules they shake too much I can’t write anymore.









Pension Deposition of Sgt. Otto Bodo referencing JWD's participation in the mine




Jim D.









Thursday, July 3, 2014

Letter #36 - Camp 8 Miles from City Point, VA -- July 1, 1864



I decided to delay publishing Letter #36 until closer to the 4th of July.  The reason is that this letter has a very nice reference to Independence Day and how the men of the 48th planned to celebrate.  The war...now in it's third year...was more than most of these men had anticipated.  As a result, any opportunity to celebrate or bond with the cause of the Union was enjoyed.  Especially...as John indicates...where that celebration would be done in front of the rebels.  Essentially...shoving the celebration in the traitorous faces of the enemy.







Letter #36 contains the normal discussions regarding his money, stamps, as well as a belated thank you for butter and sausage that his parents had sent back to him via his cousin John D. Weikel.  Weikel is mentioned in previous letters as having been missing in battle, but later we find out that he is well and returns to the regiment.



















During my many years of research on these letters, this particular letter had confounded both myself and my father.  In the letter John references his "Dear Wife".  For the longest time, we both thought that he had been married during the war.  We now know, through further research, that he was not married at this time.  He was apparently trying to be humorous by saying "if I want to write to my Dear Wife or somebody else's wife"...his version of randy humor.

John also talks about how they are under fire day and night "under the bullets and shells"...so it was a difficult and dangerous during this particular letter writing.   His reference to this year's 4th of July celebrations and one from the prior year (during their provost duty in Lexington, Kentucky, are highlighted in this letter.  That is why I wanted to save it for closer to the 4th of July.  "This fourth of July we will celebrate with the roaring of cannon and muskets along the lines of battle.  While we had fine times of it last year, we was eating and drinking as much as we liked and what we would like.  But that is all over and gone."




 Again...a very interesting letter.




                                                                                                Camp 8 miles from City Point, Va
                                                                                                July 1st, 1864

My Dear Father,
            I take the present opportunity to write this few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  I received your letter yesterday and was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you was all well and I am glad that I am the same when this letter leaves me.  I always forget to tell you that I got them things what you did send with John Weikle, the sausage and butter, but I did get it safe when he came back.  I will also enclose 50 cents in this letter and will send it to you and I want you to buy me some postage stamps and send them to me in your next letter for I am entirely out of them and I want to write to the girls sometimes.  Then I must have some stamps to put on my letters and also if I want to write to my Dear Wife or somebody else’s wife.  I think that is enough for this time of that subject.  I think you are busy at making hay at home till this letter comes to hand.  Well we are laying out here under the bullets and shells every day and night.  But we are still enjoying ourselves well and are hoping that we may soon be with you at home and enjoy ourselves with the and this cruel war be over.  This fourth of July we will celebrate with the roaring of cannon and muskets along the lines of battle.  While we had fine times of it last year, we was eating and drinking as much as we liked and what we would like.  But that is all over and gone.  But this hand (ain’t) over yet today, but it will till this letter comes to your hands.  I wish you wouldn’t forget to see John Kramer about that money what I wrote to you in my other letter and let me know about it.  I have to bring my letter to a close for this time.  This few lines from your son.
                                                                                                John W. Derr
Answer soon and direct to J.W. Derr, Co. D, 48th Regt Pa, 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Army Corps, Washington, D.C.







Happy 4th of July everyone!


Jim D.