Letter #24 -- Georgetown College Hospital, Washington DC - September 27, 1862

As I discussed in previous posts, there were two "lost" letters that were recently rediscovered.  The first was published a few weeks ago (http://www.jwdletters.com/2012/10/letter-21a-georgetown-college-hospital.html) and was one of the many letters written home from Georgetown College Hospital in September of 1862 while convalesced from his wounds at the Second Battle of Bull Run.

This letter...Letter #24 is much as the others, in so much as, he writes short and specific letters home to inquire about his and his family's affairs.  Unlike today, where a soldier can recuperate in a hospital ward with comrades and some level of entertainment...books, magazines, TV, etc... the Civil War hospital was a different affair.  The nation was ill prepared to deal with the realities of war...wounding, disease, and the dying.   The romantic notion of a heroic war was replaced with the thousands and thousands of the wounded, sick and dying.  Sanitation in the nations capital was abysmal with open sewers, encampments of soldiers, animal stockyards in close quarters, which bred disease and death.

A soldier, such as John, must have felt bored, depressed and lonely waiting for his "minor" wound to heal.  Letter writing and letter receiving was one of his few joys and releases.




Letter #24.....

                                                                                                Georgetown College Hospital

                                                                                                Monday September 27, 1862

My Dear Father and Mother,

                        I take my pencil in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am very well at present time and I hope that this few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  Further I let you know that I received two letters yesterday that you had wrote to me.  One was wrote in August the 10^th and the other on the 14^th.  And I didn’t get them till yesterday and I was very glad that I got them after all.  Further I let you know that you stated in one of your letters that you didn’t get my likeness what I did send home.  I wish you would let me know whether Francis Dengler got it and they didn’t give it to you or whether it didn’t come home at all.  Had it directed to F. Dengler because mine and Solomon Yarnell was together.   Further I let you know that my leg feel very well this morning.  It begins to heal but it goes rather slow.  But now I guess I must come to a close this time because my pen is out of ink.  Answer this letter with good courage and as soon as you can without much trouble.  This few lines from your dear son.

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Direct your letter to John W. Derr Georgetown College Hospital Ward No. 2  Washington, D.C.

Jim D.

Letter #21 - Georgetown College Hospital, Washington DC - September 7, 1862

As promised...the September 7, 1862 letter....

In my last post, I commemorated the August 29, 1862 battlefield action at Second Bull Run (Manassas).  In this battle, during the thrust by General Reno's men against General Jackson's men at the Unfinished Railroad near Featherbed Road, John W. Derr was wounded.  In the letter written from his hospital bed at Georgetown College hospital in Washington City, Derr tells of the circumstances of his wounding, subsequent actions by his comrades and the rebels, and ultimately his fortunate parole and hospitalization.  During this battle at around 3:00 p.m. on August 29th, many of his friends in Company D., of the 48th PVI were wounded or taken prisoner.  For example, he identifies Joshua Reed, Peter and David Krieger as friends from the Deep Creek area that were wounded. 

John Derr was careful to include in his letter home, the fact that his wound was serious, but that the wound did not include bone injury.  This was critical, because a gunshot wound that damaged the bone, usually resulted in immediate amputation.  The low velocity, high caliber rounds of the era caused a massive shattering of the bone that was impossible to repair using the medical capabilities of the day.  This, however, did not mean that John was out of the woods.  Infection, disease, and neglect could cause compounding and ancillary failures that could claim a soldiers life, and indeed, John was in the hospital for the next 5 months recuperating. 

                                                                                                Georgetown College Hospital

                                                                                                Washington, September the 7 1862

My Dear Father and Mother,

                        I take my pen in hand to inform this few lines to you to let you know that I am not very well now.  I let you know that I am slightly wounded in my leg above the ankle, but it didn’t injure the bone any.  I was wounded August the 29 in the afternoon at about three o’clock or a little after three at what they call Second Bull Run fight.  I was carried off from the field in the hospital form our men.  But then the next day our men had to retreat back and then I was tooked prisoner by the Rebels and they had me for three days.  And then I was Pertroled (Paroled) by our men with a flag of truce and was brought to Washington in the hospital and there I am now.  Now I dares’nt fight anymore until I get exchanged.  There are no more of the Deep Creek boys wounded that I know of but Josua Reed he is slightly wounded, but I don’t know where he is.  And David and Peter Krieger from New Castle they are both slightly wounded.  Peter is shot through the leg above the knee but didn’t hurt the bone, David is shot in the back and they are both with me.  Further I let you know that I will try my very best to get a furlo and come home when my leg gets well.  I hope it will soon get well because it is only a flesh wound and I can nearly walk on it now.  So I don’t have much more to write this time.  So don’t forget to answer this letter as soon as you get this form me.  So I will close letter and say goodbye for this time.

                                                                                                Your respect son,

                                                                                                John W. Derr

Direct your letter to John W. Derr, Georgetown College Hospital, 2^nd Ward, Washington, D.C

Photograph of the "Unfinished Railroad" looking west from the Featherbed Road, Manassas, Virginia.  It was within 100 yards of the picture that John W. Derr was wounded during the assault on Jackson's center line on August 29, 1862.

The Stone House at Route 29 and Route 234 in Manassas, Virginia.  Location John W. Derr was taken after being wounded on August 29, 1862 during his prisoner status.  He was later paroled and sent to Georgetown College Hospital in Washington City.

Pennsylvania ARIAS Civil War soldiers service index card of Joshua Reed, wounded along with John W. Derr at the Second Battle of Bull Run...August 29, 1862.  Reed would survive to be captured later in the war at Pegrams Farm in September 1864.  He was exchanged in March of 1865 in poor health and died two months later at his home in Pennsylvania while convalescing.

The Broad and Cherry Street hospital in Philadelphia, Pa, where John Derr recuperated from December 1862 - January 1863.

Jim D.

Second Bull Run - A 150th Anniversary Retrospective

I had the opportunity today to spend some time at the Manassas Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia with my Dad to commemorate and reflect on the contributions of my GG-grandfather, John W. Derr.   I wanted to take a few quiet moments to step back in time to that period in the Civil War when armies clashed and men died.  A time to reflect on my good fortune to be living in the here and now.  A time to spend with my Dad on a common bond and interest we have shared over the last 45 years.  We both felt it was appropriate to honor our ancestor by visiting the site of his courageous service to our country.

On August 29th, 1862 the Army of Virginia under General John Pope met up with the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee at and around Manassas, not far from the site of the original first battle of Bull Run.  It was at this battle that John W. Derr first experienced the shear terror of battle, the horror and fear of death.  His contributions up to that point had been primarily in supporting roles and as reserve troops, but here in Manasas, on this day 150 years ago, all of that change for him.

JWD, as a private in the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, was part of Pope's infamous thrust in to center of General Thomas Jackson (Stonewall Jackson) line at the unfinished railroad cut near Groveton.  Convinced that Jackson was isolated from the rest of the Confederate army and not likely to receive reinforcement from General Longstreet, Pope attacked Jackson's center at the unfinished railroad cut while later in the afternoon, General Longstreet arrived to provide reserve support.  This proved devastating to the union drive and resulted in a overwhelming defeat.

The 48th PVI, flanked by the 6th New Hampshire and the 2nd Maryland advanced the line.  It was at this time around 3:00 on the 29th of August that the 48th PVI advanced more rapidly than the other two regiments, leaving it in a vulnerable position.  Hard to imagine now, but in those days the battles tended to be a bit more chaotic owing to the smoke, noise and lack of effective communications between regiments and respective army headquarters leadership.  In the case of the 48th PVI, they were able to retreat back, but not after sustaining heavy casualties.  It was during this part of the battle that John W. Derr was wounded in the leg above his ankle.  Fortunately for him, the wound did not hit the bone and he was able to be recovered by his men during their initial retreat.  As a confederate line advanced further, Derr had to be abandoned by the rest of his company due to his lack of mobility.  At that time, John W. Derr was taken prisoner by Jackson's men.  Later he would be moved to the Stone House where his wounds were tended and dressed.

Wounded and a prisoner, Derr was lucky to survive this horrendous battle.  It wasn't until nine days later that he was able to write home to his parent to describe his ordeal.  John Derr spent three days as a prisoner of war before being paroled by the confederates in a prisoner exchange.  Paroling, a common practice during that period of the war, was eliminated under General Grant later in the war.









All of this is described in Derr's letter of September 7, 1862 which will be posted in nine days...please stay tuned!....

Donald Derr, Great Grandson of John W. Derr at the Unfinished Railroad cut

Link to Wikipedia for a description of this campaign:  Wikipedia on the Second Battle of Bull Run

Jim D.