Calvin A. Haynes of East Nassau, NY at the age of 24 enlisted in August 1862 at Troy in the 125th New York Infantry Regiment. His letters home to his wife Lucy have been transcribed by John Minitti of Winchester, MA and are here reproduced, with some editing, courtesy of the New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections.
Camp Wood Sept 5th 1862
Dear Wife
I have now an opportunity of writng a few lines to you. Their is a man here from Troy that will carry it for me. All communication by mail is stoped. The telgraph and rail road are torn up. We are in rather a bad place we
are liable to be attacked at any moment. I suppose you will feel rather bad about it but keep up good courage. we will come out all right in the end. I guess we are all well from E. Nassau. we sleeped on our arms last night all loaded ready for action if we are attacked we shall do the best we can. I shall make one of them bite the dust if I can. You need not be [afraid?] if you do not here from me again right off. I shall write as often as I can send them to you. I think that they have got us in a very bad box but their is no use of grumbling all we got to do is to obey orders and we will come out allright. I do not want you to borrow any trouble about me not until I am in a worse place than I am now. It will not do any good if you do. I am just as cool about it as if I was in East Nassau and I hope you will be. I must close my letter before the man leaves or I cannot send it at all. You must be a good girl and take good care of Ella. I have been just 3 minutes a writing this letter. I suppose that we shall have to sleep on our arms again tonight.
Good bye
From your Affectionate Husband
C. A. Haynes
The 125th along with the other Union forces were indeed “in a very bad box.” Since Haynes’ last letter they had evacuated Martinsburg and marched to Harpers Ferry at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. The inept area Commander, Colonel Dixon Miles, placed most of his force in or near the town, leaving the heights on all sides unprotected from Stonewall Jackson’s army. Shells rained down from above, and the main battle commenced on the day Haynes wrote this letter. It turned out very badly for the Union.
