Dwight Henry Cory Letters and Diary

[note: This letter was heavily edited and punctuated apparently at a later date by a different hand in pencil. For example "Old Kill" is crossed out and Gen. Kilpatrick is written in it's place. Possibly parts of this letter were used in a speech as all the personal information was crossed out. Throughout this and the coming letters Libbie Braden is a female and Liberty Raymond (also referred to as Lib or Libbie) is a male. Dwight seldom used any punctuation in his letters except underlining. Some punctuation has occasionally been added for clarity but most letters were copied as written.]

I received four letters from home (and its vicinity) day before yesterday. One from Mother, one from Sylvia and one from John and Emily. One from Debra French and one from Libbie Braden. These all were read with great pleasure. What did you do on the 4th to celebrate the birthday of the U.S. We, the troops of Gen Kilpatrick's brigade, went over the mountain and took 1500 prisoners and 160 wagons loaded with all kinds of stores that they had taken in Pa, and about 100 wounded Rebs. We started in pursuit of the train, about four in the p.m. and rode all night and it rained and was very dark, but this didn't hinder our artillery from sending a shot through five or six wagons as they were going along the road. Then our men, mostly from our reg. charged among them and took the whole thing, including Gen. Jones who was dressed as a citizen. I tell you there is not a general in the whole service that stands higher in the estimation of Old Kill than ours. As an instance of this a short time ago a certain Reg. in our brig. was ordered to charge but some officers remonstrated that it wasn't safe. What! afraid are you? Send for one squadron of the 6th Ohio. They ain't afraid says old Kilpatrick, and this is the only gen. who ever led us in person. Yes, Mother I am very rugged and hearty, my weight is 158 only but I feel well, and the heat don't effect me as much as it would if I was more fleshy. In a word, I am down to my "fighting weight" and I try to do as you tell me in every thing for I am coming home some time if nothing happens and I don't want to be whipped when I get there for anything I have done or not done here. Yes John I knew you would be ashamed of your negligence when I put the matter before you in its true light. I have always been good to you and there is no reason why you should alight me now, but your good resolution fails and Emily is your next resort. Well Emily I am glad you went to see Libbie. If you did it on my account I will thank you and relieve you of the necessity when I get home. If you could see the letters that I receive from her, so kind and friendly and at the same time so reserved you would not wonder that I try to appreciate such friendship. I wish I could keep all the letters that I get here in the army, but they are so numerous that I can't and have to burn them after the tenth reading for fear the rebs or some one else may get hold of them. Not that I don't feel proud of every letter I get, but every one can't read them if I can help it. Those pictures where are they and echo across where and I fear that is all the answer I shall get too. Every letter received from home is a new source of happiness so let them be frequent and God will bless you.

I have just answered the letter from mother, John and Eva and now will proceed to review yours. How pleasant it would be if you could be here. Yes I have just issued rations to the reg. for four days and if you were here I would get a horse for you and we would ride all over the battlefield that lies near here and we would visit some as pretty country as you ever saw, Then we would go up the Hagerstown road and look at the place where hundreds will date the commencement of their misery by the loss of a leg or an arm. I would show you where our guns were planted that drove the rebs from their position, Where shells burst killing their horses and perhaps men too, but these are now covered, but the horses lay there still. Then you would like to see where we took those 1500 back in the mountain and it would have done you good to have seen and heard the citizens cheering us as we passed on in hob haste. You speak of hanging Valandingham in office but we have been hanging a spy in good earnest and his body was lying at the roots of the tree from which he hung the last that we heard. He was living as a spy within sight of Gredrich city and I hear that there are some four or five more to share the same fate.

Sylvia, do you think the girls of Burton are as strong in their union sentiments as they pretend! are you! Would you or they bring water these warring days all long and give to every thirsty soldier to whom it was possible to reach. This is the way the ladies of MD treated us and they will accept the attention of a soldier sooner than one who has always stayed at home. Many a good meal have I eaten when I know it cost them great effort to get it but I never forgot to pay them for it especially if they are poor. I had a noodle soup for dinner the other day at the house of a wealthy farmer (by the way there is no slaves here) and got for our reg. 120 bushels shelled corn and he offered to let us have some horses too, but we refused. This corn we gave a receipt for and it is just as good as cash to him at $1 per bushel.

Let this answer for the present for I have lots more letters to answer today. I never let more than two days pass over my head before answering letters from home or anywhere else. Send my love to Charley, Mary, Eva, Lois and all the rest

While I write the artillery and cavalry are passing to the scene of action. You will see the outcome of these battles in the papers and when I get home I will tell you what I done and where it was and etc. Dwight

We don't change camps for we stay only a night in a place and we don't call that camping. So you may direct to D. H. Cory

You may be thinking that I don't mean to improve the privilege granted me of writing to you however this is not the case. You had the promise of a photograph in my first letter and as those from Warren did not come as expected they had to be taken some other place and that happened to be here in camp. You are doubtless pleasantly settled down in life by this time "Keeping house" and have taken the rank and title of an Ohio Lady but it is rather doubtful whether you enjoy yourself as well there as you will in that old Hubbard House in the unpretending little village of Greene and if you learn more or as much even you are doing well. The last time I saw you was on that awful snowy morning on your way to your school and you looked more like a moving snowbank than a living school marm. Which you felt the most like is doubtful. We calculated to go back to Burton that day but the snow was much too bad for Mother to venture and we just kept going until the next day meanwhile I went and got Susan Ross to stay with Laura while we were gone and to see how she would like to live with us. We got to Burton the next night about three o'clock and went to Middlefield to singing school. You see I was not aquatinted with any one in Burton except our own folks but there was nothing for me to do but scrape acquaintances all the time and being a soldier this was no task and the two weeks spent there were by no means unpleasant. Singing and Sleighing were principal amusements intermingled with jokes and fun but this visit like all others of its kind passed away almost before I was aware of it and now on the 22nd of March this cold dreary day I am here at my post of duty but I am not sorry nor would I accept a discharge from the service if it were offered me. Our regiment now registers six hundred present besides one hundred twenty-five at home. This will give me enough to do for the next summers campaign. I have just finished drawing rations for the last six days of this month and it makes quite a show but what do you care for this! Probably nothing. Never mind we will call this a letter hoping it will be sufficient excuse for you to write to me and send that picture in return for the one I sent you.

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Dwight Henry Cory Letters and Diary [note: This letter was heavily edited and punctuated apparently at a later date by a different hand in pencil. For example "Old Kill" is crossed out and Gen. Kilpatrick is written in it's place. Possibly parts of this letter were used in a speech as all the personal information was crossed out. Throughout this and the coming letters Libbie Braden is a female and Liberty Raymond (also referred to as Lib or Libbie) is a male. Dwight seldom used any punctuation in his letters except underlining. Some punctuation has occasionally been added for clarity but most letters were copied as written.] Camp in the Woods near the battlefield of Antiatam, MD July 12th, Sunday, 1863 Dear Parents, Brothers & Sisters I received four letters from home (and its vicinity) day before yesterday. One from Mother, one from Sylvia and one from John and Emily. One from Debra French and one from Libbie Braden. These all were read w