November 28, 1861

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Fort Lyon, VA 

Nov 28, 1861

My brother and sister it was with pleasure that I received your letter baring the date of the 16th and was glad, yes very glad, to hear from you that you are as well as you are and I am glad to write to you once more that I am well and hope these few lines may find you the same. The hand of providence has restored to me my health and I am thankful and hope I shall keep well during the war.

I have no news to write to you. We do not know where we shall winter. Some think we shall winter here, we shall know soon. I think the war will end by spring, I do not care how soon. Rebels are deserting continually, the rebel army is dwindling away.

We had a oyster dinner today, they are plenty here.

It would surprise you to be in our camp one day, to see the beggars both black and white, old and young, men and women, it is the reward of slavery. You have heard the report in Michigan but the half was not told, I never knew there was a race of beings in America so retched as the people are down here. They are despised more than the black man, they are trampled under foot by both master and slave, and I have never seen but one schoolhouse in this state.

The slaves are running away by numbers. I do not know how much tea is a pound. I am cooking for the company now.

I send my respect to all the neighbors, both friends and foes. I must bring my letter to a close, I give my love to the children. Bub must lay up an apple for me,

                 Samuel Mathews

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Written by pen on a plain sheet of paper, and folded like a booklet.

The first paragraph of this letter explains how important letters and news were to the soldiers. There were millions of letters (Not an exaggeration) which were sent during the Civil War. Even when, as Samuel says, there was no news to write, letters would be written and send. Throughout the series of letters, it is apparent how much Samuel cared about receiving letters, even to the point of telling his sister and brother-in-law that he thought they had forgotten all about him.

The 3rd did not winter in Fort Lyon, but rather, on December 18th, moved to Camp Michigan and set up winter camp there.

Samuel incorrectly assumes that "rebels are deserting continually, the rebel army is dwindling away." In fact, the rebels were in high spirits after their success at First Bull Run. This statement also shows how the federal army also had good moral. Since George B McClellan was made commander of the Army of the Potomac, he had been working hard to get the army well drilled, fed, and clothed. This raised the spirits of the fighting men considerably, which made them feel invincible.

Shortly after this letter, the 5th Michigan infantry was attached to Richardson's Brigade. In June of 1864, after the three-year enlistments were done, the remaining soldiers of the 3rd who reenlisted for another three years or until the war was over were incorporated into the 5th Michigan and finished the war.

As Samuel says, the slaves were indeed running away in large numbers into the ranks of the Federal army. Once they arrived they were proclaimed as spoils of war, and were put to work acting as company cooks or private servants of the officers. Most of the ex-slaves were all too happy to be helping and to be, to an extent, free.

Israel B Richardson, brigadier general of the Third
from their arrival in Washington until March of 1862

A "contraband" cook

October 2, 1861

Fort Richardson PA
Oct 2, 1861
My Brother and Sister, I sit down to try to write you a few lines to let you know I am sick. I have had the fever but it has broken. I have no appetite so I gain no strength. I am now in an old house close to our camp but we shall have to leave it soon, for an order has come for us to move, but I do not know where. Direct the letters to Washington and I will get them all the same. The enemy have left Munster Hill and have fallen back to Bull Run. Tell all my friends that Mathews has no news for them. My head is not good, I cannot think of any thing to write today so you must excuse me this time. I should like to see the children and lick Bub on his butt. Tunis, if Pollock comes and wants that note let him have it for Polk has paid me.
             Samuel Matthews

There is no frost here yet but it is cool.
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Once again Samuel had taken ill, though this time it appears to be much worse than before.

Fort Richardson, now just a suburban area of sprawling Washington DC, was not much more than a detached redoubt for protecting that vital city named after the 3rd’s own brigadier general Richardson. It had a perimeter of 316 yards and contained 15 guns and the 3rd built it and quartered there several times.

Apparently, Samuel had done some business with the Pollock family and they owned him money, and so Mr. Pollocks son, William (or “Polk”) Pollock paid Samuel back. The Pollocks were close neighbors to the Taylor family and seems to have been good friends.

Location of Fort Richardson

Picture of Fort Richardson

May 29, 1861

Grand Rapids, Michigan

May 29th, 1861

I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines and let you know how I am. I am not very well at present and it has been very unpleasant weather since I have been here, I took a very heavy cold when I first came here. I have had a Diarrhea since I have been here, but I am better now. I like the soldiers life so far very well.

I belong to the Third Regiment and the Seventh Company, which goes by the letter G. Our regiment is very large, containing one thousand and eleven men. We have not got our military clothes yet but we expect them soon, they are at Grand Rapids and they will be in camp today or tomorrow. We do not know when we shall leave here or where we shall go, but I think we shall go to Detroit, at Fort Wayne.

Last Sunday we went down to the river to go swimming and a man got drowned by the name of James Hammard. He was from St Johns and was in the river forty minutes but he could not be brought to life again. Last Friday I went visiting to see Mr. Martin. I found them all well, Mary Ann wants to see you very much. She has got two girls, young winners. She has but two children, they are doing well and have got a good home within five miles of the Rapids. Tideah [sic] lives 11 miles from the Rapids and I have not seen him yet but I mean to go there Saturday if I can. She has got two girls and lost one boy last summer who was 8 years old.

 No more at present, I hope these few lines may find you enjoying good health so goodbye. I send my love to you all and Buby in particular.

                                                               S Mathews

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The first letter we have of Samuel Mathews. Written by pen on stationary with a flag in the upper right corner, and, like most of his letters, folded like a book. During his stays at winter quarters and established camps he usually wrote with pen and ink, but during the summer and campaigns the letters were decidedly pencil. The reason behind this is because a soldier would rarely want to carry a pen with nibs, powdered ink, and a glass ink bottle in his already too heavy knapsack or blanket roll.


The "military clothes" Samuel mentions were the grey uniforms that the 3rd. originally left with, a "shoddy suit of gray, furnished us by a shoddy contractor at Grand Rapids, who made a fortune out of the speculation". These wore out soon and were replace by the standard blue uniform.

His sickness he described was very common all throughout the war. Many of the men, especially from Michigan, had lived all their life in rural communities and were not subject to the many viruses and diseases the the city born people became immune to, and so if you put 1,011 of such men together in a non-sanitary place with very few immune to most sicknesses and poor food, there is bound to be some problems.

Writing Home. Hardtack and Coffee, by John Billings