Franklin County: A Brother to David D. Hougham, August 4, 1863 — Letters

Summary

This letter to Hougham from a family member describes Union troop movement from Philadelphia to Reading, Pennsylvania.

Dear Brother

I reseived your letter yesterday about 10 minutes after reaching here. We left Phil. friday eve at 7 oclock and marched to Norristown 16 miles stoped 2 hours and fed and started again and went as far as [unclear: Trappe] and fed again there and then left and made another halt at Pottstown got there at 9 Sat eve and stayed till Sunday eve at 10. When we left for Reading where we arrived at 7 in movng here we took the cars for Pottsville the weather during the march was the hottest of the season. We left Franklin Palmer and one other fellow on the road sick every where along the road and here we had every thing we could eat. this morning a lot of ladies brought up enough for us all to have breakfast. we had a good trip, but it was an awful hard one. the trip from washington to Phil. was rather long. we ran an extra train and had to wait for orders at every station so as to miss other trains. We are up in the coal mine region and we expect to have business there is 16000 miners to oppose the draft, 800 were drilling 4 miles from here yesterday having left the mines for what purpose we dont expect to stay here long but are going 5 or 6 miles up into the mines or mountains for it is all mountains here there is a mine about 100 [unclear: rods] from here have not had time to go to it yet they are raising a Brigade and we shall probably go to the front when we go from here I did not receive the letters you spoke of only Sarahs and that I answered just before I left Phil. here and got here before I did the trip from w to P was about the same as when we went down only we got quite hungry and stoped at a station where there was 5 gal. cans filled with milk and I [unclear: just took] one of them and it happened to be filled with cream and we had a big feast and have got the can yet and keep it to put water in it is quite handy I dont know as there is any thing more at present all the boys are well and with us except [unclear: Orb] we left him in Phil Gray and [unclear: jap ] was left but came all the way by RR and got here. we [unclear: shall] leave this Co. probably so write to Pottsville

[unclear: yours]
[unclear: Batt] A1^st
Pottsville Pa

Dear Brother

I received your letter yesterday about 10 minutes after reaching here. We left Philadelphia friday eve at 7 o'clock and marched to Norristown 16 miles stopped 2 hours and fed and started again and went as far as [unclear: Trappe] and fed again there and then left and made another halt at Pottstown got there at 9 Saturday eve and stayed till Sunday eve at 10. When we left for Reading where we arrived at 7 in moving here we took the cars for Pottsville the weather during the march was the hottest of the season. We left Franklin Palmer and one other fellow on the road sick every where along the road and here we had every thing we could eat. this morning a lot of ladies brought up enough for us all to have breakfast. we had a good trip, but it was an awful hard one. the trip from washington to Philadelphia was rather long. we ran an extra train and had to wait for orders at every station so as to miss other trains. We are up in the coal mine region and we expect to have business there is 16000 miners to oppose the draft, 800 were drilling 4 miles from here yesterday having left the mines for what purpose we don't expect to stay here long but are going 5 or 6 miles up into the mines or mountains for it is all mountains here there is a mine about 100 [unclear: rods] from here have not had time to go to it yet they are raising a Brigade and we shall probably go to the front when we go from here I did not receive the letters you spoke of only Sarah's and that I answered just before I left Philadelphia here and got here before I did the trip from Washington to Philadelphia was about the same as when we went down only we got quite hungry and stopped at a station where there were 5 gallon cans filled with milk and I [unclear: just took] one of them and it happened to be filled with cream and we had a big feast and have got the can yet and keep it to put water in it is quite handy I don't know as there is any thing more at present all the boys are well and with us except [unclear: Orb] we left him in Philadelphia Gray and [unclear: jap ] was left but came all the way by Railroad and got here. we [unclear: shall] leave this County probably so write to Pottsville

[unclear: yours]
[unclear: Batt] A1^st
Pottsville Pennsylvania