Civil War experiences told in letters

Civil War experiences told in lettersOn Dec. 17, 1864, Richard T. Van Wyck wrote to his mother from Harrison’s Island, S.C., “In front of Savannah, Ga.,” that this was the longest intermission between writings “than at any time yet.” His mother lived in Fishkill, Dutchess County, and Van Wyck, who had enlisted on Oct. 4, 1862, at the age of 24 in the 150th New York Volunteer Infantry, had just participated in the march through Georgia, a major Civil War campaign. The 150th was headed by Col. John Henry Ketcham, Dover, Dutchess County. This was one letter of more than 200 written by Van Wyck during his three years of service, and chronicled in the book “A War To Petrify The Heart,” edited by Virginia Hughes Kaminsky (1997). The letters are to his parents and family, plus some to his cousin, Sarah, who became his wife after the war. Kaminsky, in her Preface, writes that these letters, “of a young Yankee farmer takes us through the vicissitudes of war;” and, who in turn told his family to write to him of farm matters as, “I think of the farm all the time.” In the introduction by John C. Quinn he notes this collection of letters offers a truer understanding of a soldier’s war experience, something that has/had been “largely ignored” in the history and texts of the War. Van Wyck lived in a letter-writing culture stated Quinn, and tended to average two a day. Here’s some more of the content of his Dec. 17 letter mentioned above:“The details of the expedition you will get more complete by the newspaper reporters along. We pushed steadily forward, encountered no enemy till we neared this point, lived famously upon sweet potatoes, pork, chicken, turkeys, etc., an abundance of everything we wanted as the country was rich in everything. I would like to give you a long letter, but this must suffice at present.” He went on to tell of a Rebel gunboat shelling them daily and stated that the major food was rice. • • • The country, the state, the county and local historians have been encouraged to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War from 2011-2015. I have done my small part throughout this period, and will continue to do so the rest of 2015. Amenia provided many men to the 150th Regiment. Lest we not forget, just take a look at Fountain Square. Plus, here are two comments from Google and www.angelfire.com: “There was never a blemish on its record; it did its whole duty and was never in a losing fight. Nearly all its members were from Dutchess County; and it was composed of many who were relatives, friends and acquaintances. It was probably nearer a(n) harmonious family in its composition and feeling than any regiment in the service. There were no jealousies, no selfish rivalries” said Major Henry A. Gildersleeve. While Major General Henry Slocum claimed that, “No regiment goes home with a better record.” And as for Col. Ketcham, Henry N. MacCracken wrote in his 1958 “Blithe Dutchess” of the praise that was received by the regiment under his leadership. Van Wyck has a picture of Ketcham that includes the comment he was severely wounded near Savannah, Ga., but he recovered and after the war ended served 19 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. On another page he has a picture of some of the 150th Volunteers that includes Amenia’s 1st. Lt. Henry Gridley, who was killed in action in Georgia in 1862, and who Van Wyck described “as the smartest officer in the Regiment.” The name of the book was taken from a letter dated Dec. 4, 1862, in which he wrote specifically about hospitalized soldiers and their care and said, “The effect of the war is to petrify the heart.” Yours in history. Arlene Iuliano is the Amenia town historian.