October 2, 1862: Alexander Biddle to Julia Williams Rush Biddle

Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush. A businessman and member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Calvary before the war, Biddle entered Civil War service with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on  September 1, 1862. Starting out as a a major, he would fight at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among others engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)

[Note: this statement has been updated to reflect that Biddle was not mustered as a colonel. It also originally mistakenly stated Biddle was also at Chancellorsville, but he was on leave]

Transcript [excerpt]:

Camp New Frederick

Oct. 2^nd 1862

We are in Camp a little South & East of Frederick on the highest ground near the town/ We pitched out shelter tents last night these tents are comprised of three pieces of canvas duck. Three men to a tent each taking one piece on his shoulders. Last night we got orders to march to Sharpsburg and report to the First Army Corps (I believe it is Hookers) Sharpsburg is about 25 miles off above Harpers Ferry. We shall cook two days rations today and march towards night. Last night we really bivouacked. We had nothing but the fly of a hospital and for all the field and staff. It rained moderately during the night but we were comfortable. There is a very large number of troops here and more hourly arriving, they are sent forward without the means of cooking oftentimes we well do. They say you will get all you want when you arrive but we don’t find it so. We have a regiment alongside of us with 125 men in it which came out 18 mos ago 960 strong and they tell us that the new regiments look like whole divisions. So far everything seems to be going along well. Some of the men seem to be falling off with the trial they have had but they don’t know how much worse off others are. We expect our teams which came by turnpike to meet us today and therefore think we can get along. We yesterday drew 306 rations for our force…

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle. 2 October 1862. Rush:IV:30:24