Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush, the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush. Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)
Transcript (excerpt):
Thursday July 9th 1863
Camp on west side of Gap
South Mt — near Boonsboro
Dear Julia
…
I have been tolerably well so far and hope to get through well – though rather short of provisions and with poor food. I have lived so long in the open air without shelter that I find out many of my old necessities to be only luxuries. We now hear cannon nearly north of us towards Cave town and expect orders to move – Afternoon We have been lying here all day and will probably remain tonight – other Corps have gone forward towards Boonsboro and constant Cannon firing has been heard – One of our men has just brought in a Cavalry soldier of Stuarts – he says he is of the 5th Company of Col Randall’s North Carolina Cavalry was born in NYk is 22 yrs of age and been working and living at the Gold Mines for 6 yrs. he said he had a brother in the Union service and wanted to get North – he wore a very good grey cloth jacket – butternut pants with a large button on the jacket with an I on it. He said the men of his command were much dissatisfied. they got $12 a month in Confederate scrip. They could not desert for they always had guards generally of Texas or Mississippi troops and when they went into action their best troops were in the second line and always fired on those who ran from the first – the troops from Cotton states were spoken of as their most certain – the Georgia and North Carolina less so – because of disaffection to the cause. It would seem from his account that they used very strict discipline to keep down all appearance of disaffection – As the Cavalry man remarked, “When a man gets into action and is shot at – he might as well shoot too.”– Rosengarten gave me your letter – told me Uncle was improving and that you were well – you dont know how grateful it is to me to think that we have relieved you in Philadelphia of your anxieties, at least so far. I send you a slip, Meades despatch– Our regiment was in the reserve of the left centre and under the fire Meade describes. One of our men had a finger torn off by a piece of shell – A man in another regiment close by lost a hand – and many of the men were struck by spent fragments of shells but we sustained no more injury – three caissons were blown up – in the batteries and on the road within 15 or 20 minutes of each other – our force now after retaking Gettysburg and getting back some prisoners is 94 men – leaving our loss in the first days fight 162 – out of 256.
Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 9 July 1863. Rush IV:30:33