This page includes three letters by Pvt. Milo Hawley Felton (1844-1922) and one by his father, Pvt. Royal Rice Felton (1820-1897) of Stockholm, St. Lawrence county, New York. Both father and son served in Co. M, 6th New York Heavy Artillery. Milo enlisted on 22 December 1863 and was mustered into the service on 1 January 1864, receiving a $500 bounty by the town of Stockholm. He took part in the Overland Campaign in 1864 until he was wounded in the Battle of the Crater on 30 July 1864 outside of Petersburg. He was discharged for disability on 1 January 1865. Milo’s father, enlisted on 24 December 1863, mustered in on 4 January 1864, and mustered out on 24 August 1865. For his enlistment, Royal received at $400 bonus from the town of Brasher.
At the time of the Battle of the Crater in which young Milo was wounded, the regiment was attached to Ferrero’s Division in Burnside’s Corps. It should be noted that of the four letters, I believe that the only one written in his own hand was the one by Royal Felton. The three by Milo were all written after being wounded and all three appear to be in distinctly different handwriting. All four letters were addressed to Amos C. Moody (1812-1882) of Stockholm, New York.
TRANSCRIPTION LETTER ONE
City Point, Va.
August 1, 1864
Mr. Ason [Amos] Moody
Dear Sir,
I thought that perhaps a few lines from me would be interesting to you at this time. As I have lived with you & your family, it seems like home to me. But now I am far away & in a strange land among strangers yet surrounded by fellow soldiers engaged in the cause with me. But oh, it has been my fortune—if I may call it such—to get wounded and now am in the hospital at this place. My would is not, I trust, of serious character. The ball hit the second finger on my right hand, took of about half of the nail & end of the same, then struck my left arm above the wrist & came out near the elbow, making quite a long flesh wound. Think it did not hit the bone. This was done July 30 on Saturday last. It will lay me up for some time at least before I shall be able to again take the field. Yet I am in good health & spirits otherwise.
I have not received any letter from you since the middle of July. We have not been paid off yet & do not know when we shall & now a little would get me some comfort that I cannot get without it. If you could send me five dollars, it would be very acceptable at this time & I will make it all right with you when I get my pay. When you write, let me know how you get along with your haying & all that you think will interest me.
When you write, direct to City Point, Virginia, 5th Corps Hospital, 2nd Division, in care of Doct. Faxon.
Yours &c., — Milo H. Felton
TRANSCRIPTION LETTER TWO
City Point [Virginia]
August 3, 1864
Dear Brother Moody,
I take this opportunity to write a few lines to you & for myself. My health is not very good but I feel better this afternoon than I have for some days. I am troubled with the dropsy. Milo wanted that I should write to you and say to you if you had not answered the letter he wrote the first of this month, that you need not write till you hear from him again as he has gone to the General Hospital I expect to Washington. He went this afternoon.
I hope this will find you and all of the old neighbors well and I hope that my health will still improve from day to day. It is still my sincere prayer that we may meet again on earth but I don’t know how the war looks to you but I think it looks very dark at this time. But I hope that the good Lord will interpose in our behalf. If it were not for the Presidential election, I would think that the war would close sooner than now.
If you don’t write before you get this, I would like to have you write me at the regiment for I think that I shall be with the regiment before you get this. From your friend, — R[oyal R[ice] Felton
TRANSCRIPTION LETTER THREE
Grant Hospital
Willet’s Point
13 August 1864
Mr. Amos Moody
Sir,
I wrote to you from City Point on the 1st of this month but as I was removed from there on the 3rd, I did not receive your reply but I left my Father at that place so I expect he will have it for me.
My arm is doing very well now and I am in hopes it will come out as well as ever in the course of time. But the wounds are quite large & will require quite awhile to heal. If you write to your Brother in New York, he can come and see me if he chooses to. The regular visiting days are Tuesday & Fridays but he can come in to see a patient on any other day as well.
If you should hear from Father, I wish you would write to him and let him know that I am getting on well, for paper & envelopes are by no means plentiful here and I cannot write myself. I cannot think of anything more I want to say at present so must conclude.
Remaining yours very truly, — Mylo H. Felton
Direct to Mylo H. Felton, Ward 18, Grant General Hospital, Willet’s Point, New York Harbour
TRANSCRIPTION LETTER FOUR
Willet’s Point
Grant’s Hospital
September 29, 1864
Dear Friend,
I was on a furlough when you wrote to me last and I did not receive your letter until I came back which was a few days ago so that I will now hasten to answer it. I got back safe on Tuesday just at dinner time and the doctor that was here when I went away is sick but the boys that seen my arm before I went away thinks that my arm looks a great deal better and I think it will get well fast.
I should like to know what kind of time you had at the fair and also how you are getting along with your work. I should like to have you write how Sergeant Squires is getting along and whether he is sick or not. You must give my best respects to Mr. Geary’s & Mr. Deggett’s folks. I could not bring any paper or envelopes with me without messing it all up so I would like to have you send me a sheet of paper & an envelope when you write. I have got a few postage stamps with me. Please to write as soon as you get this and write all the news.
Our regiment has left Washington and I wish you would try and find out where Father is and let me know so that I can write to him. I cannot think of anymore this time but I will try and think of more next time. So I will bid you goodbye for this time while I remain your sincere friend, — Milo Felton
To Amos C. Moody, Esq.
Spared & Shared 12 