Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Oct. 28, l862
TO: Mr. and Mrs. Day
From: Hezron G. Day

Dear Parents:

In compliance with my promise to write you immediately after our arrival in Washington I embrace the earliest opportunity to do so.

We left our camp at Brattleboro about half past 11 on Friday and left the depot about 1, each man carrying three days ration i.e. each man took a haversack full and started for Dixie. We were well received wherever we stopped. At Northampton the ladies threw bushels of apples into the cars for us and at Springfield which we reached just at dusk the people crowded around us and gave us many a hearty good bye and as we moved off it was amid the thunder of cannon and the enthusiastic cheers of the populace. From there we went on board of the cars to New Haven where we arrived about 11 o'clock and so soon after as we could we embarked on board the steamer Continental for New York. It was a splendid night. The Sound was as smooth as a looking glass and the boat was as steady as though planted on terra firma. We reached New York and landed on the dock and were furnished with breakfast consisting of soup, bread and coffee.

We were again pushed on to ferry boats and embarked for Monmouth Port. Arriving there we found that there was no car in readiness for us and then for eight mortal hours we waited until we began to think: Uncle Sam had got through wanting us, but they came at last and received us; and a relief it was indeed for we were so crowded on board the boat that we could not lie down to sleep without piling up at least seventeen deep.

The parts of New Jersey through which we traveled was for the first twenty or thirty miles as far as we could judge by riding through it in the night, was barren, sandy, piney, miserable country, but as we got nearer Philadelphia the country began to look better, though their oddly contrived Dutch buildings did not compare favorably with the farm buildings in any part of old Vermont. At Philadelphia they took us into the Cooper Shop Refreshment Saloon and gave us a superb breakfast. This was on Sunday morning and rainy at that, but our reception at the old Quaker city was one that will probably be long remembered by every member of the 16th. Gentlemen came out and shook hands with us and cheered us. The ladies waved flags and handkerchiefs at us from the windows and all seemed just as joyously demonstratively enthusiastic as though we were the first regiment that had passed through the city to the relief of beleaguered Washington. We left Philadelphia about seven on Sunday and proceeded on our journey on board some very comfortable freight cars and got to Baltimore just in the edge of the evenings. The boys rode into the city singing "Old John Brown." Pennsylvania, that part of it which we saw, is a splendid looking country but neither the people nor their buildings would remind one of New England, though they were all true Union blue, for from every hamlet and village, from every hovel and shanty could be seen waving flags, handkerchiefs and other tokens of good will. Perhaps the late rebel raid into Pennsylvania has refreshed their loyalty, but be that as it may, their devotion to the Union was manifest and thorough. Yours, H.G. Day

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Contributed by Linda M. Welch, Dartmouth College, Windsor County researcher.

Return to the Index of Hezron's letters..

See also Hezron's biography, and his memoir of the Gettysburg Campaign.