1 50 1 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/4729/Ms2015-051_ConleyIsaiah_1862_0711a.jpg e6ac8d09a31e2ca586fae0fa876c7fac PDF Text Text Near Harrison’s Landing, Va. July 11 1862 My Dear Wife, Being at leisure this afternoon, I will spend some time writing a few lines to you. We are still laying quietly in the same place we came to last night one week. Our position (that is of our Division) is on the extreme left of the Army. Enclosed I send you a rough draft which will give you some idea of our Situation. and which by reference to a map will enable you to locate us pretty accurately. You will see by this that the left (the position we occupy) is nearest to Richmond, the right resting at the point mark “2”. I have not been along the entire line, but as near as I can learn, the distance from this point to where the right rests is about eight miles. This entire line is being strongly fortified. and all the ground between the line and river is one encampment. We occupy the brow of a hill, in front of which passes a small, stream, running through a swampy ravine. In this we have fallen timber, rendering it almost impassable. Along the brow of this hill, directly in front of our Camp, we have dug a rifle pit, long enough for our regt. Other regts. along the whole line have done the same. In addition to our felled timber & rifle pit we have connecting with our rifle pit on the right a fort mounting three 32 pound Siege guns and four twelve pound brass field pieces these all combined with the natural advan- tages of our position, makes it a very strong one. One that we could hold against almost any force that could be brought against us. Besides all this we could in case we were attacked, we would have the cooperation [sic] of the gun boats. So you see we are prepared for almost any emergency. I am of the opinion that we are to remain here for some (at the top of the page: Tell Mr. Gollipher that Justice, improving in health, and I think will soon be quite well again the rest of our men from about Schellsburg (that are now here) are all well.) https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/4729/Ms2015-051_ConleyIsaiah_1862_0711b.jpg a5dec1296e09d757a6a493e721fd4880 PDF Text Text time to come. There is no indication at present of any movement of the army soon. Reinforcements are daily arriving and it is evident that it is the intention of the War Department, and also of the Commanding Gen. to have this army largely reinforced before any further demonstrations are made, against Richmond. This rest will be most beneficial to our worn out soldiers. Our location I believe is a pretty healthy one, being somewhat ele- vated, with the river breeze, and good water. We only now, need a good healthy change of diet, with some vegetables to again restore our troops, now enfebled [sic] by almost unprecedented hard- ship fatigue and exposure, to rigorous health again. Among all the Divisions in the Peninsula none have undergone more hardship and exposure, nor lost more heavily in battle, than ours. From the time we left Yorktown, up to the time of the battle of Fair Oaks, we were in the advance all the time and of course had a large amount of picket duty to perform, together with digging rifle pits occupied nearly every hour of time that we were not marching. Nearly all of this since we were without tents or Blankets, laying down at night on the wet ground, often in the rain, without shelter or any clothing [illegible] what we have to keep us warm. From the time of the battle of Fair Oaks, up to the time our army fell back from before Richmond we occupied our exposed position on the left of the army, when we had heavy fatigue & picket to perform. During the last two days of that retreat we acted as rear guard. Our regt. being most of that time in the extreme rear and at one time our entire regt. came very near being captured. Since we have been here we have done much fatigue duty- felling timber, https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/4729/Ms2015-051_ConleyIsaiah_1862_0711c.jpg 9752312be672d91b50398c37c7f24ef4 PDF Text Text digging rifle pits & building a fort. This work is nearly completed and we are now beginning to look forward to a season of rest. I think the hardest part of our campaign is over, we are now provided with more comforts. We all have shelter & sufficient clothing. These facts which are pretty well known to the public will prove that we have been no “Holliday [sic] soldiers” but have experienced the sternest realities of a soldier’s life. Although Gen. McClellan is very tardy in doing our division full justice for our part in the bloody battle of Fair Oaks yet, I for one, shall always feel proud to have my name associated with it and especially with the 101st Regt. which Gen’s Casey (General Silas Casey) & Walton (General Henry Walton), both old regulars, speak of us as having done the most brilliant fighting of any regt. in the Division. We lost a heavier proportion of men than any other regt. of any Division in that battle. I see that most of the Northern papers are now doing us justice and I believe public opinion is doing the same. The casualties on both sides (and especially on the side of the enemy) during the three hours Division, unaided held the overpowering members of the enemy in check, are silent, yet overwhelming proofs of the desperate fighting done by our little Division. Whilest they drive us (between 5000 and 6000 strong) half a mile in about three hours, the same rebel force, drove Couche’s (Major General Darius Nash Couche) [sic] Division, with all their reinforcement from Heintzelman (Major General Samuel P. Heinzelman) & Sumner’s (Major General Edwin V. Sumner’s) Corps. more than one mile during the next three hours. These are fact to which all the other Generals engaged are now bound to admit. But I have been spinning this much longer than (at the top of the pages 2 & 3) Saturday July 12, I was too late for the mail last evening & will mail today. This morning is cool and pleasant. A breeze that is quite exhilarating [sic]. I am enjoying excellent health and in good spirit. George Garretson is now cooking for the Capt & I. He is a good cook and a very good boy. Everything remains quiet along our lines. If Lt. Mullin or any of our men go home and are coming back, I want you to send me a box of eatables such as a jar of butter, sealed up air tight, a jar of Pickles, a lot of biscuit or doughnuts and anything else you wish that will come safe in hot weather. Have them put up in a light box & put shirts in with them I got the stamps in both letters. https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/4729/Ms2015-051_ConleyIsaiah_1862_0711d.jpg 21bdd2eafdc352770ce60c85b52c2f96 PDF Text Text I intended. I have given you this rehersal [sic], because I have generally written to you in a hurry and consequently have not been able to give you particulars as I went along. It has been raining most of the time since Yesterday afternoon. There is now signes [sic] of clearing up. 7 P.M. Your very welcome letter of the 5th inst. has just reached me. You appear to have serious apprehension of the fate of our army. You may rest easy on that score. We have never occupied so safe a position since we’ve been on the Peninsula as we do now. Many of the stories you hear are false. Although we speak of the late movement as “retreat”, yet in fact it was nothing more than a flank movement. What the balance [sic] of the programme is I do not know, but of one thing I feel confident and that is that Rich- mond will yet fall before our brave troops. If it requires 300,000 soldiers to take it, they will be furn- nished by the Government. As to the late battles the papers we you more information than I can. [I’ve had] no account if Lieut. Mullin (Lieutenant David W. Mullin) since he got on board the boat on the 3rd inst. I presume he is at Washington. I’m looking for a letter from him. The Capt. wants to resign, and will if he can get his resignation through. I would like to see Harry trying to walk . I hope you & the children will continue in good health. With a husbands & fathers warmest affections I am ever yours I. Conley My love to Charlotte & boys (at top of page) You will have to keep those shirts until some person is coming who will bring them. Lieut. Mullin I suppose will go home, if so you can send them with him. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials, 1862-2000s (Ms2015-051) Subject The topic of the resource Civil War Description An account of the resource The Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials includes two series of primary and secondary sources. Series I: Letters, Transcripts, and Narratives, includes 98 letters written by Isaiah Conley to his wife during his service in the 101st Pennsylvania Regiment between 1861 and 1865. This series also has unpublished and published versions of Conley's escape from Confederate captivity. Series II: Research Materials contains correspondence, photocopies, articles, maps, and research files for a history of the 101st Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry that was planned, but never completed, by a previous owner. This series dates from 1980s through the early 2000s. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conley, Isaiah, 1830-1901 Powell, Marjorie Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt/viblbv01829.xml" target="_blank">See the finding aid for the Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials.</a></div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1862/2000s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://omeka.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc" target="_blank">Permission to publish material from the the Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2015_051_ConleyIsaiah Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials, Ms2015-051, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Special Collections, Virginia Tech Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence, July 11, 1862 (Ms2015-051) Subject The topic of the resource Civil War Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Conley, Isaiah, 1830-1901 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vt/viblbv01829.xml" target="_blank">See the finding aid for the Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials. </a> Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. <a href="http://spec.lib.vt.edu/" target="_blank">Special Collections, University Libraries, Virginia Tech</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1862-07-11 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://omeka.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc">Permission to publish material from the the Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Letters Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2015-051_ConleyIsaiah_1862_0711 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:Isaiah Conley Civil War Correspondence and Research Materials, Ms2015-051, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. archived