Description

Civil War Letter We couldn't find a photograph of Jackson Potter but here is another member of Co. I, 84th Pennsylvania from the collection of Charles T. Joyce - as shown on Spared & Shared. The soldier’s name was Private William H. Frampton who was “taken off an ambulance during the march north to Gettysburg and placed in the ranks of Co. G, 26th Pennsylvania Infantry, where he was shot in the left knee joint on July 3rd, 1863, probably on the skirmish line. As the 84th PA was not on the battlefield at all, he is obviously the only member of the regiment that sustained any injury in the fighting, and because there is no marker for the 84th on the Pennsylvania monument, Frampton is one of the many men from the Keystone state who fought in the battle but is, sadly, not recognized. Note that he wears an artilleryman’s coat, an infantryman’s shoulder belt, and an NCO sword.” This historic Civil War soldier letter was written by 27 year-old Jackson Potter (1834-1862), the son of John Potter (1807-1880) and Mary Rishel (1813-1879) of Luthersburg, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. Jackson enlisted on 1 October 1861 in Co. I, 84th Pennsylvania Infantry and he died on 11 July 1862 at Alexandria, Virginia. Fantastic patriotic letter head !!!! Also, the cover is a significant postal history "demonetized" star die entire - worth $100 even without this awesome letter. Most of the letters were written to his father, or his sister, Jane Potter (1839-1905), and a few to other family members such as his brother, William Marion Potter (1842-1916). Potter died from typhoid fever on 11 July 1862. Of Potter’s service, his commanding officer wrote, “the company joins with me in [conveying to you, his father,] that they have lost a true soldier and a pleasant companion.” Transcription On Dec. 31, 1861, the 84th Pennsylvania left for Hancock, Maryland, and on its arrival there on Jan. 2, 1862, crossed the Potomac and moved to Bath. Here it was confronted by the enemy under Stonewall Jackson and fell back to Hancock, moving thence to Cumberland. Headquarters 84th Regt., Co. K January 3rd 1862 It is [with] pleasure that I take my pen to inform you that I am well and hoping that you are all in the same state of health. I am now in Maryland, Washington county, Hancock. We left Camp Curtin on the 31st and went to Hagerstown and slept in the cars that night. The people was cheering and the ladies waving their handkerchiefs. On New Years Day we started at twelve o’clock and marched twelve miles to Clear Springs and camped in a field. It was the windiest night I ever put over and we had no tents. I was on guard till nine o’clock and then the guard was taken off and I went to a barn to sleep and it was full and I slept in the barnyard among the hogs adn some of the Boys let the calves out of the stable and took it the morning on our march and got to Hancock. We found a good part of them secesh for they said nothing but looked very Black and some of them waving handkerchiefs and cheering. We quartered in a schoolhouse. Today we get our arms and tomorrow we strike tents. We are on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. We like it better than we did at Camp Curtin. One of our boys has measles last night and we left three back. I have not got an answer from the last letter I wrote on the 22nd but expect today or tomorrow. We have not got our pay and I cannot write any more until I get my pay for I have but three cents to pay for this letter. I will send my money home when I get it. I want you to look out for some shingles till I write to you. I cannot write much for there is so much noise. January 7th. Today I take my pencil to write you a few more lines. I did not get my [letter] finished for we got our arms and got orders to march over the river. We got over at 9 o’clock and we got to Bath about 1 o’clock marching seven miles and took our stand. At two o’clock, firing commenced and we beat them back till about four and then we had to retreat for they had about six thousand and we had but one. After we started on our retreat, we got five hundred reinforcements but we was not able to take our position. We had to march around by Sir John’s Run for they had cut off our retreat on all other sides and fifteen minutes later they would have cut it entirely off for their cavalry had got ahead of us and fired on us and we had not passed fifteen minutes till their artillery opened fire on [ ]. Some of our regiment waded and some was fallen over. One of our company was drowned and we had none killed. I have been in a fight for three days and we do not know what hour it will commence again. We will soon cross the river again. I have put in the hardest time ever spent since we left Camp Curtin for we had hard march[ing] here and then out in the sleet and snow and we had not one bite to eat until we got back the next night. And the next day we stood all day with our arms. We have been put through here than any other set of men. I have not received an answer from the last letter I sent. We had not a man killed. I do not know how many they lost. We got several prisoners and several horses and seen a good many men fall and them carrying them off. We have got reinforcements and I think we will fetch them now. I got a letter from Jane in Sunday morning when I was in ranks waiting for them to commence for we had orders not to commence. I have not time to write to the girls now. I want you all to write to me for I can write no more till I get money. Yours, — Jackson Potter Direct your letter to Jackson Potter, Hancock P. O., Washington county, Maryland 84th Regt. Penn. Vols. in care of Capt. Ogden TERMS: Postage combined for multiple purchases. Please wait for me to send the invoice, otherwise you will pay a higher rate. We are members of the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Manuscript Society and the Civil War Philatelic Society. We only sell genuine, original letters (no copies or reproductions). Some of our letters have been transcribed and nicely presented for future genealogists and history buffs on the Spared & Shared blog. We have been selling on eBay since 1998. BID WITH CONFIDENCE !