CIVIL WAR LETTER - 50th Massachusetts Infantry - Horrible Death Description !

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CIVIL WAR LETTERRufus "Melvin" Graham was an 18-year-old shoe dresser from Bradford, MA, when he enlisted as a drummer in the 50th Massachusetts Infantry on August 16, 1862 and was mustered out on August 24, 1863.In one letter to his father, written after nearly seven months of their nine-month enlistment, Melvin summed up the Regiment's hard luck to his father, "Our regiment has been cooped up in transports so long that they have forgot all about what drilling they ever did know. The rest of the brigade call them the "wild steers." The rest of the regiments in the brigade are all 3 years men [and ] have been in the service 18 months. We are the only nine months regiment in the brigade and Gen. Grover is trying to get rid of us." In the same letter he added, "We have seen no fighting but we have been through almost everything else."Melvin's letters include vivid descriptions of the steamboats used to transport the 50th Massachusetts from the East coast to New Orleans as part of Banks Expedition. They include his observations while sightseeing in New York City and Philadelphia while in the service. And they finally take the reader to the battlefield at Port Hudson where the members of the 50th Massachusetts-who were not dead or languishing from disease in some Baton Rouge or New Orleans Hospital-finally saw their first fighting.Rufus Kittridge Graham, son of John and Hannah (Merrick) Graham, born 29 August 1819 at Chester, N. H. Married 12 May 1838 at Salem, Mass., by Rev. M. H. Smith, Sarah Ann Rollins. She died at Brockton, Mass. Rufus supported his large family by the proceeds of his violin. He was so wrapped up in his music that he had a violin carved on his gravestone. Of his children and grandchildren, almost all inherit talent for the art. He died 6 October 1864 at Bradford, Mass.NOTE - We are only offering the letter transcribed below.TRANSCRIPTIONCamp Banks, Long IslandDecember 5, 1862To the folks at home,I sit down to write you a few lines and tell you that I am well. We have no news here to speak of. You will remember that in one of my letters I told you about the great engines at the water works. There was a man killed there yesterday forenoon. It was a soldier in the 23rd Maine Regiment. He was looking at the machinery and he got his head under a cylinder that weighs 30 tons and it come down and it flattened his head to the thickness of half an inch, This cylinder touched another with half an inch so you can see how quick it killed him. His brains flew all around the room.William Chase of Haverhill was here this morning to see the boys. They were glad to see him. Ben Chase and Charles Davis have deserted from our company last week. They were seen in New York [City] the first of this week in citizen's dress. They have skedaddled for good.You see we are still at Camp Banks but I can't tell how long we shall stay here. We have been expecting to go everyday this week but we shall go soon. The 41st [Massachusetts] left here last Wednesday with our band. Gen. Banks asked Col. Messer if he could have them to go aboard the flagship and the Colonel told him he might. They expect to be a Brigade Band shortly. Then we shall lose them.It freezes here at night and thaws daytimes so it is very muddy in camp. There are regiments coming in and going out everyday here. There was 2 regiments came in yesterday and 3 left.We are going in the steamer Niagara . It is in North River loading with coal and provisions enough for 40 days.Melvin Jaques ¹ was here yesterday. He is in the hospital at [New] York. He was wounded in the shoulder at the Battle of Antietam. Alvin Heath is over here pretty often. He is getting along finely and expects to be discharged soon. The poor folks in [New] York do anything to get a living. They will come in camp and pick up pieces of meat that is throwing about camp and take it home and make mince pies of it and then bring them and sell them to the soldiers for 10 cents apiece.Col. William Francis Bartlett, 49th MassYou perhaps rec... read more

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