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Joseph Waln Wistar letter dated May 9, 1863

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Identifier	MCW_MDCH_11-08-30_DON0008_0041
Creator	Wistar, Joseph W. (Joseph Waln), 1841-1906
Title	Joseph Waln Wistar letter dated May 9, 1863
Subject	Maryland--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Soldiers--United States--Correspondence United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Cavalry operations United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives United States. Army--Military life. United States. Army--Supplies and stores United States. Army. Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, 8th (1861-1865) Wistar, Joseph W. (Joseph Waln), 1841-1906--Correspondence
Description	Letter dated May 9, 1963 from Captain Joseph W. (Waln) Wistar, 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, to his mother Mrs. Joseph Wistar (Sarah E. Comfort Wistar) residing at No. 1229 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this four-page letter written from a camp near Potomac Station, Virginia, Captain Wistar discusses a letter enclosed to his eldest sister Lydia, i.e., Lydia Comfort Wistar McMurtrie (1830-1898); a night ride during which his horse Defiance took buck shot in the foreleg; his ride from Fredericksburg to Falmouth; and his ride to King George County, along with his brigade, abandoning their positions near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Disparaging the infantry, he brags about his own unit, proclaiming that if his troops acted as shamefully as the infantry troops did he would shoot them and then himself. He talks about a new horse he has been issued that is too raw to be used in action. Then, after talking about his improving health and his need for some good whiskey to keep him going, he asks her to send him stamps. Lastly, he lets her know that President Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck are visiting the camp.
Date Original	1863-05-09
Biographical/Historical Note	Joseph Waln Wistar was born in 1841 and grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to official records, he enlisted and received his commission as a first lieutenant in the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry on September 17, 1861. He was promoted to full captain on January 1, 1862 and to full major on December 23, 1863. Wounded on August 23, 1864 at the Reams Station during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, he was transferred to a hospital in Philadelphia, where he was discharged later that year. He is believed to have died in Erie, Pennsylvania on October 2, 1906.
Extent	4 scans
Format	Digital reproduction of 4-page document, each 22 x 14 cm., and of 1-page document, 8 x 14 cm.
Publisher	Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program Enoch Pratt Free Library
Date Digital	2011-09-01
Language	English
Type	Text
Coverage	1861-1870
Relation	Is Part Of The Civil War in Your Attic Is Part Of the Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program
Related items	Item provided to The Civil War in Your Attic Project by J. Wistar ("Pete") Huey III, digital donor number MCW_MDCH_11-08-30_DON0008
Rights	Permission to publish is required. Please contact Michael Scott, Digitization Supervisor/MDCH Coordinator, Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-545-6342, mdch@prattlibrary.org.

Identifier	MCW_MDCH_11-08-30_DON0008_0041_0001
Title	Page 1
Transcript	Camp near Potomac Station May 9th, 63 Dear Mother , I recieved [sic] sister[']s letter of Wednesday this evening and am sorry you did not yet recieve mine of Sunday morning. I enclose a long letter to Lydia [Lydia Comfort Wistar McMurtrie] which you can read, it is perhaps more full than those I have sent you. On the charge through the woods on Saturday night Defiance got a buck shoot [sic] in the fore leg[;] it made a clear cut and did not appear to stay in[.] It has not lambed him any. On night before last we moved down near Falmouth. It was [al]most midnight when we got into camp wet through. I got good quarters and a good breakfast from an officer, and the next morning was riding from nine till long after dark, so could not write. Tom[o]rrow our

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Joseph Waln Wistar letter dated May 9, 1863

Joseph Waln Wistar letter dated May 9, 1863