COMPANY C PA 102ND REGIMENT VOLUNTEERS
Letters to his parents from William S. Ferree,
Company C, Pa 102nd Regiment
Background Information:
William S. (Will) Ferree was the youngest of three sons of William Ferree and his wife, Margaret Watson Ferree, who lived in Union Township, Washington County, in the tiny town of Coal Bluff on the Monongahela. Will and several friends from Coal Bluff and nearby Limetown went up to Pittsburgh to enlist. He was 18 years old when he enlisted in Pittsburgh in July of 1861. He was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 7, 1864.
These letters are in the National Archives collection of pension claims from Civil War veterans. William Ferree, Will’s father, submitted the letters with his requests for a pension in 1886, 1893, and 1902. His petitions claimed that he had been dependent on his son, had suffered financially from his death and was therefore entitled to a pension from the U. S. government. In one petition, the father wrote of his bitter disappointment at being denied a pension: “ . . everyone that ever knew me and my son said the same. If ever a man had a good son, I had in my boy William S. He went into the war to fight for his country. . . .I am 84 years old and growing weaker and weaker. . . . May God forgive them for their injustice. Will was all I had left. He was one of the best of soldiers. He went like a man and did not have to go for he was only 18 years and was never sick.”
The old man’s claims were rejected on the grounds that in 1864 he had been running a distillery, had annual income of about $800, and had not been dependent on Will.
The letters are reproduced as written, including errors in capitalization, spelling, and grammar. Illegible words or phrases are indicated with question marks. Editor’s insertions are indicated with brackets [ ].
Camp Tenley November the 18th (1861)
My dear Father after I had closed my leter I received a nother leter from you it came to hand on the 18th i was glad to hear from home so ofen and you said in your leter bout Mother being so much beter and I hope that she may continue getig beter. You said in your leter that you had snow on the ground and it was verry cold and you said it maid you think a bout me it is verry raw in the air out here but there is now snow here it is a little cold in the mornings but we a pear to stand it firstrate we have got our tents maid verry close and they keep verry warm but we think that we wil get our winter quarters in few days and they wil be right-on the same.
i don’t think it much use in me righting a big leter this time for James Lowers can tel you all the particlars a bout the camp he got a Furlow to go home to see his child They rote to him that they didand expect it to live.
i must bring my leter to a close i got three papers from you and was verry glad to get them we can get a morning paper here evry morning we get all the particlars of the war
All the Boys is wel our captain is mending slowly he is able to sit up a little i donÌt think he wil be able to take command this winter
All the boys sends there love to you and Give my love to all the folks hopping more this time But stil remains your afecunate son
William Ferree right soon
[The following note from William and a letter from William Peterson were added to the last one and a half pages of this Nov. 18, 1861 letter]
To close William Peterson is going to right a few lines to you in my leter nothing more but give my love to all and tel litte Anny to send me a nother paper the nextime you send me one Goodby this time but still remains affecunate son William Ferree to his Dear father you excuse me for this bad composed leter for i hadand much time. Right soon.
[From Wm. Peterson to Wm. Ferree, father of Wm. S. Ferree]:
Friend Mr. Free [Ferree] i hant sent you a leter yet I had one wrote to send the other day some of them spilt the ink on it sow i did knot Send it. You will have to excus me i have had a good Bit of wrighting to doo we are all giting a long hear first trate you kneed knot bee on easy a Bout Little Bille for he is giting a long first trate he look beter than i ever saw him we all look tenn persent Beter since uncle sam is Boarding us he gives us Plenty to eat and Plenty to ware. Biley [Billy, Wm. S. Ferree] told you to send them Clothes on it wood bee beter to wate a while till we wood see whare we wood go to it might be that we will have to winter hear but if you want to send them you can we will try to take them a long with us we cant tell mutch more what we will doo than youns doo. Thare is lots off reports going a round threw the camps some of them we rais our selves we sleep very warm in our tents Know if it shoud git to cold for us thare is lots of Barns hear that we can git to sleep in. Milou Gibson carries the flag but he only gits 13 dollars a month it is harder work than we have if we git in to a battle he is the man to fetch it out tell me in the next leter how all the girls is giting a long in lime Town and how [who] is Married sow that i can keep the runn of that place. i might sell mi interest to you Thare if you ment it i cant hardly wright girls we have bee Paid for part of our trip I wood like to make a trip threw verginey (Virginia) bee fore we are paid off a gain. Sow good By uncle Bill
William D. Peterson
Camp Tenley November 30 (1861)
My dear Father i take my pen in hand to let you now i am wel and i hope that these few lins wil find you the same i received your kind leter on the 28th i was glad to hear that all the folks ar well andf that mother is getting beter i hope she wil continue giting beter for i hate to hear of her bad health in evry leter i get from home. You said in your leter a bout the boys being all most ready to start we are looking for it evry day now you said that Mother had maid me a good warm overshirt shirt and that she was a fixing a heap of other nice things for me.
i can never forget the kindnes of parence i can never pay them back for what they have don for me you spoke a bout collecting some of your bils out here I will try but don’t think it wil be much use to try for they have sent all there money home that they didand nead i wil do the best i can for you i wil send you $10 dolars this time and if i can spare you anny more i will send it and what i keep i wil take good care of for a solger earns his money verry slow.
There is heap of excite ment in camp they think that they ar going [to] moove the hole arrmy toward Richmond and Manasa and whip them out be fore spring. Mac Clelon says that there is nouse in building winder quarters for he says part of us can winter at home i hard ly believe it we ar all ready to make a moove anny time they cal on us i now we can slay them evry way with the number of men that we have got and most all them ar wel drilled our ridgement is the best drilled ridgment in the bregaid this bregaid is reserve force they might be a battle over the river and we might not get a chance to fire a gun. The meanin of a reserve force is a force ready to help the main army if they was and stronganuf there is a offle big army over the river at the preasant time and a big army on this side i now we have a army a nuf to march through verginia and take evry thing
January 2, 1862, in Camp
Dear Father, it is great pleasure that i sit down to write you a few lines to let you know i am wel and i hope these few lines wil find you and all the rest of my friends injoying the same blessing. ??????? Father, it has been a good while since i received a letter from you but i know that the river has been sow high that the ?????? could not survae road as leter to each of my Brothers But has not received a answer from them. Tell them to right soon.
My dear Brothers we have got our [pay ??] at last it was a good while after the late ??????? i have sent you $15 dolars by ?????? express to Pine Run to you and ?????? ?????? ?????? was the safes way to send it to you most all the Boys send there money this way i recon you will have the money before this reaches you. Wel, Father. i am sorry that i cand send you more i will have to keap some fore my self i need some for to Buy litte things i need.
wel Father the weather has been a little Bad for the past week but it look like it was going to clear up and be nise weather again we have not drilled anny for a long while but as soon as the weather gets good we wil be drilling i wil have to Bring my leter to a close for it is geting late i am geting sleepy i must close Bye sending my love to all my Brothers and there familys.
Give my love to Maggie, nothing more but remains your affecunate Son, Wm S. Ferree to his Dear Father. Right soon.
August 7 [1863] Camp near Warington [Warrenton, VA]
Dear Father and Mother
It is with pleasure that i take in droping you a few lines to let you now i am well and i hope these few lines may find you all the same.
Wel Father we ar stil laying near Warington and expect to lay hear all summer we have fixed up summer quarters for ower selvs. the weather is verry hot Ò hear it maks us hunt the shaids Wel Father, we expect to get our pay to day for 2 months we have to settle ower cloathen bill for the year i had $1.70 sents to pay.
Wel Father the news isand verry stering in ower army we ar laying quiet and we expect to do some if the Rebbels lets us and i think thay wil they got a nuff of us in late days to satisfy them but if thay should try us we wil do the best we can for them we wil be waiting on them to com ower minds is easy on that subject the Rebels verry seldomj coms in ower heads all we think a bout is getting as many Black Berries as we can eat—Black Berries is plenty hear we can gather Bushels of them if we should nead them we yous to live on chickens and fresh mutan got all the chickens and Sheap a round with in 10 mils of hear sow we wil quit thair is nothing left a live that has 4 legs we have cleaned evry thing up since we came in Verginia this time the yankeys is as good as the Rebbels on the steal the Rebbels done well while they was in Pencilvany and Meriland but I think we have done beter than thay did. We wil live on the best as long as it is to be found in verginia
Wel Father we are Anciously waiting on the drafted men to come but it appears that thay ar coming verry slow we want 600 men to fill ower Regiment we have got verry small we have 15 men for duty in ower company now and ower company is ?????? as the rest you can have a idy of the strenth of the army Potomic she is a bout wore out ower ranks neads filing up a gain.
Wel Father i recon you have “steam” talking to Will Peterson since he came home he could give you the particulars when he starts to com out. you can send any thing you wish to me he is verry acomidading to me I would like verry much if you would send me them shirts right as may be fore the warm weather gets over.
All the limetown Boys is well i wil send you $5 dolars in this leter and som in the next i want to see how it gows i wil send you all the money I can spare.
Nothing more at preasant But Remains your affecunate Son
William S. Ferree to his Dear Father and Mother
Right soon
Wel Father it is over 2 weaks aince I received a leter from you I hope you wil right!
This information has been provided by Monica Bradsher: letters are in the National Archives collection of pension claims from Civil War veterans.
William B. Ferree was the father of William Simpson Ferree who was a member of Company C, Pennsylvania 102nd Regiment Volunteers. William B. was a fourth generation descendant of Madam Ferree who received a land grant from William Penn and in 1712 founded the Pequea Valley, Pennsylvania Huguenot colony in Lancaster County. His line of descent from Madam Ferree was through her son, John. After leaving Pennsylvania, John Ferree and his children lived for a time in Maryland and records indicate that some of this branch of the Ferree family also lived for a time in Bracken County, Kentucky and then later relocated to Clermont County, Ohio. Isaac Ferree, the father of William B. Ferree, was one of the first teachers in Stonelick Township and was highly respected as a teacher and a citizen. William B. was born there around 1820. Sometime prior to 1838 he located to the Washington County area of Pennsylvania. He was one of the pioneer residents in the Monongahela Valley and for forty years operated one of the largest distilleries along the Monongahela. He married Margaret Watson and they had three sons. Their youngest son was William Simpson Ferree who was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness. After the death of Margaret he remarried. Second wife, Sarah Brown and he had three children. They named their oldest son William Simpson Ferree in memory of his half brother. William B. Ferree died sometime after June 1880 in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
William S. Ferree is the Great uncle Nancy Ferree Johnson, who graciously provided the information of William's father, William B. Ferree