James William Foley Papers, 1862-1868

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James William Foley Papers, 1862-1868

Fourteen letters, 1862-1868, written from Edisto Island and Hilton Head, S.C., and Camp Cadwallader in Philadelphia to Levi Kirk at Kirks Mills Post Office (Lancaster County, Penn.), document the Civil War service of James William Foley, a private in Co. K, 97th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. The first nine letters, written from coastal South Carolina, describe the hardships endured by Foley and his fellow soldiers but also reflect his contentment with the life he has chosen. In a letter of 18 Aug. 1862, Foley describes the oppressive heat that led to a number of deaths in the regiment and caused a suspension in the unit's drilling regimen. A letter of 6 Sept. 1862, written after his return from picket duty on "Greyham's plantation," complains primarily of the large number of "muscetoes" [i.e. mosquitoes]. By the autumn of 1862 the effects of yellow fever were being felt among the men, and in a letter of 6 Oct. 1862, Foley noted that "thear is a great many sick in the Regiment." Regimental histories indicate that virtually the entire regiment was moved from Hilton Head to St. Helena in mid-October in an attempt to escape the ravages of the disease. Despite the fact that he underwent such privations Foley seemed to enjoy his life as a soldier. In the 6 Sept. 1862 letter he notes, "I like soldiering so well by this time I have a great mind to joyn the Regular army." The 97th Pennsylvania saw very little active service while stationed in South Carolina though it was moved to Folly Island in Apr. 1863 as part of the 10th Corps in anticipation of participating in a joint land / sea attack on Fort Sumter. However, the attack was abandoned after naval bombardment of the fort by nine Union gunboats proved unsuccessful. Foley's 17 May 1863 letter describing these events evidences his loyalty to the men serving with him in the 10th Corps and his resentment over their treatment in New York newspapers, "it must be remembered that we could not muster a force of more than 12,000 men.... and with that force we went nearer to Charleston than [Gen. George B. McClellan] went to Richmond with over 100,000. Send us the Right kind of officers and the Soldiers will do thear part." Records indicate that Foley was discharged on a surgeon's certificate while stationed at Fernandina, Florida, on 9 Dec. 1863. Evidently he did re-enlist as the next four letters in the collection were written from Camp Cadwallader in Philadelphia during the winter of 1864-1865, including, 29 Jan. 1865: reporting deaths of four men from "spotted fever" [typhus or meningitis], serving guard duty every other night in cold weather, and observing "thear is a good many bounty jumpers comes into camp." To encourage enlistment, the military paid a bounty to recruits; if drafted, a man could avoid military service by paying a substitute to serve in his place. This system enabled many bounty jumpers to enlist, collect the monetary reward, desert, and then reenlist elsewhere. The final letter in the collection, 8 Jan. 1868, is written from Camp Hatch, in western Texas, where Foley, now a sergeant, was stationed as a member of Co. D, 4th United States Cavalry. Foley briefly describes conditions on the frontier, "a post office is a thing unknown in this country." Foley was stationed "at Camp Hatch, on the Rio Concho, in site of the new post about to be erected, witch will be known... as Fort Griffin" (a post now in Shackelford County, Texas). Foley comments on weather and wild life, including a light snow, "just enough to remind one of the north, and the good old times we had sliding down the hillsides... Buffalo is not so plenty here now as they were in the fall but we have wild [turkey] by the thousands," debating future plans when his duty ended in May, and whether to return to northeast or remain in Texas and take a government job, although he confided: "I am sick of the government and all that belongs to it. I have seen enough of it [during] the last year to disgust 20 dogs, with a dozen of pups in the bargain."

14 items.

Related Entities

There are 2 Entities related to this resource.

Foley, James William.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6s772d7 (person)

Union soldier (born ca. 1843), with rank of private stationed in South Carolina serving in Co. K, 97th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. From the description of James William Foley Papers, 1862-1868 (University of South Carolina). WorldCat record id: 643577554 ...

United States. Army. Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 97th (1861-1865)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x97ng3 (corporateBody)

Pennsylvania volunteer regiment mustered in, 1861; mustered out, 1865; served in South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina. From the description of Register, 1861-1864. (New York University, Group Batchload). WorldCat record id: 58773452 ...