“Roughest Looking Soldiers”

“Roughest Looking Soldiers”

Name: Warren Headley

Unit: 153rd New York Infantry, Co. E

Location: Camp near Alexandria, VA

Date: January 13th, 1863

Camp near Alexandria

Jan 13th 1863

Dear friend

I now take the time to write you a few lines. It is very muddy here just now and very cold. After it has been raining it is just like walking on soft soap. We are in camp near the Potomac and Alexandria. Washington is seven miles from here we can see the capital very plain when we come through Washington.

We stayed there a short time and I went up in the Capital, it is a beautiful building. They say that Alexandria was splendid place before the war broke out but now it has gone to destruction. They is more ?? Folks in Alexandria then white men Fort Ellsworth (I am guessing this is the fort he was talking about with it just being west of Alexandria.) and Fort Lyon, and Fort Albany is 3 miles from here. I was down to Alexandria about a week ago and I saw 17 Rebels which was taken to Fredericksburg. They was the roughest looking soldiers I ever. Some had no boots or shoes and some no hats or coats, they looked hard.

Two weeks ago they was two steam boats came to Alexandria loaded with died and wounded soldiers they was wounding to the Battle of Fredericksburg. George I don’t know what to write this, I suppose you have heard the death of my brother. He died to Fredericks City with a wound he got in his left breast. Write as soon as you can. Give my love to all the folks.

Direct,

Warren Headley

Co. E, 153rd Regt.

New Y. I. V.

Alexandria Va.

Care of Capt.

J. C. Clark

______________________________________

Biography:

Warren Headley,

Warren Headley was born in Minden, New York in 1844 and had one older brother that would serve during the Civil War as well by the name of Charles Henry Headley. Charles was born in 1840 in Troy, New York. Charles enlisted almost as soon as the war broke out, enlisting in the 32nd New York Infantry on the 25th April 1861 at 21 years old. Little brother was not far behind, enlisting in the 153rd New York Infantry on the 28th of August 1862 at 19 years old. Off to war they would each go, their separate ways. Unknowingly to never to see each other again. I will split apart this next part to explain where each of the units would have gone and the different stories that they would have throughout this war.

Charles Headley and The 32nd New York Infantry:

The 32nd was mustered into service on May 31st, 1861 in New York City and went straight into the fight covering the retreat at Bull Run on July 21st, 1861. For the remainder of 1861 they would encounter an occasional skirmish in the VA area. Then in 1862 would fight at West Point and would have 4 officers and 14 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 48 enlisted men wounded in fighting against Whiting’s Confederate Division on May 7th and 8th. By June 27th they were involved in the Battle of Gaines Mill where they would experience 4 killed and a number of others wounded. The next major engagement unfortunately would be Charles Headley’s last. The Battle of Cramptons Gap or South Mountain came right before the Battle of Antietam. The regiment led the brigade in a charge that cost 2 officers and 10 enlisted men killed, Colonel Matheson, Major Lemon and 5 enlisted men mortally wounded and 32 enlisted men wounded. Charles Headley was one of those men. He was stated as being shot through his chest be his brother and dying in that charge on September 14th, 1862. The regiment would go on to fight in Antietam, take losses there and then take on more of a support role for the rest of the war.

Warren Headley and The 153rd New York Infantry:

The 153rd New York was organized in Fonda, New York and mustered in October 17th, 1862. For the first year and a half the unit was stationed near and around Alexandria and Washington DC. This would have been when this letter was written, the regiment was put on guard duty and saw little to no action. During this time Warren had received some disheartening news, his brother Charles was killed on the frontlines. I can only imagine the anger that he must have felt writing back home from his camp. However 1864 would be different they would get a chance at the Confederacy when they were ordered to the Dept of the Gulf. April 9th, 1864 was the first taste of heavy fighting at Pleasant Hill where the regiment lost 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 24 wounded and 4 missing. This chance at the enemy was unfortunately cut short for Warren when he caught disease and sadly died August 8th, 1864 in Cairo Illinois. The unit would be in some heavy fighting after the passing of Warren being in The Battle of Winchester, The battle of Fishers Hill, and The Battle of Cedar Creek. In these three battles they lost almost 37 men in these back to back encounters.