“If I Live to get Home Again”
“If I Live to get Home Again”
Name: Andrew Jackson Clark
Unit: Co. H 23rd Massachusetts
Location: New Bern, North Carolina
Date: July 18th, 1863
New Bern, N. C.
July 18th [1863]
Dear Brother,
What can I write you in answer to your kind letter of the 7th inst.? Nothing new that sure, but take what I send you and be thankful, Sancho, for I am hard up for news as well as everybody else. However, as I have “Cacoethes Scribendia” to fill my time, you must take nonsense and all together.
Our regiment got back night before last. They are now doing Provost duty in the city in the place of the 27th Massachusetts which have gone with an expedition that left here yesterday and today. I think they have gone towards Tarboro. 1
I was glad to hear that you and Francis had such a good time on the 4th of July but we will have gayer times still if I live to get home again. How do you get along at the office now? How does ? and Grandmother and Aunt Lucy and all the rest of the family get along? Will the ? sore eyes injure the sight any. Don’t forget to tell me. I hope they are well by this time.
A boat arrived from New York this afternoon. She brought papers of the 14th inst. with an account of the riot. It was a shameful and disgraceful affair. I thought our large cities were better prepared to defend themselves against mobs than New York seemed to be. We will look anxiously for the arrival of the next boat to find out how it is all going to end. I got nothing by this mail. Tell the Dorchester folks to write.
Give my respects to all who inquire for me and all my friends. Hoping to hear from you soon, I will now close.
From your affectionate brother, — Andrew J. Clark
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Biography:
Andrew J Clark was born in 1837 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the war broke out, Lincoln called for troops to join the Army; Andrew Clark was one of the first to answer that call. He was mustered into a 3 month contract with Co. I of the 4th Massachusetts Infantry on April 16th, 1861. They would be some of the first troops to step foot on Confederate-controlled Virginia land. The only battle that this unit would really be apart of is the Battle of Big Bethel until they mustered out July 22nd, 1861.
Andrew Clark then decided to sign back up after he reached home from his three month stint. He joined Co. H 23rd Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry on September 28th, 1861 and stayed with this unit until close to the end of the war. In 1862, the unit found themselves in North Carolina in the battle of New Bern, and in fact, they even lost an officer, Lt. Col. Henry Merritt. In December, the unit was involved in White Hall, and after this, they continued to spend a lot of time in and around New Bern, which would have been about the time that this letter was written.
The topics discussed in this letter are very interesting; Andrew Clark discusses an event that just happened in New York, which would become known as the draft riots. He is disgusted that people would allow for something like this to happen as he is out on the frontlines risking his life for his country. The draft riots proved violent and were a result of soldiers not wanting to take part in the war that was at hand. In the letter, he is curious to see how this event will end.
After this letter, Andrew fought in some pretty significant battles with the 23rd Massachusetts. Battles such as Proctors Creek, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg proved to inflict numerous casualties on the 23rd Massachusetts. After the war, Andrew went back home and married Evelina M. Caine. He worked for a time as a painter and a number of other jobs, including serving as a fireman for 40 years in Hingham, MA.
