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March 15 1863 (a Gooch Letter)

3/15/2019

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​During his time with the 27th Maine, Private Charles W. Gooch, of Company I, wrote over fifty letters to his wife Julia, back home in Kennebunk, Maine. The following is a letter he wrote to her on the 15th of March, 1863. I've transcribed it as written, with lack of punctuation and spelling errors included.
Note:clicking on images will enlarge them for better viewing/reading
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Camp Genl Casey Vir March 15 63
                                My Dear wife
with pleasure I improve these few
moments to inform you that I am
well and hope you enjoy the same blessing
                 to day has been A busier day
with us we packed napsacks and put on
our best cloths and blacked our boots
this morning for A general inspection
and review and was in the harness
tell past M martching and counter
martching but kno one come while
we were out but after we come in
some of the dignitaries come from
Washington and we have got to come
out again at 2 1/2 oclock PM
but it looks very mutch like rain
and I do not care mutch if it does
for they have no business here
Sunday haveing A grand mele at
our expence they had better do
as the people of niniver did than
to have so mutch horse raseing
and hilarritee sunday
I have not any thing new that I
can write but I thought I would
write and let you kno that I was
well (yet) and not so mutch demoralise
yet as to approve of sutch unnessary
work sunday but I do not kno
as it makes mutch differance for
they might as well be hung for An old
sheep as A lamb the drum beets I must go
        one hour later we was in line
at the hour dessignated and there
was two wortheys there from washington
one was John M Goodwin from Me
the other I do not kno who he was
some of the boys said he was agent
for northern lights but I cannot
voutch for the truth of the assertion
it commenced to storm as soon as we
got in line so we had dress perrade
​and come to our quarters
Picture
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I received A letter from you
friday with some stamps I was
verry mutch oblidge to you for the
letter and stamps also I think
you are A well wisher to me and
I hope I shall be plased in cirum
stances again where I can repay you
as I ought
I enclose A steeletto whitch I made
for you (I did not kno but whad
you might want to make some holes
in some little things) you must excuse
for you kno that I love to joke
some times
our pay master has not come yet
and I do not think there is mutch
signs of it yet but I wish he
would not on my part but I should
like to send the money to you
when we was payed off before I kept
$12 dol and sent $10 to you I have
$5 now and have lent one so I 
do not think I have don bad

some of the rest of them sent
home 15 and $20 and some kept
the whole of theirs and about all
in the company have had any
quantity of suttlers tickets and
ben out of money for more than
​two months
but I do not kno as the financial
department of the company will be
interesting to you and I will stop
you wanted to kno if G Wakefield
was sick you hear all the news see
he has ben sick with the yellows
and pain in side and back but
he is about well now I think if
he was at home he would be at work
every day in your next please tell
me if there is any suspissious storys
going on about Mrs G.W. and Mr
A.C. I hear some news out hear
there I guess you will say what A letter
this time but it is made up of
odds and ends but me love for you
has not odds or ends and I hope to
manifest it to you by my good deeds
so hopeing soon to meet you I close
from your affectionate husband C W G
Picture

NOTES:
(pg 1) Charles Gooch was a religious man, and this letter seems to show his disapproval for all the maneuvers taking place on a Sunday
(pg 2) "people of niniver" - likely a reference to Ninevah, from the Biblical Book of Jonah, whose residents had to fast and repent for their sins to avoid their city from being destroyed by God
        - the "worthey" (ie worthy, slang for someone important) John M. Goodwin from Maine was probably the Biddeford lawyer.
   - "agent for northern lights" - other than the steamship "Northern Light", and a company of Wisconsin soldiers, I did not find sources for what he meant by this phrase
(pg 4) "G Wakefield" is George W. of Kennebunk. While he was serving in the 27th ME, letters sent from home told of "suspissious storys" between his wife and a "Mr A.C.". They separated soon after his return in '63, and he filed for divorce in 1864 (while on furlough from the 2nd Maine Cav), approved in Jan of '65. ALSO in court at this time was Olive B Clark, who was divorcing Abner Clark (aka Mr A.C.) [SJC Vol 22 pg 108], who had deserted her the same day George's wife Emma left home. Many years later, this same Olive (Littlefield) Clark would marry, as his 2nd wife, Charles W Gooch, writer of this above letter (his wife Julia died in 1882).
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