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A Letter Home

12/30/2017

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On December 9th, 1862, John H. Came wrote home to his sister, Miss Eliza C. Came, of West Buxton, Maine. He was a 1st Lieut. in Company C, 27th Maine. He died while serving in this regiment, on 16 Jan 1863, from typhoid fever. His body was returned home, and buried in the family cemetery in Buxton. He didn't marry.
Picture
Camp Seward Dec 9th 1862

Dear Sister
   I was very glad to
receive a letter from you a day
or two since for a letter from
home is received by a soldier
out here in this God forsaken coun-
try with a great deal of joy.
   I think this is the meanest
part of the U S I have ever been
in I mean in regard to the
enterprise and intelligence of
the people What people there
are remaining here now are
an ignorant and indolent set
   The poorest people you can
Picture
Page 1, Came letter

Picture
Pages 2 and 3, Came letter
find in Maine live as good
style and are much neater and
more cleanly about their household
affairs than the best of them here
that I have seen
   Warren and I were out with
our company on picket guard
Friday night about six miles
from here beyond Bailey's Cross
Roads and Munson Hill (of which
you have read) It commenced
raining before we got out there
and soon after turned to snow
and snowed till midnight. About
three inches of snow fell which
is partly on the ground now
   All the tents we had were our
rubber blankets pitched on stakes
with boughs piled around. Every
thing had got so wet and covered
with snow before we got our
guard posted that we could fix
no place to lay down - but they
​allowed us to build fires so we stood
​   
about the fires and traveled around
all night. But we stood it like
heroes for we were not a mite
afraid of Rebels for there are
none within ten miles. in fact
it is not a regular picket-guard
but sort of a chain guard to give
alarm in case the enemy should
break through our out side guard
and perhaps partly to stop stragglers from
our army which is out in front
   Five companies went out Monday
morning to be gone four days -
They will have a chance to fix
up bough tents and will be com-
fortable enough. The line a part
of the way runs through woods
   In regard to our living I think
the boys have given the folks at
home a wrong impression. We have
two or three times drawn bad meat
and mouldy bread and a few times
been rather short. All of which can
not at all times be prevented in the army 

But excepting these few times we have
had good meats (not such to be sure as
we would get at home) and bread and
enough of it - I think in living and
quarters to sleep in this Regt has
faired better than any other that
is camped around here. Certainly
the 25 Regt has not near as good
quarters for its men to sleep as ours
has. Some of the N Y Regts that have
come out here since we did have
had to camp down one and
two nights out doors when in the
morning the ground would be frozen
quite hard. A thing we have not had
​to do yet
   Sam Davis has resigned and will
soon be at home if his resignation is
accepted. I dont know why he has
done so. I have just learned that
there is a fellow in this Regt by the
​name of Came from York - but I dont
Picture
Page 4, Came letter (In modern writing on top: ​"John took cold from exposure of that night and died of typhoid fever Dec 16th 1862"

Picture
The end of letter, written on top of the first page.
know whose son he is - I shall see
him tomorrow and find out who he
is - I think he must be Charles Came's
son. He is sick in the hospital.
You must see that Father
does not work and expose
him self to much this winter.
Write often,
                   yours as ever
                   John H Came

Picture
Above is an 1861 map of Washington and Alexandria. Lieut Came wrote from Camp Seward, which was located somewhere along Arlington Heights. Bailey's Crossroads and Munson's Hill, where Co. C had done picket duty, is highlighted to the left of map. Camp Casey, where Lt Came would pass away in Jan 1863, was located south of Fairfax Seminary, northwest of Alexandria. Camp Vermont, where the regiment had spent the latter part of December '62, was just south of red arrow marked at bottom of map.

NOTES:
Page 1
Sister Eliza C Came, daughter of Abraham L and Annis (Green) Came, was born 1833 in Buxton. She never married, and died in 1885. She is buried in the Came family cemetery. 
Page 2
"Warren" is referring to Joseph F Warren, also of Co C, who was 2nd Lt. at the time of this letter writing. Following John Came's death, he became 1st Lt (and later captain, when John Hill was promoted to major).
Page 4
"Sam Davis" - I believe this is Samuel L Davis of Standish, Maine, who was captain of Co K, 25th Maine Infantry. He was "discharged for incompetency" on Dec 8th 1862 [according to ME archives index card].
There is also has some newer writing along the top that erroneously listed John's death as "Dec 16th", instead of Jan 16th.
Page 1 (closing part of letter)
​Frank C Came, of Co B, the fellow from York, was indeed Charles Came's son. I haven't trace their ancestry to see if or how closely related they may have been.

The Find a Grave entry for: John H Came (with grave photo):

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