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.
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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 |  |
 | 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 |  |
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).
(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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