Radio Script #1127

Little Talks on Common Things
May 22, 1977

Last week, when we took note of Civil War letters received by Noses Young, I told you he was an officer of a regiment of Negro troops in New Orleans. Now I want to tell you what some of the letters reveal about his relationship with his commanding officer, Col. Henry Clay Merriam, who after the war remained in the army, and at his final retirement many years after the war held the rank of Major General. General Merriam was the most famous of all Colby men who served in the Civil War and he achieved recognition in Washington for his gallant leadership of Negro troops in battle.

The letters from Merriam to Young do not begin until the war was over, in the fall of 1865, but both had remained in service, Young by then being transferred to a unit that was sent to quell uprisings in Texas. By that time Young had been promoted to Captain. Col. Merriam wrote him on October 22, 1865: “I have seen Capt. Appleby and have learned of your promotion. It is very gratifying to me, but is only half your merited award. Because the promotion has sent you into Texas, I feel you are to be pitied rather than congratulated. However, good soldiers must make do with whatever honors they get.

“As for myself, I am being mustered out of the service against my will, but perhaps for the good of the service. Anyhow, I have received appointment as full Colonel. I am sure I got it because of the support of Gen. Phil. Sheridan. My appointment is by Pres. Johnson as Col. of Volunteers, for gallant and meritorious service during the campaign against the defenses at Mobile.”

Merriam proved mistaken about his leaving the service. He was indeed mustered out, but was almost immediately accepted for a new assignment as Colonel of a regiment. In November he again wrote to Young: “We are now in the Dept. of the Gulf and have a full complement of officers. Otherwise I should ask for your transfer to me. The Rebellion is over. The small uprisings that came for several months after Lee’s surrender have now been quelled.”

In 1870, five years after the war, Merriam was a commander of troops in the Indian Wars in the West. There he lost his wife and child in a flash flood. When Young wrote a letter of consolation, Merriam replied: “Among those who have written me kind words of comfort and sympathy is the noble head of our army, General William T. Sherman. After two months spent in the sad task of bringing the bodies of my dear ones 3,000 miles to Maine, I now have the satisfaction of knowing that they lie in the beautiful Pine Grove Cemetery in Waterville, where my wife and I began out deep affection for each other and where we were married. I spent my leave of absence in beautifying the cemetery lot and erecting suitable monuments.”

By that time Moses Young had left the army and was back in Calais, and it was to that place that General Merriam directed his letter. Now let us return to those earlier letters sent to Moses Young and take note of how his brother Elmer kept his soldier brother informed of activities at home. Elmer told him about the Calais Fair in the fall of 1863. He said the display of fancy articles was smaller than usual because the women were all busy sewing and knitting for the soldiers.

Elmer said a few days earlier a balloon passed over Calais, having left Bangor at 1 pm. At Bat;ing it was low enough so the people on the ground could talk with those in it. The balloon landed at Fredericton, N.B. early in the evening. Elmer’s comment was, “Pretty quick travelling, I would say.” Elmer regaled his brother with an account of a shooting incident in Calais. “Al Sawyer was leaving his house for the store when a man approached him and asked if he was Sawyer. When Al replied in the affirmative, the man said he had a letter for Al and would give it to him right there. Whereupon the fellow reached inside his coat and drew out a pistol. With no further warning, he fired at Al, striking him in the breast. Fortunately the bullet did not injure AI, who afterwards found it had been stopped by a notebook in his breast pocket. The fellow ran away fast and officers are still looking for him. He lives in Weston and Al knows him. He had threatened Al’s life several times before over a lawsuit that Al won against him.

By the spring of 1864 bodies of many soldiers killed in battle were being brought home for burial. Elmer wrote to Moses: “The funerals of Captain Furlong and Lt. Waite were held here last week. They were killed in the engagement on the Rapidan. All the stores in town were closed and flags were at half mast.”

Elmer was selling picture frames, and he told his brother: “The picture frame business is good. A fellow has been taking pictures here for the past three weeks, and I think he has done at least a thousand dollars worth of business. I have had all I can do to provide frames for his pictures. I have at least $50 worth still on hand to frame. I think I shall go into business taking pictures and make frames as a sideline.”

In the entire collection of Moses Young’s letters there is just one from his mother. That seems unusual because it was the mothers who wrote most often to soldiers in the Civil War encampments. On February I, 1864, Mrs. Electra Young wrote to her captain son: “I was glad to get your letter for I thought you had almost forgotten me. I am delighted that you are to be regimental instructor. I fear you will be killed or badly wounded if you go into battle. You have been lucky to escape sound from the many engagements you have already been in. When you get out of the army, you can take a school here and I know you would keep it well. We need strong men teachers.” She continued, “I received a letter from your father last week (those of you who heard last Sunday’s broadcast will recall that the father was working in New Haven). Your father seems well. He knows I am keeping house alone, waiting for you to come home. We have had protracted meetings at the Methodist Church. I wish you were here to go to meeting with. Keep up your courage and get home as soon as you can. Have you received your back pay yet? I could use a little money.”

In the winter of 1864 there was fear of an invasion of the Maine coast by way of Canada. In February, Elmer notified Moses that two companies of the regular army were being locally recruited to be stationed between Calais and Eastport to give greater protection to the border. Elmer wrote: “There is hot discussion about who shall be their officers. B. M. Flint is spoken of as Captain, Joseph Richards as First Lieutenant and either Sam Gallagher or Alvin Smith as Second Lieutenant. But I think all except Flint have some opposition.”

With so much attention in 1977 to the Maine lottery, it is interesting to note what Elmer wrote his brother on that subject in 1864. “Lotteries are all the rage in Calais now. I think I was the one who started the ball in motion. I had three sewing machines which, as sales agent, I needed to dispose of in order to meet the note I had signed for them. So I conceived the grand idea to get up a lottery. I did just that, and it was a big success. I had no sooner disposed of one when I put up the second, which was drawn last Friday. But I shall hold back a while on the third one, because too many other fellows are getting the same idea. About every other person you meet wants to sell you a ticket to take a chance on something he has for sale. So, after accumulating what is for me a small fortune, I am temporarily retiring from the lottery business.”

Evidently his sister Ellen thought Moses had a soft spot in the army. In March 1864 she wrote: “I am glad you are having such an easy time. I hope you continue to have it while the war lasts. Calais has been quite gay this winter since our new City Hall was finished. If it was not for Calais boys in the army, I think we wouldn’t realize there was war. I should like to go down where you are and buy a plantation. Is it a healthy place? Eugene Clark, who has been a prisoner in Andersonville for nearly a year, was exchanged and came home last week. He is nothing but skin and bones.”

When Moses Young left home he owed a note to a man named Pike. By May 1864, he had sent money to Elmer to clear that debt. Elmer then wrote his brother: “I have returned your draft. I paid Pike your note and gave the balance to Mother. Pike sent it on to New York where it was presented for payment. But they found the body of the draft imperfectly made out and the Treasurer would not honor it. In due time it came back to Pike and he returned it to me. I then sent it to you at Port Hudson and gave Pike my own note for $100. If you have facilities to forward money by express, send greenbacks, because the Express Co. is responsible for all losses. But in this case, have the draft corrected and return it to me promptly.”

Late in May Ellen wrote to Moses, sending a letter which their mother had received from her sister in Waterville. The sister wanted to know Moses’ army address. She added, “Waterville is bright and gay today with news of the Army of the Potomac. If Grant can drive Lee out of Richmond, it should end the war.”

That letter from Waterville was written on May 8, 1864. It would be another full year before Lee would surrender at Appomatox.

That fall Elmer told his brother about Maine politics. “A week from today the citizens of Maine will decide whether the present Governor Cony or Howard the Democrat will be the next governor. Since Cony has always been a Union man, there should be no doubt of the outcome, for Maine is Union to the core.

“We got the good news that Sherman has captured Atlanta and that he has taken hundreds of prisoners from Hood’s army.

“I presume you have heard of McClellan’s nomination for President. Democrats here are making a lot of noise about it, firing cannon and cheering, but whether it will last til November remains to be seen. McClellan is popular and will run well. The Republicans have a lot of work before them if they are to succeed.”

A week later Elmer sent Moses another letter. “Yesterday was state election – a good man has succeeded a Copperhead in our First District. The Democrat Howard was snowed under for governor by good Governor Cony. If the Republicans can do as well in all the Union in November, Old Abe will stay in the White House.”

And now, more than 100 years later, we know that is exactly what happened, but only to have President Lincoln assassinated five weeks after his second inauguration.

Year: 1977