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| Main Street Lexington, KY |
In this letter, written 150 years ago today (April 5, 1863), 2nd Lieutenant Curtis C. Pollock, lets his mother know that he has arrived safe and sound in Lexington:
My
Dear Ma
I guess you will think it very
strange that I have not written for so long a time, but the reason (and I know
it is a poor one) that we have been in so unsettled a state that I had no
opportunity. And I do not feel a bit
like writing now but I know that you will be anxious about me so I will write a
few lines to let you know that I am in good health and spirits. Col. Sigfried is Provost Marshal of the City
and the Regt. is doing Provost duty in it.
I am on guard to day and have been kept pretty busy all day. I will write a long letter in a few days
giving you an account of our journey here. We had a very pleasant trip. If we can only stay here it will be also the
most comfortable quarters we ever had.
The Regt. is quartered in two houses and we have a room with the
officers of Co. B. We were paid the day before we left camp to come into town
and I received $426. I will not send any
home as I am going to try and get there myself as soon as possible. No more at present
Your
affec son
C.C.P.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A week later, on April 13, Pollock had more time to relate the journey of the regiment from Newport News, Virginia, to Lexington:
Lexington Ky.
April 13th 1863
Dear
Ma
I received the letters sent by
Flanagan and Evans, but have not received any by mail, except one from
Mary. We are getting along very well and
like our new duties. I am on guard to
night and it is 1 o’clock A.M. I am
sitting in the Provost Marshal’s office writing. We had a splendid trip from
Newport News here and we all enjoyed it very much. We saw plenty of pretty girls along the road
and we would get out at the stations where the train would stop and talk to
them and when we came across any while train was going, we had notes prepared
and would throw them out the window, kiss our hands to them and wave our
handkerchiefs. Indeed we had quite a
jolly time. The scenery along the
Juniata is beautiful, and going across the plains from Altoona to Pittsburg the
scenery is said to be perfectly beautiful but as it was very foggy we did not
get to see much. We had four engines
attached to our train crossing the Alleghanies and they had tough work to get
us up. I was very much taken with
Ohio. Every town we passed through the
depots were thronged with pretty girls and there were so many of them. It was on Sunday when we passed through and
every body was dressed up in their Sunday go to meeting clothes and looked
well. There was one particular young
lade who was down at the cars and with whom I fell desperately in love, her
name I found out to be Sue Sterling and she kissed her hand to me. We passed through Columbus about 12 o’clock
at night and we did not get to see much of it.
I was nearly left behind here.
Capt. & I got out to get our coffee pot full of coffee and before we
got to the place where they were dishing it out the train started and Capt. he
got right aboard but I was not going to loose the coffee so I took the pot and
ran to the place but it was almost all gone so that I could only get a few tin
cups full, and when I started for the train it was about a hundred yards ahead
of me and going very fast. well I did
some tall running about that time with the old coffee pot in one hand. I just
managed to get up to the last car and get aboard. They all thought I had been left. I met a
gentleman in Pittsburg by the name of Whitney and he took me around and treated
me first rate and I had quite a jolly time.
We arrived in Cincinata about 11 o’clock Monday morning and were marched
to the Market House where a table was set for the men, one of the Hotel keepers
then invited the officers down to take dinner at his hotel and it was there I
ate the first buckwheat cakes I had tasted the last winter, they were very good
and we had some of the best sausage I ever ate.
After dinner we crossed over to Covington got on the train and after
waiting until nearly dark we started for Lexington. We rode all night and when I got awake the
next morning I found myself here, and a very fine city it is though they are a
great many Secesh. about. I have become aquainted with some Union ladies and spent
a very pleasant evening with them and last night I escorted one home from
church. I saw on the street to day a
daughter of the Rebel General Preston she is rather a fine looking girl but not
pretty. I expect to get aquainted with
quite a number of ladies this week and I now have the photographs to two very
pretty young ladies here. One of them is a namesake of Sallie Brights, he name
is Bell Bright. The town clock has just
struck two and I am very sleepy so I hope you will excuse this hastily written
letter. We have been quartered I town
for some time, but to day we moved out to the outskirts, and send our details
in ever day. Col. Sigfried commands this
post and Gen. Wilcox has relieved Gen. Gilmour who has been here and commanded
the central district of Kentucky. I do
not know whether I shall be able to get home or not but as soon as I think
there is any show, I will try it. Your
affec Son
C.C.P.
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