William Darius Burdick – Civil War Letter

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Burdick, Civil War, Walworth Co WI, Wis 22nd Co D

This letter [transcript at end] was written 22 December 1864 by William Darius Burdick (1826-1897) of Walworth Co., WI to his brother Ethan Burdick of Adams Co., WI.  They were two of the sons of Peleg Clarke Burdick Sr. and his wife Thankful (Hall), formerly of Otsego Co., NY.

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Transcript, William Darius Burdick letter 22 December 1864
[Verbatim, sentence breaks/punctuation added for clarity]

Dear Brother
I receved your letter vary gladly and thankfully. I am well as comon, probably I never will have the use of my right leg again but the lords will must be dun. I am vary glad to hear that your famely is well. I have not hurd from my famely sense the 9 of this month, then my wife was up around the house. Ines was braking out with the small pox. You wanted to know whare my famely lived. They liv whare they did when Marget was down thare. I bought 40 acers more thare. It mks me a good home now.
[Page 2]
I will giv you a little nolage of my soldering. I enlisted the forth day of last […?] I staid hear in madison two weeks and then went down to Nashville and staid thare three weeks and dun gard duty in Nashville and then we started to go [frunt?] We Mached 15 days. I ws on scurmish line five days. We Marched 25 mills one day and bilt two brest works and the last one we bilt was about ten o’clock at night and thar is whare I got hurt by a log and after I got hurt we was orderd to lay down under the brest works. We wernt aloud to have our tents up and it raind aful hard
[Page 3]
and I tookt cold in my hip. This was on tailars ridg in gorgy. The next morning we had orders to marck and the doctor came and told me I must go back. He told me to lay thare on the ground untill the ambelane came up and then git in and go to the Hospital but when the regment started I took my gun and started, used it for cruck and when we got about half a mile the rebs took pesesion of our brest works and thay wold took me to if I had staid thare. I went that day with them and then went to the Hospital in ringold the 13 of last may.
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I hav ben in the Hospital ever sence. I was transfrd hear the 2nd day of last August. They hav mde out my dischrge and sent it to milwake to hav it sind. I enliste[d] in the 22 regment co D. Right as soon as you get this from your Brother W D Burdick
[To]
Ethan Burdick
Springville

1864 Letter from William Darius Burdick

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Burdick, Civil War, Gardner, Hall, Walworth Co WI

William Darius Burdick, whose given and middle names are sometimes switched, seems to have usually been called Darius by family (some of whom used the spelling Darias).  He wrote this letter to his brother Ethan while hospitalized for injuries received serving in the Civil War.  The son of Peleg C. and Thankful (Hall) Burdick, he married Mary Gardner or Gardner.  He died in 1897 at the age of 70 in Lake Geneva, Walworth Co., WI.  An approximate transcript of the letter follows the images.

[Transcript]

Dec the 22nd 1864

Dear Brother

I receved your letter vary gladly and thankfully I am well as comon probably I will never have the use of my right leg again but the lords will must be dun[.]  I am vary glad to hear that your family is well[.] I hav not hurd from my family sence the 9 of this month[.] Then my wife was up around the house[.] Ines was a braking out with the small pox[.] You wanted to know whare my family lived[.] Thay liv whare thay did when Marget was down thare[.] I bought 40 acers more thare[.] It mks me a good home now[.] I will giv you a little nolage of my soldering[.] I enlisted the forth day of last January[.] I staid hear in Madison two weeks and then went down to Nashville and staid there three weeks and dun gard duty in Nashville and then we started to go [frunt?] We mached 15 days[.] I was on scurmish line five days[.] We marched 25 milles one day and bilt two brest works and the last one we bilt was about ten oclock at night and thar is whare I got hurt by a log and after I got hurt we was orderd to lay down under the brest works[.] We wernt aloud to have our tents up and it raind awful hard and I tookt cold in my hip[.] This was on tailors ridg in gorgy[.] The next morning we had orders to march and the docter came and told me I must go back[.] He told me to lay thar on the ground untill the ambelanc came up and then git in and go to the hospital but when the regment started I took my gun and started[,] used it for a cruch and when we got about half a milld the rebs took pessesion of our brest works and they wold took me to if I had staid thare[.] I went that day with them and then went to the hospital in ringold the 13 of last May[.]   I have ben in the hospital ever sense[.] I was transfrd hear the 2nd day of last August[.] Thay hav made out my discharge and sent it to Milwauke to have it sind[.] I enlisted in the 22 regment Co D[.] Right as soon as you get this from your brother W D Burdick

[addressed to]
Ethan Burdick
Springvill

Letter from Sacramento 1852

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Rice, Sacramento CA, Traver

A trifle for those interested in early Sacramento, California.  The letter at the end of this post was written in March 1852 by Mary (Mrs. Charles) Rice, nee Traver, to her sister and brother-in-law in Wisconsin.  The image quality is not great, as these were photocopies; the whereabouts of the originals or if they still exist is unknown.

The first and part of the third pages are related to family matters, but on page two, transcribed below, Mary comments about their lodgings and events in Sacramento.  Mary’s spelling and capitalization are on the creative side but I have attempted to transcribe it verbatim; missing punctuation has been added [in brackets] for the sake of clarity.

[transcript of text beginning at bottom of page 1]
we are a liveing on the bank of the Sacramento and had thouts of staying a year but the river has been so high that it over
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flowed its banks and has come on the garden some but the ground is so full of water that it will be some time befor there can be any thing done and it will be to late for a garden so we are ready for to move again[.] when I wrote to you we were about moving in a hotel[.] we stayed a month[.] it was not profatable so we left it and now the gardening is […?…] and we are ready to try something else, this is a Cuntry of changes.  you will think so soon for this is the third house that I have lived in[.]  a month seames to be the longest for me but you know that I had maid up my mind to be contented any where so it passes very pleasantly.  I regreted to leave the last place for it was very pleasant[.] we lived on the bank of the Sacramento[.] it was very pleassant to see the steamboats apassing[.] sometimes there would be as many as five in a day a going down the river, the house was clothe, the flore was matting[.] the matting is imported from China and is used instead of carpting[.] Charles is a goind in the mines to look a place[.] he starts today[.] I am a going to stay with a family that came to this Cuntry when we did[.] they are from Baltimore[.] they lived in Washington acrost the river opsit to Sacramento[.] the high water broke through the leeve that was thrown up to protect the City and the people went
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through the streets with boats[.]  we were afraid the water would come in our house too milds below for it was on the valley and I went up to the City on horseback and went back to the river in a boat and then walked down on the leeve[.] the water did not come in the house but I can say I had a boat ride in the streets[.] the dammage in the City was not very greate[.]

Family information indicates that the Rice family moved to California at the time of the Gold Rush.  Charles arrived there 5 Sep 1850.  Mary and daughter Lydia left for California on 28 Ap 1851, paying $300 for their tickets.  They initially lived near Sacramento and later around Weaverville.  In 1872, they were in Tehama where Charles had a store and a blacksmith shop, before they returned to the midwest.