American Historical Ephemera & Photography Online

A group of 10 letters spanning approximately 10 September 1862 - 4 September 1864, primarily addressed to Moore's sister. Moore's first letter follows the Battle of Antietam though he says he has no time to give details of the battle. He indicates he is tired of riding, and has gone through three horses just since his last letter. As later letters progress he relays the toll on himself as well as his fellow soldiers, and indicates that the numbers in his regiment are dwindling. Writing from "Camp near Warrenton" on 10 April 1864, Moore discusses the three years he has served, noting that he did not think he would make it this long, "but thank god I have ... I have seen sum hard times vary hard indeed...." Still, Moore is committed to soldiering, even to the extent that he is reluctant to go to the hospital for treatment if it becomes necessary, writing on that 20 April 1864 "I don't want that sead that I was playing sick...." Moore indicates in his next letter of 6 May 1864 that he has had very hard fighting. Most interesting in the letter grouping may be his letter of 11 June 1864, written just after the Battle of Cold Harbor. Moore indicates to his sister that the page on which he writes was torn through by a bullet: "you must excuse this raged sheat of paper fore this is the best that I have this was torn with bulet it wen throu my roll of close an I had my portfolery in it it went throu it an in to my cartridges box...it nearly knock me off of my hors...." The final letter in the archive dated 4 September 1864 finds Moore bedridden "back in my old place," seemingly in the hospital he so wished to avoid, and still recovering from the wounds received at Deep Bottom over a month before.

HDS indicates that Lewis Moore (ca 1835-?) of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, enlisted on 8/8/1861 as a private and mustered into Co. B, Pennsylvania 1st Cavalry.
He was listed as wounded 7/28/1864 at Deep Bottom Run, VA. The 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, also known as the "44th Volunteers," was part of the Pennsylvania Reserves Infantry. The unit saw extensive action throughout the war including at Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and Deep Bottom. The regiment was present at Appomattox Court House for Lee's surrender.