4-page Occupation Letter with Postal Cover from Musician Henry Hitchcock, 37th MA, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac, written on May 5, 1865 to a friend back home in East Cummington, MA.....
"Camp Wilson Station, Va
May 5th '65
Dear friend Jesse,
I take this, the earliest opportunity I have had, of writing to you since l rec'd your letter, and that was some time ago. but you must excuse me but it has not been so that I could write hardly a word in the last month. I was very glad to hear from you and the folks. Hope I shall often. and I will try and ansr them. no doubt but what I shall have time now, since the war is over, but we are on the military yet. we are guarding the RR from Greensboro, N.C. through to Petersburg. that is the whole corps is. the 1s Division takes it from Petersburg to Burksville, the 2nd Div from there to Danville, and the 3rd Div I don't know exactly where they are stationed, somewhere on the road. part below Danville and part up this way, I think. I suppose we shall have to stay on this road until they get all of Joe Johnston's Army and Artillery and implements of war, up through to Petersburg or City Point, and the war material that we captured at Danville. also, we found lots of canon and small Arms there. Some of the best quality. We found some 100 pdrs (pounders) that was made this year. 1865 marked on them, the old Harper's Ferry Armory and Arsenal are there been running this two or three years ever since they moved them from the valley at the time Gen Banks and Gen Shields drove that old devil Stonewall Jackson from there.
Well Jesse, we are on our road home. We come from Danville day before yesterday: the first time we ever rode a step in the whole war except when we went to New York and then they couldn't help it. If they could, why, we should have gone afoot of course. We have been over three thousand miles on foot and carried a large load since I saw you, besides all the rest of the little chores that we have done; but we will let this go for now. I shall be at home before long, and then / will tell you more about it. I have not time to write much more now, although there is many things I would like to mention such as how the country looks, and how the Reb soldiers feel, and the people generally, the most of them are pretty well satisfied and the rest of them will be before long I guess. they know that the so-called Confederacy is done for, and that they have got to do as we say, so they are pretty quiet and humble just now, and well they might be, for they know they was in the wrong altogether! Well, Jesse, I must draw this to a close, for I have not time to write any more now. I might write two weeks steady and then I shall not get half through, so i will stop at once.
your friend,
Henry Hitchcock
tell my folks that I am well if you please"