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On How Union Soldier's Are Punished For Stealing

A good war-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written in pencil, on patriotic stationery of zouave soldier stepping on rebel flag entitled: The hero Ellsworth…revenge his death, by Pvt. Charles L. Hewitt, Co. E, 7th Conn. Vols., Camp Buckingham, [Washington D. C.], Oct. 6, [n. y., but 1861], reading, in part: "...There is a report here that we are going to leave here this week some time, but I do not believe it. Last Monday we had orders to pack our knapsacks and get ready to start at a minutes notice. We had 3 days rations cooked, but did not go. They do not allow much stealing here. One man in one of the companies stole a pair of shoes. They fined him $2.50 and 10 days hard labor - 4 days of it was to stand on a barrel head in front of the guard tent 4 hours each day. All that we have to do Sunday is to inspection of arms and dress parade and go to meeting once...We are encamped within about 1/2 a mile of the place where the Winsted boys first were when they first came to Washington before, and on the very ground where they were when they came from Bull Run... David Coe was here last Friday and says that his brigade was encamped at Falls Church and that Gen. Hays slept in the same house last Sunday night that Beauregard slept in Saturday night...". Hewitt served throughout the war fighting at the battles of Fort Wagner, Olustee, Florida, Bermuda Hundred before he was discharged in late 1864. VG.

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