1861 Civil War Letter - 13th Missouri/22nd Ohio - Soldiers Poisoned in St. Louis

Description

John H. Baird was a twenty-two-year-old recruit when he wrote this letter from St. Louis in September 1861. He had joined “Captain Thrall’s company Mo. volunteers.” Their regiment was initially called the 13th Missouri Volunteers, but Homer Thrall and the other officers were Ohioans, and in May 1862 the War Department ordered the regiment designated the 22nd Ohio Volunteers. The letter was written from Camp Benton, which today is the site of the St. Louis Fairgrounds Park, but at the time served as a training camp for Union volunteers. Baird writes to his friend that “most all of the boys have had the backdoor tramp” since arriving in camp, and describes one poor fellow who “was called upon to obey one of the calls of nature, went to the privy, [and] while there fell overboard into the sink…there he had to remain until someone came to his relief.” Baird then recounts how “there was three men poisoned to death here the other day.” The men had bought some peaches from a civilian in St. Louis and “by the time they got into the camp three of them were about dead. They only lived a short time.”
Baird then describes the happenings around Camp Benton. “Most everybody is in camp looking at the soldiers going to marching,” he writes. “There was 2 regiments came in camp today & have been going & coming ever since we came,” adding that “it is a curiosity to be here some days to see them on parade.” Describing the camp, he writes, “Our campground consists of about 180 acres of the nicest ground you ever saw & is just as level as you would wish. And that [which] ain’t level soon will be, for there are about a hundred or so teams leveling it off every day.”
Baird closes the letter stating that they had been issued their cooking utensils and blankets, but “our uniform we have not got yet, but expect to get it the first of this week.”
Baird would have been with the regiment at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, but was discharged for disability at Corinth, Mississippi, about a year after writing this letter.
The letter was written on four pages of a 4 3/4” x 7 3/4” letter sheet featuring a patriotic decoration of the bust of President Andrew Jackson, with the quote “This Federal Union, it must be preserved.” The stationery is marked “Sold by Munford & Co. Cincinnati.” Very good condition with light foxing and toning, as well as some visible adhesive residue, perhaps from a previous album placement. Creased at original folds. The full transcript follows:
Camp Benton
Sept 22 1861
Friend Jo,
Dear Sir, I, [a] member of Captain Thrall’s company Mo. volunteers, take the present opportunity of addressing you a few more lines to let you know that I am enjoying myself first rate & hope that these few lines may find you the same. The boys have all as far as I have ascertained enjoyed themselves very well, with the exception of two or three who have gotten the blues like everything. Most all of the boys have had the backdoor tramp like everything since we came into camp. Especially one of the camp boys who was called upon to obey one of the calls of nature, went to the privy, [and] while there fell overboard into the sink, poor fellow. There he had to remain until someone came to his relief. Finally someone came & helped the poor fellow out. You can imagine the awful condition he was in. There was three men poisoned to death here the other day. As they were passing through St. Louis some of them bought some peaches & by the time they got into the camp three of them were about dead. They only lived a short time. We are on drill about 6 hours a day. It does not make me so tired as I thought it would. We rest frequently [and] by so doing we do not get much fatigue.
We have quite [a] lively time today. Most everybody is in camp looking at the soldiers going to marching. There was 2 regiments came in camp today & have been going & coming ever since we came. I tell you so, it is a curiosity to be here some days to see them on parade. Our campground consists of about 180 acres of the nicest ground you ever saw & is just as level as you would wish. And that [which] ain’t level soon will be, for there are about a hundred or so teams leveling it off every day. We have plenty of beans & pork to eat once a day, coffee twice, & fresh beef twice a week, but the bread we have is pretty dry eating but I can live on it. Let it be what it will.
Our uniform we have not got yet, but expect to get it the first of this week. The cooking utensils & blankets we have got. The captain says we are a going to get a pretty nice uniform. Some of the uniforms came in today which belong to some of [the] boys of the regt, but not ours. Nothing more at present, I believe. Write soon. Go for I would like to hear from you the worst way. Excuse all mistakes & bad writing, for I wrote this letter in great haste. Write and give me all of the particulars.
From your friend
J. H. Baird
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