George E. Shafer had joined the United States Army at 17 and survived his first scrape with the enemy during the Civil War.

Writing home to his mother Charlotte in Carbondale, Pennsylvania from Martinsburg, Virginia on July 3, 1861, the private in Company A, 15th Pennsylvania wanted her to know he was safe.

The day before, his regiment had stumbled into a sharp engagement at Hoke’s Run – Confederate forces contesting the US Army advance across the Potomac River.

George came through unhurt, but his regiment had not escaped cleanly. Roughly 40 men from a neighboring company had been captured and others wounded. Among the prisoners was Patrick Glennan, a Carbondale butcher whose name Charlotte would have known.

George had enlisted in April 1861, barely a teenager, into a regiment recruited out of Scranton. The life he left behind in the Coal Region was an unusual one.

His father James had gone to California during the Gold Rush in 1850 and never came back, eventually dying in San Francisco in 1866. Charlotte had made the journey west herself in 1855, spending three years in California before returning to Carbondale with George. She knew something about long separations and uncertain news from far away.

The teenager sought to soothe his mother, encouraging her not to worry. And his child-like nature emerges in a quick question about what Carbondale was doing to celebrate Independence Day.

From the Carbondale Advance, July 13, 1861:

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MARTINSBURG, Va., 

July 3, 1861. 

DEAR MOTHER: 

I suppose you have been worried from not hearing from me so long. The last time I wrote I was in camp near Sharpsburg. We left there Thursday on account of bad water, and moved about two miles farther down and stayed there until Monday morning, when we started to the river, which was about three miles, to cross, but when we got there it was too deep and we had to go to camp again and pack up our tents and go down further, about 7 miles, and there camped for the night. The next morning, we started for Williamsport and crossed the river.

We had crossed and got about 6 miles when the enemy’s cavalry were seen in front, and we formed a line of battle in front of them. After we were formed, the Captain of our advance guard came back with 10 men, and said that all of the rest of the men of his company had been taken prisoners and one shot, which was bad news. The enemy retreated. 

We marched in line for about 8 or 9 miles, with the enemy retreating, in front of us about a mile, and then camped for the night, and this morning, we there started about and got here about are 25,000 of our men here now, that bare come to day, with 7 field cannons. Among the men that were captured was Pat. Glennan, the butcher, from Carbondale. [Glennan served as a private in Company I, 15th Pennsylvania]

Most of the houses we have passed were deserted. Folks left their wheat half cut, their cattle, and everything else. I saw in Martinsburg today about 12 engines, which the rebels had burnt and broken to pieces. We have captured several of their men and three horses. We are driving the enemy ahead of us all the time. Doubleday’s battery came in this afternoon from Williamsport, with 4 more regiments. 

You must not be worried about me, if you do not hear often, for we do not have much time to write or have much chance to send our letters. I suppose you will have a great time there tomorrow. What is going on? 

You can risk one letter and direct it to Martinsburgh, Virginia, and be sure to pat on the envelope, “Pa. Volunteers”

From your son,

G. E. SHAFER

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Read the previous letter from the Letters from War: 1861 series.

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This is part of an ongoing series called “Letters from War: 1861” that will share correspondence written on the front lines during the turbulent first year of the Civil War.

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