These letters were written by 19 year-old Amos Perley Burnham (1842-1906), the son of Amos Burnham (1816-1905) and Sophia Woodbury Poland (1820-1901) of Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts. Amos wrote the first letter to his sister. Other relatives — perhaps cousins — mentioned include Calvin Foster Burnham (b. 1844), Otis Burnham (b. 1846), and Frank Burnham (b. 1847).
Just prior to the Civil War, Amos was residing in the household of shoemaker Nathan Patch in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts. In May 1861, Amos enlisted in Company C, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry as a private. He was later promoted to a corporal and he remained with his regiment until they were mustered out of the service in July 1865.
Leaving Massachusetts on 8 July 1861, the regiment joined the force of Gen. Patterson at Martinsburg, Virginia, on the 12th. The summer and fall were spent largely in picketing the line of the upper Potomac. In the late fall, the 2nd Massachusetts was in camp at Seneca Creek near Darnestown, Maryland and though Amos datelined this letter “Muddy branch near the Potomac,” I feel confident the muddy branch was Seneca Creek which meanders through Montgomery County, Maryland roughly 16 miles northwest of Washington D.C. and flows under the Seneca Aqueduct of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal before it flows into the Potomac River.
Letter 1
November 12th [1861]
Muddy Branch near the Potomac
Dear Sister,
As you have wrote to me, I will sit down this afternoon and pen you a few lines. I have not received your letter yet but it may be up to headquarters for our Captain says that there is a good many back letters for our regiment up there and yours may be there too.
We changed our encampment yesterday and we are now encamped on good grass ground. It is about a half a mile from our old camp ground. It is just as much for us to move one mile as it is for to go twenty miles. We did not get through until night and then we were as tired as we should have been if we had marched twenty miles. I like our encampment much better than our old one for we shall not have to work as hard to keep it clean and we have a fine view of the river and Virginia shore for a number of miles but no rebels make their appearance at this point.
I went down to the river this forenoon and I should like to have you seen the pickets on the towpath of the canal. They reach from Harper’s Ferry to Washington — distance 70 miles — and it is the longest picket guard ever was known in the world. The word “all is well” has to be passed along from one sentry to another until it reaches Washington so it is impossible for the enemy on the other side to make any movements without us knowing it.
Our cooks have just received orders to cook up three days rations so we expect to be on the move soon although we may not leave until we go into winter quarters. I must close now for our company has to go on picket.
The mail has just arrived and brought me five letters — one from Calvin, Otis, and Frank and two from Montserrat. Tell the boys I will answer them [as soon] as possible. I write all the spare time I can get. I wrote to mother the 11th.
I have wrote these few lines in a hurry so you must excuse poor writing. If mother sends me a box, have it marked plain. Yours in haste, — Amos P. Burnham
I expect to hear from you soon. Give my love to all and tell Bill I should like to hear from him. You must enclose lots of letters in the box if mother sends it.
Letter 2
Camp Hicks near Frederick, Maryland
December 30th [1861]
Dear Brother,
I found your letter in the box and was a little surprised to receive a letter from you as you have not wrote to me since I have been out here. I was very glad to hear from you and as you have began, I hope you will write often.
We have had pretty busy times since we arrived here clearing up our encampment and I tell you, it was a job for we encamped in a piece of woods full of stumps and underwood. We have got the stumps all up now and our campground is as level as a floor. We have to sweep it over once a day and I have learned the trade pretty well.
Our regiment is not in very good health. I don’t think we have more than six hundred men on duty. The hospital is pretty well filled up with patients. They are mostly sick with the slow fever. None are very sick now. There was a fellow died in our regiment last week. He was boarding out to a private house. His name was Michael Malony. His body I believe was sent home. I don’t think the sick are very well cared for. We have a good many in the hospitals at Baltimore. There is David Shea, Thomas Gray, Joseph Standley from Montserrat. There is a number more but you do not know them so I will not write their names. We have not heard from them since they left us except David Shea. We heard from him when Mr. Putman was out here. He called and see him. He said he was very sick and did not think he ever would get any better but the boys don’t give him up here.
We have had very warm and pleasant weather for this time of year. I don’t remember but one stormy day since we have been here. I don’t know whether we shall stop here this winter or not but I hope we shall for it is a good place and as warm as you can find in Maryland. Some of the companies have boarded their tents and have built them a cook house but we have not got our tents boarded but we have good clean straw so we lay pretty warm. I eat the last contents of my box last night and I tell you I was sorry when it was gone but I think it lasted me well, don’t you?
Mother told me you paid the freight on the box. It was very kind in you and please accept my sincere thanks. No more for the present from your brother, — Perley
The boys all send their best respects.
Spared & Shared 9 
I bought an old Victorian house in Beverly a few years ago (built around 1897). I went to the historic society and found out that it was built in by Amos P Burnham, Civil War veteran and shoe maker, who prior to building the house lived a street over. He had 6 children with his wife Ada. Ada lived in the house until 1933 and died at the age of 92 in 1941 living a few houses down with her daughter and her husband. I was amazed to find this letter from Amos on your site. Very interesting to see. Thank you for posting.
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