Corporal John William Peck, 4th Indiana Cavalry, Civil War Archive

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Nov 18, 2016 - Nov 19, 2016

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• Lot Description

  Lot of approx. 120 letters written by 2^nd Lieutenant John William Peck, 1862-1865. Approximately 109 are accompanied by the envelopes. The archive likely includes every letter written by Peck to his mother and sister in Indiana while on the front lines as well as a few other related items. 
  
  The Civil War was not the first time the Peck family served the state of Indiana. In the 1830s, John William Peck was a member of the Indiana Militia but received a medical pardon from a doctor who examined his injured toes on his right foot. It would be impossible for him to perform a hasty or long march, wrote Dr. William Trafton (Evansville, November 3, 1834). The injury and medical note cleared Peck of all military duty. His son or relative, also named John William Peck, enlisted in the army 28 years later to fight for the Union. Peck and his cousin John T. Morris enlisted in the army on August 7, 1862. Peck mustered in as a corporal of the 4th Indiana Cavalry, Co. F. He reached the rank of 2nd lieutenant on June 1, 1865, but was not mustered into the position. His cousin, Morris, remained a private throughout his career in the same regiment, but different company. He wrote to his cousin Kate once about his service. That letter is included in the lot. 
  
  Peck wrote home often to his mother and sister. At the start of his career, he faced many battles and was a part of several scouting parties. We had some hard times but not half as hard as some troops have had. Our co. used mortars during the bombardment of Ft. Morgan. We have been in [New Orleans] for quite some time past we are having very easy times here we don’t have much to do, he wrote (New Orleans, December 8, 1864).
  
  Peck and his regiment moved to Kentucky to pursue Morgan and stop his infamous raids of terror. Disgruntled from what he thought was a poor strategic move by his superiors, Peck wrote home:
  
  We have been after Morgan and had a little brush with him we fired on his pickets and killed 3 or 4 and taken seventeen prisoners then a Illinois general ordered the artillery to fire on them like fool instead of letting some of us surround him and the others make it charge…and then flank him on the right as we knew he would make for Bardstown he passed the road just a half hour before our men got there and I expect he is out of Kentucky by this time (Frankfort, KY, October 24, 1862).
  
  He and his fellow soldiers also participated in raids and confiscated good from Southern sympathizers’ homes. We are taking horses and n****** every day and night the Rebels are pretty thick out here me and another fellow took a fellow and he said he was a rebel and he had a good revolver we took it and took him to head quarters I paid him seven dollars for his share of the revolver, he explained.  I want to kill about a dozen rebels with it the captain says for us to take any thing we want so the aint union men (Camp near Lebanon, September 2, 1862). It seemed that he was always in the middle of the action. He wrote that same week:
  
  About ten o’clock we heard thare was six thousand Rebels within 8 miles of here and we started double quick for to meet them at the Junction you ought to have seen the boys get sick and say they could not keep up they was afraid they would smell powder some fell of their horses and hurt themselves pretty bad. I was out on a scout fifty five hours I took four men out of Co. B they told me to go and find all of the secesh I could and so I went where ever I could hear of them we got several and brought them to the general we let all but one of them take the oath he was one of Morgans men (Camp Near Lebanon, September 7, 1862).
  
  The regiment continued their pursuit of the elusive CSA general. Scouting parties sometimes resulted in small skirmishes, which evolved into larger battles. Peck wrote:
  
  I just got back from a three day scout we started on Monday to fight the rebels and run them and run them about ten miles and then we drowed up in line of battle but did not het to fight that night but we had a grand fight the next day we was going along double quick and run in to them and we went at it hot and heavy they shot our colonel and several of the boys but killed only two the colonel was shot in the head but did not kill him I tell you the bullets flew thick and fast thare was horses shot under the boys and they had to go on foot thare was about four to our one of us we killed 7 or 8 of the rebels and wounded 10 or 12 but we had to retreat back to load and then we made them cut dirt yesterday we run them about 8 miles we had heavy fire to stand under they had 2 cannon and shelled us they brushed close to us and they pieces flew all around us…thare was two holes shot in the blanket that was trapped behind my saddle and never touched me (Louisville, KY, October 3, 1862).
  
  It was a narrow miss, but Peck continued his service unscathed. After almost constant action in the Cumberlands, the 4^th IN moved further south towards Tennessee and Georgia. Peck’s service was rather quiet compared to the earlier days. He became frustrated about the lack of anything and told his mother he would rather be home or in the thick of it than remain in the rear and have barely anything to do. Finally, after many long months of standing guard and waiting, something did happen. We have had quite a big raid Shure had plenty of fighting but none of our Co. got hurt, he happily wrote home. We captured about 9 or 10 thousand prisoners for or five hundred pieces of artillery and a great many other articles two worthless to mention…some of our company is after Jeff Davis now there is a big reward offered for him and I hope they will get him (Macon, GA, May 10, 1865). They did not capture Davis, but Davis soon visited Macon, GA, the city his regiment occupied. I did not see the old cuss but several of the boys of the Co. saw him they say he looks rather down in the mouth, he wrote. I feel for him but cannot reach him I hope they will hang him and all others of his stamp and that will keep them out of mischief (Macon, GA, May 15, 1865). Peck mustered out at Nashville on June 29, 1865 and returned home to his family. 

  Condition

  Typical folds of the letters, most with their original envelopes and many on patriotic stationary. Most letters are legible, very few are in pencil and have some fading. Otherwise, all are in good condition. 

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