Jacob Miller, letter
December 7, 1862
"Sharpsburg, December 7th, 1862 [Jacob was 80 yrs old]
My dear children Christian and Amelia,
I acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23d November. We are all pleased to hear
that you are all well and doing well, although it appears you have some political difficulties to
encounter in your section of the country as well as hear with those black republicans and
abolitionists. That party is the whole and sole cause of all our difficulties and rupture of this, of
all countries the best in the world, and I fear never will be restored, and I know can never be as it
was. As to my individual interest in the settlement of this matter will amount to but little as my
race is nearly run, but as to the rising generations the difference may be great.
I will now say something about our local affairs. Your Unkle Daniel Miller is no more.
He departed from us on Sunday 16th day of November last, between the hours of twelve and one
o’clock, and was buried on Monday about the same hour of the day. He was not well when he
left home, the day before the big battle which came off the 17th of September. When he came
back he went to Henry Newkirks and continued there the balance of his time. He came to town
several times [.] after he got back he was taken with a diarear which was a very common
complaint with the troops and citizens. Both armies were afflicted with the disease, however.
Daniel took sick on Monday or Tuesday and continued getting worse with sick vomiting spells.
I sent once to see him on Thursday and found him ill but he could still converse yet on almost
any subject, but the next day I found him worse and so he continued failing
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to the end [.] he was 84 years of age the 12 day of September last, four years, three months and
eighteen days older than I [.] he appeared anxious this warfare should be settled but now it is
nothing to him whether it is settled or not. Mrs. Adam Michael is no more she took her flite this
day a weak [.] her oldest daughter had just gon before her about eight or ten days, the other
daughter and Kalille were both down and verry ill at the sametime but are getting better, - Hellen
and Janet have had a severe attack of tayfoy fevour but are both getting better [.] Hellen is up
and about in the house [.] Jacob and Annamarys children nearly all or perhaps all had scarlet
fevour but are all getting well – Henry Mummas wife is no more, she departed this life about two
weaks since, she had the same fevour [.] nearly all or quite all of John Smith famly wore down
but are all geting better. Many other citizens and hundreds of soldiers have been taken with the
same and many died, it is an army disease thus ads an addition to the Horrers of war.
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We have stil got 2 Regiments a long the canal [.] there hedqus are in Billy Blackfords
and our woods and they are strung along the canal up and down. They have got our barn and
waggon shed for their camaserry stores and the field back of the barn for a wagon yard and an
encampment [.] there they commit all kinds of depredations burn our rails, board, and pale
fence, now and tin milch our cows, use our sleigh shed and chicken house for horse stables, they
stil occupy our blacksmith shop and the house oposit the horse stable, and our basement story for
a provost yard of forty od soldiers, our wash house to cook and wash in, there are 50 or 60
waggons emploid here to bring in and haul away their stores, they live well, they have fresh and
pickeled beef, pickeled pork, bacon, crackers, flour, paotatoes dried peaches, and apples, rice
coffee, tea, sugar, mlasses and many other things put up in tin cans, boxes, etc. – when I wrote to
you before I think there was stil some fencing on the Wilson farm but now _______? says there
are none but a few pannels around the house and barn, up above Groves warehouse there was
some fence left when the main army left, but the pickets are now burning them, so I think by
Spring I will not have any fence left, except an outside fence around my home farm and one field
fenced off, and you know the fence along the
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Hagerstown road is about three fourths stone and that is pretty well knocked to pieces, twenty od
[cannon] balls and shells struck it, several took it nearly to the ground. – perhaps you have not
seen it stated in the papers as to [JEB] Stewart’s rade through Pa. he took about two thousand of
his cavalry (while the federal army was lurking about in Maryland after the big fight) and
crossed the River in the neithbourhood of thear [clear?] spring and passed over into Pensylvania
and gathered up a parcle of horses. they took nineteen from Andy Scheblys father-in-law at
mercersburg and many others as they went along to Chambersburg there they scoured out the
country tel they had about eighteen hundred head there they found large comasery stores the
South (?) the wagons they took along some government wagons and loaded all them and ^sent
them back to va.^ and then piled on their horses what they could get on them such as clothing
shooes blankets. He piled them up on their horses as high as a mans head Shooes they strung
up on ropes and hung them on their horses necks and some of the soldiers would hang them
about their own necks They took from the stores what they could and the balance destroyed by
fire. Then poped down through pa. in the direction of Frederick City leaving it to their right
about four miles poping on down to the river and crossed over into dixie without molestation
notwithstanding they stopped to feed their horses between Frederick and the river thus you see
they made a successful raid clear around the Federal army in about two hours after they got over
the river The Federal Cavalry came up with great pomp about three thousand in number but too
late though quite as early as they wished it
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after the frollick was over they came back and staid about town for sometime, one of the officers
was at John Snevelys and they got to talking about the rebels coming over and making that raid.
He said they had it in their power to have headed them. John asked him why they did not do it.
His reply was that they knew better than to attack that party, - I do not recollect whether I gave
you a history of a battle that was fought below Shepherds town on Saturday after the big fight of
Antietum. If I did it was verry imperfect as I only got to know the particulars since then. – the
rebels moved back from the river entirely out of sight of the federal troops which emboldened
them to cross on Saturday or Sunday about three thousand of their troops ventured over below
the burnt mill, there they met with a negro and asked him if there were any rebels about and his
reply was [“] god help your soul hunny dare is no rebbles in dis neighborhood [”] so they moved
on some distance when they came across about two or three hundred rebbles (who ware sent out
appurpose to toll them out) the rebbles started off as if they ware fritened to death threw away
their knapsack blankets and guns. The yankees pursued them in great earnest but when they got
out to a heavy pine [piece?] of woods there they found Gen Jackson with a heavy force rais up
out of the woods and let loose upon them[.] the yankees wheeled about and took to their heals;
the rebels followed them with all their speede the yankess not knowing the road made for the
river
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at the nearest point and that happened to be at the cement quarry they made no halt but tumbled
over into the pit. Some broke their arms some their legs some their necks and some knocked out
their brains but nearly all that went over ware killed they were piled on top of each other eight or
ten feet high one fellow went over on horseback, while this was going on the yankees were firing
across the river with their big guns to protect their men but by the by killed a considerable
number of their own men and not killing any rebbles the yankees loss was about eighteen
hundred ^killed wounded and prisoners^ while the rebels was only eight or ten in all. - We have
some doubts whether our letters all reched you. Savilla says she sent you her and Sam’s
photographs last summer and has not received an acknowledgement of the receipt of it as yet.
You say my letter was opened before you got it, but from your statement I suppose you got the
whole of it. We have nine acres wheat down on all of our land and if the army had not been hear
I would have had upward of a hundred. Many of the farmers have not sown a handful. – if the
soldiers all go away we will have a fine chance for a large crop of corn next summer if we can
get fences made.
Nothing more at present but that we are all well except myself having taken a bad cold
through this change of weather. The family join me in sending to you our love and best wishes.
Affectionally yours
Jacob Miller"
Author
Name: Jacob Miller
Unit: N/A
Document Information
Type: Letter
Subject(s):
- Civilian Support for the Confederacy
Event Location: Sharpsburg, Washington Co., MD
Document Origin: Sharpsburg, Washington Co., MD
Source
Miller, Jacob. "Jacob Miller Letters." Paul Chiles and Jan Wetterer, eds. Sharpsburg, MD: Antietam National Battlefield, 1995.
Transcripts
document-164.pdf 
