Chauncey Hill: Part 4

By Craig Hilmer

An early settler to the St. Charles area was Chauncey J. Hill. Hill, in 1864, was a young farmer, just married to 20 year old Sarah Downing. Both had family who farmed in the Saratoga area and were themselves just setting up their own household and farm when Chauncey was called up to offer his services to the Minnesota 9th Regiment, Company K for battle in the Civil War.

He and Sarah corresponded during the war and those letters were maintained by family until they were donated to the Minnesota Historical Society in the 1960s.  Some of those letters are being reprinted in The St. Charles Press over the next few weeks.

Week four of our series finds Private Hill in Missouri, following a short leave in St. Charles and an encampment in La Crosse as his company is on it’s way South to fight the rebel army.

Chauncey, in an undated note that was written in somewhere in Missouri as his company heads to St. Louis, comforts Sarah about a dream she’s had about his fate in the war:

Don’t let dreams trouble you, Sarah; you see I am yet tolerably well and hope, God willing, to soon be quite so. Blessings with you. Yours loving, C.J. Hill
Schofield Barracks No. 1
St Louis Missouri March 18’ 1864 

My Dear Sarah:
As our movements for the past two days have been quite unexpected to us and also important I take this the first opportunity of writing to you. A few hours after I wrote you from La Crosse we received information that we must start at 4:00 o’clock the next morning for St Louis Mo. This news came to us after I had lain down for the night so you see there was no time for writing and but little for preparation. 

Early Wednesday morning the 15” we started for the depot and were soon rolling Eastward through Wisconsin for Chicago which place we reached in the evening but failed to make connection with the train for St Louis.
We were therefore marched through the city to the “soldiers rest” much to our joy and the satisfaction of our empty stomachs. 

The good ladies of Chicago served us in fine style and we felt almost as proud of our reception there as we did of the one in Winona. They are the only places that have designed to give us any public notice. 

We had a good rest that night and next morning about 9 or so we started south. By staying in Chicago all night we had a good view of the country through which we passed yesterday. We went by way of Bloomington, Springfield, and Alto so we had a view of the great state of Illinois. 

I was not favorably impressed with the northern portion but from Springfield southward we passed through some most beautiful country. The Northern part is too low and wet for me, the Southern is rolling; has fine streams and belts of timber. 

We arrived opposite here late in the evening and after waiting some time were ferried across in a larger steamer and marched through the narrow streets near the river where the dark old buildings frowned down on us from their dizzying heights. One of the more modern streets we tramped till it seemed as though we were traversing the whole town. 

At last we halted here and here we stay at present.
We will stay here I suppose till the boys come up with us. I hope Joseph will come with them. We are all in tolerable health. Some of the boys have rather bad coughs but I’ve got along without one.  

I came though but with one accident. The wind stole my cap before we reached Chicago so I’ve concluded to buy a hat.
Out quarters here are quite like what we had at the fort: our rations, bread, pork, and coffee. 

There are men here belonging to various regiments, new recruits. We hear of another call, (unintelligible) “Go it Abe,” say we. You had better write it to someone in Warrensburgh (New York, where Hill and the former Downing were from).
Let our folks see this. All write.Remember to pray for me. Ever Yours, C.J. Hill

An undated letter from Sarah that seems to correspond with the time frame:

Good Morning Dearest One,
It is very pleasant this morning. The sun shines in all his splendor and the grass and shrubbery look as though they had grown considerably during the night.  There is quite a contrast between this morning and yesterday morning. Yesterday I woke up about 4 o’clock in the morning and it was raining then, After that I went to sleep again, and when I woke the next time it was snowing quite fast, but it did not last long. Last night I had a good night’s rest, a very pleasant dream about my soldier boy. 

I dreamt that you were at home on a furlough, and I thought you and I were fixing to go to a prayer meeting. Then I dreamt Mr. Nettleton was here, I thought he and the boys had gone to bed, and you and I were chatting here together. Oh how happy I was then! 

Then I thought you went up to bed, and a little while later after I went too. I thought you were in bed and you looked so pleasant and so good, I thought I would kiss you. And just as I was bending over you Mother woke me up and I lost that sweet kiss.

Next week this letter continued from Sarah to Chauncey in our 5th installment of the Chauncey Hill letters. Chauncey finds himself with Company K in Rolla, Missouri.