Jacob Bushey was drafted into the Pennsylvania Militia on the 16th day of October, 1862, to serve for 9 months. He was mustered in as a Private of Capt. Samuel R. Diehl’s Company F. 158th Regiment. Jacob was from Adams. Co., was 28 years of age, turning 29 on the 9th day of November. He was 5’6”, dark complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair, and was a mason by trade. This information was obtained from the Penn. State Archives.
Jacob was the son of Nichiolas & Esther Michley Bushey. Jacob was one of the five bros. living, of which four were old enough to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. He had three sisters living at this time. He was born in Adams Co., grew up in that area, just a few miles n-west of Gettysburg. He and his bros. and sisters attended the local church, where in the Fifties, Jacob taught Sunday School. His brother John’s Grandson, Blain D. Bushey, who lives in that area today, has the Sunday school register with Jacob, listed as one of the teachers.
In this period, Jacob met and later married Lydia A. Whitnight (1/15/57). In the following five years, three children, Mary Florence, Charles, & Lizzie Jane (Jennie) who was two months old when Jacob was drafted, became part of the family.
The following letters are the letters written in the period from Oct. 1862 when Jacob was mustered in till the end of the war in 1865. The letters were preserved by Lydia, passed on to their daughter, Esther, then when 100 years old, divided in three lots by Grand-daughters, Marjorie, Dorothy, and Hazel.
As can be seen by the dates, and as sincere as they were about writing, all of the letters are not here, but time frame does give us an even distribution of information. These letters in their original state with 125 years of age, presented a few words non-legible, but as a whole they are printed exactly as written. Jacob was not a scholar, teacher, etc, he was an average working man, mason by trade, but a man of Faith & Belief in his Goverment and fellow man. These letters, in my opinion, give to us, the descendants of the common man, what it was like to live from day to day, as our soldiers have done from the Revolutionary War until now, not knowing when they will see their loved ones, if at all.
It must be noted that the letters tell very little of what the current situation is as Jacob would never write anything to alarm Lydia, to cause her to worry but as I will insert with the letters, information where he is located when writing and what is happening from the records of the War, we will let you draw your own conclusions of what is happening as he encourages Lydia.
Capt. Diehl’s F Co. were assembled at Carlisle, Pa. and then proceeded to a Phil., Pa. camp for a short period of time, then to be transferred to New Bern, North Carolina which was one of many impressive captures thru the end of 1862—this being what was to be the blockade to shut off an incoming flow of supplies to the south. This blockade from Roanoke & Elizabeth City to Florida, Louisiana, & Texas, occupied by Union Soldiers and the U.S. Navy, was far from complete due to Charleston, Mobile, and Wilmington remaining open to daring blockade runners.
New Bern, N. Carolina lays on Pomlica Sound on the coast, and was secured by the Union on March 14, 1862.