Allegiance: Union
Highest Rank: Sergeant
Unit: Company I, 140th New York Volunteer Infantry
Occupation: Farmer
The company book describes Edwin Marsh as being a 23 year old farmer from Chili, New York. He was 5' 6 1/2" tall, with blue eyes, light complextion and hair. On mustering, Edwin Marsh was promoted to Corporal in Captain William Campbell's Company I.
At Gettysburg, Marsh probably received a minor wound, though it is not documented in the official record and he may have been furloughed due to it. He was promoted to Sergeant on February 1, 1864.
Four months later, Edwin Marsh was a prisoner. One of a number soldiers from the 140th that were captured during the charge at Saunders Field, Battle of the Wilderness. The following are two of his letters published in Rochester's Evening Express newspaper. No doubt his detailed list of those captured was bitter sweet knowledge for many Rochester families.
NEAR LYNCHBURG, Va., May 8th, '64
MY DEAR FATHER, MOTHER, SISTERS AND BROTHER: Knowing you will be anxious to hear from me, I shall try to get a few lines to you, assuring you of my present safety and good health, though a prisoner, I was captured on the 5th inst., with some others of my regiment, at Locust Grove. There are eleven of Co. I here, including D. Waffle and J.C. Clark, of Chili. Capt. Hoyt is also a prisoner, and slightly wounded. I am well, and did not get a scratch. I must close now, for fear they will not send more. Don't worry yourselves about me; I shall come out all right.Your son, EDWIN T. MARSH
Sergt. Co. I, 140th N.Y.V.
Evening Express, June 7, 1864:
Arrival of a Mail from Rebeldom - Letters from Boys in the 140th Regiment.We are happy to present our readers and the friends of the soldiers the following list from our boys who are prisoners in the hands of the rebels, for which we are indebted to Sergt. E.T. Marsh, of Co. I, 140th N.Y.V., a son of E.A. Marsh, Esq., of this city:
LYNCHBURG, VA., May 9th, 1864.
EDITORS EXPRESS - Knowing that friends of those here will be glad to hear of them I give below the names of members of the 140th regiment, taken prisoners at Locust Grove.Co. A - Sergt. Chas. W. Root, Corp. A.D. Mosely, Corp. D.W. Richards, Privates Isaac Barnes, Albert Linden, Martin Hoy, J.S. Lowery, James Dailey, Geo. Wilson, Simeon Le Valley, S.W. Hunt.
Co. B - R. Ovenburg, J. Ovenburg, Jno Klingel, George Riley, Aug. Hilbert, Fred. Humbleree.
Co. C - Orderly Sergt. R.J. Brown, John Burns, J. Ridoute, R. Barr, Jno Cochlin, James Feeney, Wm. Shields, Thos. Dickingson, James Sarsfield.
Co. D - Corp. L.C. Colt, Wm. Riley, Valentine Gerling, Byron Frost, Henry Coleman, Jas. Sidey, wound through shoulder.
Co. E - John O. Day, Color Corporal.
Co. F - Thomas Hamlin, Fred Schoen, James Chambers.
Co. H - --- Meinig, Wm. Creelman, James Barnes, Jacob Reed.
Co. I - Sergt. Henry E. Story, slight wound in shoulder, Sergt. E.T. Marsh, Jas. C. Clark, Bradford Kimble, David Waffle, Frank Carpenter, Wm. Reynolds, Jerry Quick, wound in knee, John Wegman, wound in neck.
Co. K - Sergt. Alex Graham, Corp. John Hayes, Peter Cusick, P. Fordan, Michael Neib, Henry Brown.
I should have mentioned Capt. H.B. Hoyt, of Co. I, but he is not with us - it slipped my mind; he has a slight wound.
Of most of the wounded I know nothing.
Those not mentioned as wounded are unhurt.
Respectfully, E.T. Marsh
The following letter illustrates Marsh's experiences while held in Florence, S.C. He was fated to be transfered to Andersonville and witnessed the execution of the Raiders while there. His diary entry below, discribes that scene. Edwin Marsh; however, was one of the fortunate ones. He was paroled February 27, 1865, at Wilmington, N.C.; and mustered out of service, June 26, 1865, at Rochester, NY.
From the January 17, 1865 Evening Express:Letter from a Starving Prisoner from Rochester.
[A friend hands us the following interesting letter, received yesterday from his son, a member of the 140th regiment, captured in the battles of the Wilderness:]
FLORENCE, S.C., Dec. 8, 1864
MY DEAR MOTHER - You can scarcely imagine my delight this morning at receiving your letter of Sept. 1st, (containing your picture) the first and only work I have heard from home for over seven months. I have written to you eight times since I have been in this infernal country, and had concluded to write no more and expect no letters, but as there are paroled men going "home," (I love to write the word,) I concluded to try once more.
I had some hopes of being among the number, but stood my chance yesterday and was rejected. I was too healthy!
Oh! if I could only get through the lines to where I could hear from you all regularly as once, where starvation would not continually stare me in the face. Our rations for quite a while have been a pint of meal and a little salt. We wet it up like chicken feed, and bake it over the fire. Once in a while we get a little rice or flour in place of the meal. We have only had meat (and then in homeopathic doses) two or three times in over two months. We have had molasses part of the time.
A good many have taken the oath of allegiance to the rebels, but I think I will lay my bones here first; for until I can hear from both sides of the question, I will trust that our Government means to do the fair thing by us. The rebel papers claim that they have offered our Government an exchange of prisoners man for man, and that they refuse it, except 10,000 sick. It is hard to remain here and suffer if such is the case. The President and Congress don't know what it is to live on a scant pint of coarse, unsifted meal a day and be hungry all the time. Try it a few days, not to mention months. Being captured was the greatest misfortune of my life; and the day I get in our lines (if it ever comes) I will keep as a day of thanksgiving ever after. I am in hopes that we may yet be exchanged before New Year, but fear not.
I and one of my company (G), Mr. Bailey, are stopping together, and have been since we were taken. We have a good tent, or hovel, with three blankets, left by those going "home." William Cox, I suppose is there now, as I heard he was exchanged. Several of our company have died, among them John Wegman, nephew of Police Justice Wegman. I took care of him a good while before he died, and finally got him to the hospital; but he died the next day, Aug. 21st. I wrote you the 3d of October from here, asking you to send me a box of dried potatoes, fruit, and ham. I leave it to your discretion to send it or not, as you can judge of the prospect of exchange.
I have to send your letter back, to get paper enough to write upon, though I would like to keep it. [The letter is written upon the back of his mother's letter.] I am in as good spirits as you could expect under the circumstances, and expect to outlive the Confederacy yet. At least, I shall take the best care I can of myself.
With love to all, I remain your affectionate son,
EDWIN
Diary excerpt, July 11, Monday - 1864
7 a.m. The day opens clear and cool. I felt unwell last night and this morning but feel better now. I think I shall have to stop making daily notes and only write down important events for fear my diary will not last through my imprisonment. This has been rather an exciting day. In the first place after a good deal of work I got Wright out of the hospital. I do not remember Wright, I suppose he was one of my squad and not well and put in the hospital and pre-fenced detailed as nurses were reported as little better, if any than the Raiders. On my return found Hopkins dead, so I had to post off for a stretcher to carry him out. Hughes and I took the remains to the hospital, which is a very nice place compared with the inside of the stockade.
Today was the time set for execution of the six Raiders convicted of murdering Union Men in the Camp. It came off about 5 pm with the thousands witnesses massed around. Everyone save their companions in crime sanctioned the act. The Old Dutch Captain (I think he was not Dutch but German, although prisoners called him "The Old Dutch Captain") brought them in, turned them over to the regulators "and told them to do as they pleased with them". They were soon ranged side by side on the scaffold and after saying what they chose, the trap was sprung by "Slim Jim" the executioner with an axe, knocking a prop out from under a swing door on which the murders stood. By this act, five were launched into eternity. The rope broke and the sixth man fell to his knees. He was from Buffalo, NY. he begged hard to be let off. Said he had been hung once and it ws not "lawful" to hang him again. The executioner showed him the same kind of mercy he had accorded his victims. He was walked up the little ladder where he stood on the stringer until the noose was adjusted, then "Slim Jim" walked up and pushed him off with his hands. Society and the stockade community are well rid of a lot of undisciplined scamps. One of them Sarfield was a member of Company "C", our Regiment, a bounty jumper assigned to it from New York City.
I did not experience the feeling I had expected to at seeing them hung but looked with indifference, except that until I saw them fall I feared that the sentenced would not be carried out. Every decent man in the enclosure breathed easier. On of them was a sailor, prisoner from the Water Witch. they were all Irish Catholics and a Catholic priest was in attendance.
This feature courtesy of Ruthann Goodwin.