Alberts Letters

Albert N. Adams Letters (9th Michigan Infantry)

Firsthand accounts from a young Michigan volunteer stationed at Fort Duffield,
Muldraugh’s Hill, and Camp Haycraft during the winter of 1861–62.

Introduction

The letters of Pvt. Albert N. Adams are the only surviving enlisted‑man
accounts from the 9th Michigan Infantry during the construction and occupation of
Fort Duffield in the winter of 1861–62. Written simply as “Albert,” these letters
reveal the daily hardships of young volunteers facing cold, sickness, fatigue duty,
and the emotional strain of their first winter of war.

Albert’s letters document the regiment’s movements between West Point,
Muldraugh’s Hill, and Camp Haycraft, offering a rare
ground‑level view of the early Kentucky campaign. His voice is plainspoken, honest,
and deeply human — a window into the lives of the men who carved Fort Duffield out
of the hillside above West Point.

Meet Albert

No Known Photograph
Pvt. Albert N. Adams
Company C, 9th Michigan Infantry
  • Age: 19
  • From: Oakland County, Michigan
  • Enlisted: September 1861
  • Role: Infantry private
  • Known for: Only surviving enlisted letters from Fort Duffield

Albert’s letters preserve the voice of the ordinary soldier — the men who built
Fort Duffield with their hands and endured the winter of 1861–62.

Biography

Pvt. Albert N. Adams enlisted in Company C of the 9th Michigan Infantry
in September 1861. Like many young volunteers, he left home with little military
experience and found himself quickly thrust into the harsh realities of early‑war
service in Kentucky.

His letters describe the exhausting labor of building Fort Duffield, the sickness
that swept through the camp, the cold nights on picket duty, and the emotional
toll of being far from home. Albert’s writing is not polished — it is real,
immediate, and deeply human.

Today, his letters stand as one of the most important primary sources for
understanding the daily life of the soldiers who built and occupied Fort Duffield.

Timeline of Albert’s Service

  • September 1861: Enlists in Company C, 9th Michigan Infantry.
  • Late October 1861: Arrives at West Point, Kentucky.
  • November 1861: Helps construct Fort Duffield; sickness spreads.
  • December 1861: Writes from West Point and Muldraugh’s Hill.
  • January 1862: Writes from Camp Haycraft near Elizabethtown.
  • February–March 1862: Regiment ordered to Tennessee.

Letter Index

Letter — November 1861 (West Point)

October 27, 1861 — Detroit Advertiser

On our way down on the cars we narrowly escaped being thrown from the track by some wood
that had been thrown across the track by some malicious person. Shortly after, a man was
caught sneaking about and he was captured and brought as prisoner to Jeffersonville.

This afternoon two of our men ventured out from the camp and were taken prisoner. While we
were on dress parade a small boat passed down the river flying the secession flag. As soon
as the parade was over three boat loads of men started in pursuit, but owing to it being
late they had to come back.

Signed, Albert

October 29, 1861 — Detroit Advertiser

We are camped at the junction of the Ohio and Salt River at a town called West Point. We
are camped in a large orchard on the farm of a man away in the southern army (Jim
Lansdale, who had gone south and joined an Arkansas regiment). The 37th Indiana is camped
in a field that joins our camp.

When we landed at West Point we were greeted by a salute from two batteries, one on each
side of the Ohio erected by the Home Guard from Louisville. They mount some three cannons
each. We brought four pieces of artillery with us to form part of a battery to be attached
to our regiment.

We are to cross Salt River tomorrow with two companies, one from each regiment, to fortify
a large hill by constructing breastworks and trenches. The secessionists for several days
past have been of the habit of coming to the top of the big hill and watching the dress
parade of the Indiana regiment.

The measles have broken out in the camp. We have had one death in the regiment, a man
named Vansnile, who took sick with inflammation of the brain. There are no rebels of any
force within 9 or 10 miles from here.

Albert

November 16, 1861 — Detroit Advertiser

Last week three sergeants from the 1st Ohio Infantry were opening a box of cartridges. One
of them had a cigar in his mouth and dropped some fire into the box, when it caught on fire
and badly burned the boys. One will probably die.

This morning there are three more funerals. One of the men had only been sick a day or two.
They are Joel Kerr, Daniel Pierson, and Franklin Wait.

It is a real sesesh hold here. The ground we occupy belongs to a widow (Mrs. Ann Guthrie).
She says we will have to grease our heels and travel or Buckner will give us Jesse.

Signed, Albert

Letter — December 1861 (West Point)

No December‑dated letter from Albert survives in the historical record, but the
newspapers and regimental reports describe the conditions he was living through.
December was the worst month of sickness for the 9th Michigan Infantry. Measles,
typhoid, and dysentery swept through the camp, and more than 300 men were reported
ill at one time.

Albert’s November 26 letter describes the regiment’s move up to Muldraugh’s Hill,
where the men finally gained access to clean spring water. This move likely occurred
in early December, and it marked a turning point in the regiment’s health. Although
Albert did not write a December letter, his earlier and later dispatches make clear
that he endured the worst of the sickness, the cold, and the heavy fatigue duty
associated with building Fort Duffield.

Letter — Late November / Early December 1861 (Muldraugh’s Hill)

November 26, 1861 — Detroit Tribune

A dark cloud has settled upon us, for the flower of our regiment for days and weeks has
been prostrated by disease and sickness, and the dreaded angel of death has flapped its
wings in triumph over seven of our comrades since I last wrote.

At the present writing over 300 of our men are languishing. The diseases are typhoid,
measles, diarrhea and dysentery. Perhaps it would be useless for me to point out all the
causes, but the most prominent are the want of pure water, “sweet cured bacon”, exposure
and over work.

The truth is we have been poorly fed, ill supplied with the necessities of camp life, and
hard labor. We have had no bread since we left Detroit except “hard crackers”, much of our
meat has been poor, no straw except what we have bought, begged or stolen, to sleep on, and
the daily cry is “You must send every man that you can to work on the hill”.

At night the men lay upon the damp clay with only their oil cloth and one blanket. Is it
any wonder that the men are broken down and sick? No blame can be attached to any of our
officers; they have done everything in their power to remedy the evils and render us
comfortable. The fault is beyond them.

We are now encamped on Muldraugh Hill, or mountain, about 200 feet above the river. We are
now well supplied with pure spring water. Kentucky is swarming with Union troops. Two more
regiments are expected here tomorrow, they are from Indiana and Ohio. The 1st Wisconsin is
now camped about a mile below here.

I hope to soon be able to send you a better report of our condition and tidings of the
success of our arms in clearing the last vestige of rebellion from old Kentucky.

Signed, (C.) [Albert]

Letter — January 1862 (Camp Haycraft)

No January letter from Albert survives, but the Detroit newspapers document the
regiment’s movements during this period. In early January, Companies A, B, C, D, F,
and K advanced toward Bowling Green, while Companies E, G, H, and J remained behind
at Fort Duffield under Major D.M. Fox.

Albert, being in Company C, was among the men ordered forward. The weather was harsh,
with freezing rain and bitter cold. The men who remained at Fort Duffield guarded the
fortifications and cared for the sick left behind. Those who advanced to Nolin and
Camp Haycraft guarded railroad bridges and supply routes.

Although Albert did not write a January dispatch, the surviving reports show that he
was part of the movement that eventually reunited the regiment and prepared it for
the march toward Tennessee in February 1862.

Unlike the long personal letters written by Halladay, DeLand, and Love, the writings of
Pvt. Albert N. Adams survive only because they were published in Michigan
newspapers during the fall of 1861. Albert wrote brief dispatches describing daily life,
sickness, camp conditions, and the construction of Fort Duffield. These were printed in
the Detroit Advertiser and the Detroit Tribune, often under the simple
signature “Albert” or the initial “C.”

Because these letters were written for publication, they are shorter and more direct than
private correspondence. They read like field reports from a young volunteer experiencing
his first winter of war. Their value lies in their immediacy: Albert describes events
within hours or days of their occurrence, offering a rare enlisted-man’s perspective on
the early months of the 9th Michigan Infantry.

These newspaper letters are among the most important primary sources for understanding
the construction of Fort Duffield, the sickness that swept through the camp, and the
emotional and physical strain placed on the young soldiers stationed at West Point.

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