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Preferred Citation

Union Soldiers' Letters from Virginia and Alabama, 1862-1865, Accession #11027, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These letters were purchased from Cohasco Inc. of Yonkers, New York, on 13 January 1992.

Scope and Content Information

These five letters, 1862-1865, were written by various Union soldiers stationed in Virginia and Alabama during the Civil War. They describe camp life and the aftermath of battles.

Four were written in Virginia at Alexandria, Harrison's Landing, Stevensburg and Vienna. The first, 2 May 1862, is from James Batcheler, 26th New York Volunteers, Camp Lyons, Alexandria, to his brother. Batcheler, who says "I like soldiering first rate," discusses in passing family matters, friends, and identifies his camp as being near the south side of the Potomac River. His regiment has served half of its enlistment, and he promises to send two-thirds of his pay home.

Second Lieutenant Andrew S. Eagleson, 8th Pennsylvania Reserves, 1 complains to his aunt about his lack of mail, camp sickness and mosquitoes on 6 August 1862. Writing from Harrison's Landing, he also describes a Confederate attack against the camp [July 31] and shelling by rebel gunboats. Eagleson notes the arrival of 200 contrabands 2 [August 4] who were put to work building breastworks and praises Generals Joseph Hooker [1814-1879], Philip Kearny [1814-1862], and Darius Couch [1822-1897] as "fighting generals."

Edwin A. Lane, writing from Vienna to an aunt on 9 April 1863, describes the town and the hardships suffered by a local Unionist tavern keeper at the hands of rebels. He discusses a march in a snowstorm [April 7], the capture of three Confederates, one of whom is a mail carrier who will probably be hanged, the capture of at least 80 of John Singleton Mosby's [1833-1916] guerrillas, and complains that he and his fellow soldiers have not been paid for three months and are actually owed five months' pay. Lane describes a contraband village and contrabands as "a very fine looking lot of fellows," illiterate but hard workers, especially as clothes washers. Two North Carolina contrabands are hailed as skilled banjo and tambourine players. Lane concludes with praise of General Hooker.

P. Paul, writing from Stevensburg on 3 March 1864 to a friend named Harrison, is upset about the lack of news from home but says his regiment's health is good. He reviews General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick's raid [the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid on Richmond, 28 February--4 March 1864] and hopes he will soon liberate Union prisoners of war in Richmond. Paul mentions visit by a Mr. Sprouls(?), secretary of the Union League 3 in West Finley [Pennsylvania] and a review of the II Corps [Army of the Potomac] by General George G. Meade [1815-1872] and Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin [1809- 1891], "a most Splendid looking man as I ever saw." Paul disapproves of an army dance (held on 22 February) as being useless in putting down the rebellion.

The final letter (with envelope) in the collection is from Joseph C. Arnold, 96th Battalion, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Mobile, Alabama, to his sister, Mrs. Rebecca Bery, Scottstown, Marion County, Ohio. In bivouac on 24 June 1865, Arnold informs her that the regiment has two months duty remaining and is ordered to Texas. 4 The men are healthy thanks to an abundance of blackberries, pies, potatoes, eggs, etc.

1 Adjutant-General's office, Official Army Register , part 3, 828.

2 Southern blacks who fled to Union lines.

3 Patriotic associations founded to rally citizen support for the Union cause during the war.

4 According to Dyer, A Compendium of The War , vol. 3, the regiment never went to Texas and was mustered out in July 1865.