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Preferred Citation:

Parson Covey Letter, 1863 June 1, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Biographical / Historical

Parson Covey was born in 1842. He enlisted in the Union Army as a Private from Luzurne County, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1861. On that same date he was mustered into Company "K" of the 11th Cavalry of the 108th Pennsylvania Regiment. He was mustered out of service on August 13, 1865 and died December 5, 1896. He is buried at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Waverly, Pennsylvania. Sources consulted: Ancestry.com, FindaGrave.com, and pacivilwar.com.

Content Description

Three page letter addressed to Cousin from Suffolk, North Carolina, but most likely Suffolk, Virginia as the post cancellation is from Norfolk, Virginia, dated June 1, 1863. Covey writes in reply to his cousin and thanks her for her recent kind letter. He lets her know that he is well even though he faces the enemy often and wishes her and the neighborhood well, too. He reports that John Brink was wounded in the shoulder and is well, but will be mustered out of the Union due to his injury. He also claims that Miller Larue was taken prisoner and held at Camp Parole. He laments that he has not laid eyes on a rosy cheeked girl in a long time, is anxious to do so and wishes the war over soon.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons