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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Henry E. Herbert Letter, Ms1991-071, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Henry E. Herbert Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1991.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Henry E. Herbert Letter commenced and was completed in November, 2022.

Family History

Henry E. Herbert was born in Bennington (Wyoming County), New York, ca. 1832. He married Delia Brown (1840-1907); the couple would have two children. Herbert appears in the 1860 federal census as a farm laborer living in the Bergen (Genesee County), New York, home of Charles Brown with wife Delia and a young daughter. He enlisted for three years' service as a private in Batttery M, 1st Regiment, New York Light Artillery at Lockport, New York, on October 29, 1861, and mustered in with the battery the following day. He was promoted to corporal February 1, 1862; reenlisted February 6, 1864; reduced in rank April 29, 1864; and mustered out with the battery at Rochester, New York, on June 23, 1865. Following his service, the Herberts seem to have lived in Lockport for a few years; the 1866 city directory for Lockport lists him as a resident, and in the 1868 directory, his occupation is given as "melter." By 1870, the Herberts had moved to Bergen (Genesee County), New York; the 1870 federal census lists a 38-year-old farmer named Henry "Herbeck" living and farming in Bergen. Also listed in the household are Delia, 29; Carrie, 14; and William, 3. The Herberts continued to live in Bergen as late as 1892. On May 17, 1899, Henry Herbert was admitted to the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers at Bath, New York. He died in Rochester, New York, on September 20, 1907, and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester.

Thomas Herbert was mustered in as a private with Battery M on October 14, 1861, and was promoted to sergeant the same day. He was discharged for disability at Washington, D. C. October 9, 1862. He died in Lockport, of wounds received in battle, on September 13, 1863.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of a single letter written by Henry E. Herbert, a soldier in Battery M, 1st Regiment, New York Light Artillery during the American Civil War. Dated June 22, 1863, at Headquarters, Camp D, the letter is addressed to Herbert's brother, Thomas M. Herbert, of Lockport, New York. Herbert writes of his brother's health with encouraging words. ("[T]homas you must not dispair yet keep up good curridge you may get well again," he writes.) Herbert also mentions a battle that had occurred the previous day at "Aldee" with "[a]bout four thousand cavelery and two or three battreys that licked the rebs bad" and reportedly captured a Confederate gunboat. The reference may be an erroneous account of the Battle of Aldie, Virginia.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Henry E. Herbert Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).