Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Civil War Correspondence of John L. Hoster and Josie Cole, Accession #12501, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by the University of Virginia Library from Charles Apfelbaum, Watchung, New Jersey on April 14, 2003.

Biographical/Historical Information

John L. Hoster was born in Fayette, New York, July 15th, 1842, served as a private and a sergeant with the 148th Volunteer Infantry Company A. He served in the Portsmouth-Suffolk area of Virginia and most of his letters are from there. He fought in the Wilderness campaign and at the second Cold Harbor, he was captured and held prisoner at Andersonville - exchanged on February 27, 1865, discharged in June 1865, and died October 29th 1930.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of eighty-eight items, all letters and envelopes, 1859-1865. Forty of the letters are from John L. Hoster, First Sergeant, Company A, 148th New York Volunteers, as well as ten fragments. The rest are from Josie Cole to John except for eleven letters from family and neighbors.

The letters are primarily correspondence with his hometown sweetheart and eventual fiancee, Josie Cole. Most of his letters are about daily life in and around camp with several references to the lack of moral character of the Union troops and the Southern civilians. The letters from Josie discuss daily life around the Seneca Falls area. The letters from friends and family are those of support and encouragement.

Letters from John
The first letter is from Camp Folger, December 31, 1862. John is recovering from an illness and has not eaten much in seven to eight days, mentions General Burnside.

Ten letters are from the Portsmouth area dating from February 7 to April 10, 1963. Letters of note are: February 7, mentions General Pryor; March 12, dissention in the North, General Grant intends to starve Vicksburg; March 28, pay day, commentary on the low morality of some of the troops and the "houses of ill-fame"; April 10, marriage proposal to Josie; April 22, Company A to escort the Union battery to Suffolk, 89th New York and 25th New Jersey charge across the river and take a confederate battery by surprise, mentions sharpshooters; May 28, a soldier marries a prostitute, Holster attends a "Negro church" where he had never seen such "hooting, yelling and dancing," attended the address of Colonel William Johnson at Portsmouth in Oxford Hall; June 13, collecting as many "darkies" as they can find for throwing up earthworks; anxiously awaiting the fall of Vicksburg; June 28, sick with the measles, orders to shoot un-muzzled dogs; July 6, a drowned swimmer in Baltimore is found partially devoured by crabs, a "Negro company without arms," General Meade's success against Lee at Gettysburg.

Fourteen are from the Norfolk area including Camp Naglee dating from July 17 to December 11, 1863. Letters of note are: July 19, skirmish at Guys Gap and Liberty Gap; July 24, riots in Seneca Falls because of the draft, description of rebel prisoners; August 3-6, those allowed to go home on leave were made to stand guard duty in Elmira because of the draft, southern houses searched and firearms found; August 13, Comments on the Virginians being behind in the way of the Arts and "everything else"; August 27, a fight between two soldiers at a brothel results in death; September 6, President Lincoln making preparations for peace, "one last success must be Charleston"; September 12, arrest and sentencing of deserter from 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry; September 20, execution of a soldier from 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry; November 29, 1863, describes the "destitute condition of the Union prisoners of war at Richmond" and the "lewd women of Norfolk."

Four are from Yorktown dating from January 11 to April 17, 1864. Letters of note are: January 11-12, some commentary on success with "Negro companies"; February 4, preparations for an upcoming raid; March 13, minor skirmish.

The final four letters are from a camp near Williamsburg, Canoga, "at home," and an unknown location. The dates are from May 3, 1864 to August 11, 1865. Williamsburg, May 3, 1864, execution of two members of 2nd New Hampshire. The letter from Canoga is written to a Mr. and Mrs. Vincent concerning he death of their son George at Andersonville prison.

Letters from Josie
All letters from Josie are to John and are written from the vicinity of Fayette, New York. Most are responses to John's letters and talk about daily life in Seneca County. Letters of note are: January 18, 1863, death of her father; January 31, mentions the measles, John has been gone less than six months; February 19, looks forward to rebellion being crushed; March 8, the remains of Mrs. Wright's son brought home, died of typhoid, Uncle Albert joins 4th Michigan Cavalry; March 22, starts teaching; April 4, myth of a dried up spring near Fredericksburg foreshadowing peace; April 16, Josie not yet of marriageable age; June 27, suicide of Mrs. Frantz, grave of Lt. Peterson at Canoga Cemetery, wounded at Antietam; July 26, draft in Canoga; August 14, Henry Lohr (deserter) has been seen and could be arrested, John has not yet seen a battle; October 31, speech by a Colonel At a Union meeting, dissension from some; November 22, papers speak of a battle to take place soon at Chattanooga.

Letters in Miscellaneous Folder
The six earliest letters are written before and at the outbreak of the war. The first, dated May 23rd 1859, is from a Miss Singer who is attending school in Ovid and it is presumably to John. Others are from John's father, Angeline M. Clark, a child, and from Eleanor Wilson to her daughter. All of these early letters make references to school. The last, from Eleanor Wilson dated July 23 1861, refers to "excitement about South Carolina and secession."

In a letter, November 20, 1864, from Albert Cole to his sister, he gives the prisoner of war address for John Hoster; March 13, 1865, consists of lines composed on the death of Libbie Wilson by her mother, A.C. Wilson. Fragment, undated, Company A had to sleep with their pants on, movement down to Navy Yard, Portsmouth; Fragment, undated, requisition form; Fragment, undated, mentions the "spot near Petersburg where I was taken prisoner" and refers to Josie now as "little wife."

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in chronological order. The letters from John are in folder 1; the letters of Josie, others and fragments are in folder 2.