2026-05-10T14:24:28Z

Unidentified Civil War Union Soldier letter

Abstract Or Scope

This collection contains a letter written by an unknown Union Army Civil War (1861-1865) solider in Newport News, Virginia dated Jan 9, circa 1863. The solider wrote to his sister about the conditions of the soldier's camp. In his description of the camp, he describes the amount of soldiers camped and the size of the camp. He writes that twenty soldiers were sick "with a bad cold." He also wrote the soliders were protecting five union families from the rebel forces. When he went scouting, he did not see much, except for "five or six" black people, whom he describes as "odd" looking. At the end of the letter, the soldier signed "this is from your brother Lee."

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Collection Context

1. College of William and Mary