Date:
11/23/1862
Object ID:
2012.44.6
Object Name:
Letter
Accession#:
2012.44
Catalog Type:
Archive
People:
Erford, Benjamin
Scope & Content:
Civil War letter written by Benjamin F. Erford, who served in the Union Army, from a camp ten miles from Nashville, Tennessee.
Nov. 23 1862 He writes he is now a teamster and is in a better set of men and gets plenty to eat and describes their way of cooking/preparing meals. Each man has one plate, spoon, knife and one tin cup to cook with. They fry meat on the end of the ramrod, pound the coffee with the bayonet and boil it in the tin cup, and boil the crackers. He writes he has lived the best the last 2 days than he has before. Also describes witnessing one of their men having 3? of his fingers taken off of his right hand (possibly due to shooting them off). He says he never saw a man suffer so and when the doctor was helping him, "he hollered that you might a heard him a mile or more".
To John, he describes "what a mount of men it takes to make a regiment" saying there are 13? mile teams, 6 in a team, 2 teamsters to each wagon that is 26 men and then officers: 6 sergeants in each company, 6 corporals, etc.
Nov. 27 1862 He writes to his wife. Says it's Wednesday and he has not received a letter from her this week and that the mail comes regularly each day at noon. He has sent her coffee seeds in his last letter and won't send anymore until he hears that she received them. He hopes to bring some home in time to plant them, if Providence will permit him to once more see his dear family and home that he loves better that himself. He writes "I have stood up to all and hope that I may to the end of the war."
He also writes to his mother and wants to know if there is anything at home she could "turn into" for money if he fails to get paid on time from the army. He mentions needing to pay something/someone at Peoria on or before the first day of February.
Nov. 23 1862 He writes he is now a teamster and is in a better set of men and gets plenty to eat and describes their way of cooking/preparing meals. Each man has one plate, spoon, knife and one tin cup to cook with. They fry meat on the end of the ramrod, pound the coffee with the bayonet and boil it in the tin cup, and boil the crackers. He writes he has lived the best the last 2 days than he has before. Also describes witnessing one of their men having 3? of his fingers taken off of his right hand (possibly due to shooting them off). He says he never saw a man suffer so and when the doctor was helping him, "he hollered that you might a heard him a mile or more".
To John, he describes "what a mount of men it takes to make a regiment" saying there are 13? mile teams, 6 in a team, 2 teamsters to each wagon that is 26 men and then officers: 6 sergeants in each company, 6 corporals, etc.
Nov. 27 1862 He writes to his wife. Says it's Wednesday and he has not received a letter from her this week and that the mail comes regularly each day at noon. He has sent her coffee seeds in his last letter and won't send anymore until he hears that she received them. He hopes to bring some home in time to plant them, if Providence will permit him to once more see his dear family and home that he loves better that himself. He writes "I have stood up to all and hope that I may to the end of the war."
He also writes to his mother and wants to know if there is anything at home she could "turn into" for money if he fails to get paid on time from the army. He mentions needing to pay something/someone at Peoria on or before the first day of February.
Search Terms:
Civil War
Union Army
Letter
Union Army
Letter
Source:
Rodgers, Jan
Subjects:
Civil War
Union Army
Letter
Union Army
Letter
Title:
Civil War letter written by Benjamin F. Erford
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