American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Featuring Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana & Historical Documents

Each letter authored by a different individual with 10 of 13 being soldiers' letters (not all soldiers identified). Provenance: Collection of James C. Frasca.

Two pre-war letters with interesting content, one with a reference to the erection of a 100-foot pole bearing a "Lincoln and Hamlin" flag in her town and to a "Wide Awakes" meeting, and another reflecting the increasing hostilities between North and South in the lead-up to the war: "A man was here yester-day calling himself Joseph Rosell and claiming to hail from Monmouth Lodge No. 20 [I.O.O.F.], Freehold New Jersey asking for aid. His face was bruised and he said that he had been south, and was set upon and beaten, and driven out of the country on account of his being a northerner. His des-cription corresponds very well with that in the circular."

War-date letters predominantly feature description of camp life. Regiments positively identified in the letters are the following: Co. I, 22nd Iowa Infantry; 57th New York Infantry; Co. I, 47th Illinois Infantry; and Co. H, 154th Indiana Infantry. Excerpts include:

"Camp 57th NYV." 24 January 1864. 9pp, 5 x 8 in. Unidentified NYV soldier "Charles" writes to his sister, opening the letter with a description of the brigade flag and continues with a discussion of winter camp: "Already we have so defaced the country about here that I doubt that if even the owner could so he would recognize it....There is nothing like an army to clear a piece of land...Water is something that we are very poorly supplied with this winter, or at least, with that that is good....A New feature has already showed itself in camp, and is probably to increase to quite an extent. I mean the presence of officer's wives." The author references the construction of a building for balls at Division Headquarters and is less than impressed by the commanding officers: "I have frequently said that the value of the city of NY would be no inducement for me to serve three years longer under some of the officers that I am now under, and I am still of that opinion. Deliver me from a devil in Uncle Sam's uniform of a Commissioned officer."

Corporal David F. McGowan, Co. I, 47th Illinois Infantry, writes to his friend Fanny in January 1862, with a humorous take on the camp staple, hardtack:  "I should like to send you some of our bread but have no chance, it is awful.  I think the Government ought to build Forts out of it. I don't think there would be any danger from canon balls, as they would never enter. There is one thing certain there is not much danger of an overdose as we get tired knawing at them before we got our fill."

[With:] A cover addressed to Mr. G.W. Beidelman of Co. C, 1st California Regiment (71PV).

A varied group, but certainly reflective of the era and the soldiers' experience.