Featured Civil War Letter Unit Help

That is terrible!!!!
Some people should hold onto some things as they pitch them into the trash.
This would solve some of that.
So many people could give a bag of steaming dog fudge about history today. I wish they were.

 

Just look at that penmanship!

 

Back then the letters home were often written out by more educated comrades for those who were illiterate or only semi-literate. In this case, however, I suspect Orrin wrote it himself. One of the first records I found for an Orrin Cooke of NY of the right age to be a CW soldier - and which took me to the right place to find him - was a listing for him among the students at the Delaware Literary Institute in 1859. It gave his hometown as West Oneonta, NY.

 

I have a few Civil War items but no letters, I don't recall that I do anyway.
These are beautiful and in amazing condition. You're very lucky to have them.
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I have a very old Matthew Brady book and another old one literally on the individual battles in detail. It is so terrible and hard to read of the losses, injuries and missing for each event though some, maybe many, are desertions.
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I had a great connection at a little flea market in Encinitas, CA who would call me if she had anything at all related to military. Once she called and I was stunned to find this large, nicely framed, beautiful patriotically designed poster with hand inked entries!
These were printed in the early 1900s and, maybe earlier as well, And the soldier or family could note the service of, and whatever else befell, this person.
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His name is on it and between this record and that book I could follow his exploits and see what battles he fought and was injured in. It's a pretty extensive record that I feel blessed to have. I've never seen another.
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'Durell's Battery' was, apparently, quite an exceptional and famous artillery company out of Reading, PA which fought often.
I have George W. Durell's pocket bible.
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I've gotten to visit a Civil War museum, battlegrounds and actually launch a rocket, which I taught my Grandson to build, right there on that same field of battle.

 

How amazing we can learn such things today.
And from an amazing person such as yourself Bakers.

 

You are too kind, King.

 

Is that even possible?

 

ScanaticAntiques, wonderful find. I love this letter.

I noticed at the top of the letter the wording "Dixy's Land."

One of my favorite passages is in the first paragraph (and I am reminding myself that he is in "Dixy's Land" in early March):

"I am keen as a whip and if I was clothed as heavy as you have to be up North I should weigh over a hundred and a half and could whip my weight in wild oats or been [sic] soup."

 

The language of the day was so different from the way we speak now, wasn't it?

I don't really understand the "soup" part, but I am inclined to read "wild oats" as "wild cats." And I base that solely on the way he made other c's.

 

Yes It was and very proper AND respectful as well. Not like Twittting and xting. (texting is too long a word)
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I think 'cats' too based on that grouping of words.

 

Bakersgma, I think you're correct about the "wild cats" but I do think he is referring to "bean soup" (although misspelled) which might be a "shortening" of or related to the old saying "full of beans").

 

I think he's stating that if he didn't beat the wild cats he would be soup.

 

I agree, King. Sort of like the tiger soup in the Little Black Sambo story. He would have melted (perspired to death) from the effort of fighting off the wild cats.

 

The Brady book sounds absolutely wonderful! The Poster sounds lovely! I have been interested in the Civil War since I was a young boy. My sisters are 10 years older & 5 years older than me, so as we drove around the country to colleges, I was able to take vacation stops at Battlefields. She applied and almost chose to go to Gettysburg College (which I would have loved, but alas she went to Mt. Holyoke lol) I've been lucky to go to most of the East Coast Battlefields. Mostly when I was between the ages of 8 - 14 ( Mid 1990's) lol I have not been to any in a real long while and it kills me!

 

I am lucky to have both books and the poster/record so nicely framed in wood and glass.
I've never had much CW interest though I have had both navies in mind but have never found anything but an arm patch I saw in St. Augustine when the Navy paid me so well I couldn't afford to buy it.
I think we fired that rocket off at Manassas.
What most amazed me there was the huge amount of firearms of all types that were used though it makes sense that most soldiers, both sides, brought their own.

 

Especially at the beginning. Uniforms looks so much alike it caused confusion. Then it sorta formalizes for a bit and then towards the end breaks down into people sorta wearing w/e again. It's a very interesting war. I wish I knew more about firearms, but I don't sadly. So much to learn!

 

You'll loose your marbles trying to follow those methinks. There were many hundreds in beautiful display cases. Quite a nice museum.

 

Haha I love that as well!! It's absolutely wonderful writing! He seems well educated! Great Description!