Archive of three letters of Private Erastus L. Carpenter (1832-1913) to his future wife Mary J. Allen (1838-1903). Letters include: Albany, [New York], 16 May 1863. With original envelope addressed to Miss Mary J. Alen of Cleveland, Ohio. -- Ausable, [New York], 11 June 1863. -- Ausable, [New York], 30 April 1865. Each 4 pages, 8vo.

The first letter includes report of his regiment's final taste of war, just as their term of service was about to expire, at the Battle of Salem Church (3-4 May 1863, part of the Chancellorsville Campaign): "We was lost on the eve of battle and have had hurrying times since it was our luck to have another fight two days before our time was out and we got badly cut up again. We had 85 men killed and wounded but we started for home the next day."

He tells of the warm welcome they received upon their return to Albany before mustering out: "We meet with a great reception in Philadelphia and still greater in this city it was the greatest reception that could be got up they say far exceeds any reception that was ever given to any lady at any hour we feel quite proud of it although we have fought so hard for our country the governor made us a lengthy speech in presence of nearly a million of citizens from around this place which I will send to you in print as we found it in this morning there has been another four regts arrived since we came but did not get any such honor because their colors did not show so many bullet holes but they have done all they was told to do by their commander."

He also recounts a meeting with infamous Confederate General Stonewall Jackson: "When we was fighting on the heights above Frederick City we had the pleasure to meet Stone Wall [sic] Jackson with his force who nearly surrounded us in the afternoon thinking to take us prisoners but we could not see it in that light we got our batteries in such shape he could do nothing with us we fed him so plenty of grape shoot that broke his ranks and wounded him so had he has died since he was the general they had in the rebel army."

Carpenter enlisted at the start of war on 15 May 1861 and was mustered into Company K of the 16th New York Infantry the same day. Stationed throughout Maryland and northern Virginia, they first saw action at the First Battle of Bull Run. They continued in the same region throughout 1862 and were further bloodied at Gaines Mill, Crampton's Gap, Antietam, and Fredericksburg before participating in the Mud March and the Chancellorsville Campaign. This letter was the day after the regiment mustered out at Albany.

The next letters, each from late spring 1865, are written after Carpenter has returned to farming in Ausable, New York. He writes to Mary urging her to come home in both letters. In the earlier he writes to her in Cleveland, saying: "I cannot bear the thoughts of your staying there in that unhealthy place any longer…You have been there long enough haven't you?" It is left unspecified what Mary is doing in Ohio, however, she would eventually return to upstate New York and the two would marry in 1866.

Carpenter's third letter was written shortly after the death of Lincoln and he includes his ruminations of the late president: "The sad news has come that our Dear old President has been murdered just in the birth of his glory, well you may defend. It has been a sad time with us lately I have seen the president so many times while in the war I had great confidence in him he looked so good natured and bold I don't think there was another such man in the united States but never mind he has left a good Pattern for the rest to go by but what a time we had [rejoicing] over the late victory and such a sudden change to mourning."

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Letters, Documents, Ephemera, Manuscripts, Lincoln Assassination, Abraham Lincoln]