Copies of Civil War Letters to Louvisa Witham Winslow
from her Brother John and Her Husband Charles
[copied from the original letters Dec 2, 1978]
Originals where handed down to his great granddaughter Florence Drew Gauthier
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Vickaburg, Mip June 27 1865
[Mississippi]
Dear Sister,
On the 13th of April I sent a letter to you by Adams' Express, containing fifty dollars [$50.00]
I have anxiously waited till now to receive an answer from you. If you have not received the letter send to the nearest office of Adams' Express and make inquiry and if it is lost I have a receipt for the money and will collect it and send to you. I wrote you to use the $50. to pay your workmen and try to save your farm, and perhaps you could borrow money and pay up for your house. I think I shall quit the army before long and go back into the country. Out of $12,000.00 dollars I think I may save about $2000.00 and that I have made nearly all since I came into the army. Write immediately.
Your affectionate brother John Witham
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Fortress Monroe __19, 1862
Dear wife,
I take this opportunity to write to you to let you know that I am in the land of living. I suppose you know that I was taken prisoner.
I wrote to you that I was but I dont know as you received the letter. Am now in the hospital on board the ship [eu ter pe] we are bound from here to New York and shall start soon and I think I shall get my discharge there and come home soon as I am able the doctor says I am not able to go back to the regiment my legs are swelled bad I suppose, it was caused by marching.
The last letter I wrote to you I sent you $25.00 did You receive it I am very anxious to know if you did. I have not received any one from you since you sent that one had two postage stamps in it. I was taken prisoner the 29th day of June so if you wrote I did not have a chance to get the letter. I want you to draw your state pay every month not let [da vis] turn you off.
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Sunday May 11th 1862
My dear wife
I have just received your letter and was glad to hear from you. I am not dead yet although the hot lead has flew over my head my last letter I sent was the day the battle was but it so happened that I was not in midst of danger some us was on guard but they fired aet us asnd did not hit but the bullet come within a foot of my head but they fired at us the hardest one night on picket but never killed one of us or wounded one only the lieutenant and did not hurt him the ball just cut through the skin of his leg. We are in Yorktown now and have drove the rebels from here we are a going to march on richmond tomorrow to see if we can't catch up with them we have to keep chasing them all the time they are afraid of us but they hate to give up but they will have to soon they are beat everywhere and I think this was will not last long. It must close soon and I think I shall be at home with you before a great while. You must let your planting out to halves not hire but little help and have five or six chord of wood cut so as to be a drying for another winter but dont let them cheat you in measureing it and call one chord two and dont pay them double price for cutting it. but get children a book dont neglect it no longer ask hannah to sell you one or some of the neighbors if you have to give a dollar for it ask mr.Ball to go around to the neighbors and get one somewhere I think you are doeing very wrong not to try to get them a book you offer a dollar for one and see how quick you will get one and if nobody will sell you one for a dollar I must write to some of them to the pond to sent to portland to get one now do try and see if you cant get them little children a book it worries me very much to think you cant get one and I hope you will try to get it so that I shan't worry any longer. Dont let the sheep go in the field keep them in the yard till it is time to turn them out and then send them up to Hastings to pasture. We will make beef of that cow this fall that did not calve you better have that piece burnt to the foot of the hill and planted. The captain says he wants to know what objection they have to paying you the State pay he says if he can find out he can see to it he says I must write to you and see what they objuct to about paying it and then he shall know what to do about it. I expect when they pay us they will pay us four months pay they have asked us to wait a little while longer and have four months pay you must try again to draw it and see what they have against it and write to me as quick as you receive this letter I wrote this as soon as I read your letter. I will write to our folks when I can. I think you gan get Oliver____ to do your planting to halves find him the seed if you can't do any better it will be better for your than to hire, I dreamed of seeing you all two night ago and little____did not know me. Now do the best you can for the little ones and yourself. Direct your next letter to Richmond. You better have that piece of land sowd to peas if you have it laid down.
C. Winslow
did you have hay enough
{{Three hundred of hay was bought in May 1862 for $1.20 on credit $8.00 per ton}}