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to his brother John McKinley Gibson

A request for sugar and tea. "I prefer good English tea to coffee."

GLC04501.031

to Joseph Humphreys

He describes a trip from Cincinnati to Springfield and discusses corn and wheat crops.

GLC04501.057

to Sarah Gibson Humphreys

Written on verso of Bill of Exchange [dated 12/6/56] belonging to Samuel Humphreys. Joseph tells his wife of the hardships on his trip including running out of sugar and having to substitute "whiskey & water" for coffee. He is sending Bob back for...

GLC04501.081

Journal entries

Journal entries taken from a book. The first leaf appears to be journal or diary entries from Blue Lick Springs. It contains information about the weather, news about various people, and illness. Second leaf dated April 30th (no year) contains a...

GLC04501.090

To his wife

Washing clothes, food: "...sea buiskets which is a kind of very hard cracker. They taste pretty much like any other craker but I have about put my jaws out of joint chewing them but today they delt out pilot bread which is very much like soda...

GLC04558.007

To his wife

Traveling by ship, sea sickness: "I don't believe I have got over it yet for this eternal rocking heaving rolling bobing head [w]rong side up all the while." Cost of special food. Letter continued on 26th of January.

GLC04558.008

To his wife

Raising tents, selling bread that he baked, size of expedition. Written on patriotic stationery. Encloses an envelope originally addressed to him as an example to his wife of how not to address envelopes.

GLC04558.009

To his wife

Settled in camp, weather, price of food coming down.

GLC04558.010

To his wife

Mails, frying (and living-off) doughnuts, payday early because the Colonel has "the best brandy of any regiment." Written at Camp Dickinson.

GLC04558.021

To his wife

Home affairs: children, horses, business deals. Food: "We have plenty of salt pork, bacon, and beef there has been a lot of fat cattle brought here which they butcher so as to have fresh beef twice a week.... We get a kind of conglomerated...

GLC04558.026

To his wife

Still in hospital, Regiment at Norfolk. Mail, picking whortle berries, wishing he could help on the farm, different tent styles. "There are about three hundred Contrabands sent from this island the other day to Newburn to go to school."

GLC04558.031

To his wife

Laying around, regiment ordered from Newport News to Richmond, problems with fleas. Discusses rations from Uncle Sam and NC peddlers: "that come from main land in boats. There is sometimes as many as ten or a dozen here in a day and some of them...

GLC04558.034

To his wife

Addressed "Dear Elizabeth". Still at Fredericksburg but things are packed. Trying to get rid of extra clothing, still feels weak. Nurses and women's work: "Tell Mrs Rosa that if she feels so bad she had better enlist herself, as a nurse. I...

GLC04558.037

To his wife

five miles from Harpers Ferry. Farm business, complains of food. "I am pretty weak from the diarea I weigh only 136 lbs."

GLC04558.047

To his wife

More diarrhea "about all I eat is parched corn or a little grated meal made into pudding...." asks for money, mentions recruiting by other soldiers, reports battle across the river, troops held in readiness. the letter is continued on October 18th.

GLC04558.049

To his wife

Marching. Near the Rappahannock and approaching Fredericksburg. Mentions artillery fighting, and long discussion of stealing from Confederate civilians: "Notwithstanding all the orders to the contrary, we soldiers dont considder [sic] it much sin...

GLC04558.053

To his wife

Raining, rising price of food and living on "Uncle Sam's hard-tack, soldiers deserting and noting the carelessness of guards, asking for express package. Letter is continued on December 6th.

GLC04558.057

To his wife

Damaged at top left. With pencil note in margin p.1 enclosing "secesh" belt buckle for Georgiana. Trying to stay warm, describes previous week eating well in the town: "If you ever see a city rocked to pieces it is Fredericksburgh." Briefly...

GLC04558.059

To his wife

Furloughs, rations (mentions receiving soft bread for the first time in five and a half months), says that they subsist on coffee and crackers while marching, reports a CT soldier discharged for cutting his throat from ear-to-ear because he was...

GLC04558.068

To his wife

Moved camp, picket duty, fishing a lot while on duty; the NY 89th is one of the few regiments to remain; talk of consolidating regiments; mentions rations available. Letter broken-off with orders to strike tents and move. Captain under arrest....

GLC04558.092

To his wife

Wonders about her letters being misdirected; describes food (oysters, clams) and cost of other items; mentions other soldiers getting furloughs including one "in the hospital on account I suppose of the 'ladies disease' contracted in Norfolk...."

GLC04558.116

To his wife

Worry of "calamity" at home; hopes for discharge next April 1st; sarcastically mentions letter of 1st Lt. of 114th NYS Vols. (unidentified); discusses current rations and how only cooks make cook food; comments that the food always causes digestive...

GLC04558.119

To his wife

Written on U.S. Christian Commission stationery. More discussion of artillery shelling and trenches; predicts a possible evacuation; worries over not having heard from his wife; better rations; illness. Written in a camp near Petersburg, Virginia

GLC04558.147

To his wife

Advises his wife on how to cope with a long drought and offers some remedies for her illness. Details a letter from Louisa, encloses a recipe for condensed milk with a request for a sample. Still has not been paid. Written in a camp near...

GLC04558.150

To his wife

With discharge time drawing near, the letter centers on preparations for mustering out. New clothes issued. Col. Fairchilds wants the regiment to go to Elmira to do some recruiting. Relates news about Petersburg: rebel troops steal cattle; large...

GLC04558.161